Sheba Doctor Detects Alzheimer’s in the Blink of an Eye

Sheba's Professor Yigal Rotenstreich, one of Israel’s most renowned retinal researchers, has developed an innovative method that uses non-invasive retinal scans to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before any symptoms are displayed.   
Prof. Rotenstreich shared his groundbreaking innovation at a special dinner and lecture organized by the French Friends of Sheba Association and orchestrated by Vice-President, Nicole Kraemer and President’s Dr. Sylvie Angel and Prof. Pierre Angel. 
The event was held in the prestigious Salons du Cercle National des Armées, in the heart of Paris. Dr. Rotenstreich presented his outstanding research in a noteworthy lecture introduced as “the eye, a window to the brain,” which captivated the audience. 
Prof. Rotenstreich established the Retinal Research Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center’s Goldschleger Eye Institute, conducting ongoing clinical studies aimed at developing treatments and diagnostic tools for retinal and macular diseases.

According to Prof. Rotenstreich, potential treatments for Alzheimer’s have consistently failed in clinical trials, “because parts of the brain were already overwhelmed by pathology which begins decades before the actual clinical symptoms become explicit in sufferers of the disease.”
Prof. Rotenstreich has discovered that the retina, as an extension of the brain, is easily accessible for non-invasive imaging; “We have developed a unique chromatic multi-focal pupilometer that enables us to test the function of the visual pathways in different locations of the retina,” Prof. Rotenstreich explained. He believes that this could be a tremendous breakthrough. “Our study could lead to the identification of unique, treatable, non-invasive, low-cost bio-markers for preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, which could be the foundation for ongoing clinical assessment and monitoring of treatments for Alzheimer’s!”
 

Prof. Yigal Rotenstreich, Ms.Nicole Kraemer, Prof. Pierre Angel, Dr. Sylvie Angel