# Development of a novel fluorescent tracer for detection of retinal TDP43 in ALS and FTD

> **NIH NIH R43** · AMYDIS DIAGNOSTICS, INC. · 2022 · $458,527

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) define two ends of a spectrum
of clinically, genetically, and mechanistically related neurodegenerative diseases. Due to symptom overlaps with
other diseases, the early and accurate diagnosis of ALS and FTD is challenging. This leads to delayed
intervention and stands as a major barrier to the efficient clinical testing of new disease-modifying therapeutics.
Efforts to develop new therapies and apply them early would be greatly facilitated by biomarkers that reveal the
state of ALS/FTD pathogenesis in vivo at the molecular level. Currently there are no objective diagnostics to
non-invasively detect and measure the most defining molecular feature of ALS/FTD pathogenesis: accumulation
of deposits of the TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43). A buildup of TDP43 deposits occurs in ~97% of ALS
and ~50% of FTD cases and is thought to be a central driver of disease pathogenesis. This proposal will generate
proof of concept for an affordable, accessible and innovative approach to detect and quantify TDP43 pathology
in ALS/FTD human eyes using patent protected small molecule fluorescent retinal contrast agents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10483027
- **Project number:** 1R43AG078075-01
- **Recipient organization:** AMYDIS DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Stella Sarraf
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $458,527
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-15 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10483027

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10483027, Development of a novel fluorescent tracer for detection of retinal TDP43 in ALS and FTD (1R43AG078075-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10483027. Licensed CC0.

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