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Researchers are testing nasal swabs for Alzheimer’s disease
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In a small study, it correctly separated early and clinical disease about 81% of the time
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The test records nerve and immune activity, which can give a better look at brain-related changes
MONDAY, March 23, 2026 (Health Day News) – Spot the early signs Alzheimer’s disease maybe one day it will be as easy as washing the inside of your nose.
An experimental patch patented by Duke Health captured early changes in nerve and immune cells even before cognitive and memory problems develop.
“If we can diagnose people early, we can start treatments that prevent them from developing any clinical Alzheimer’s disease,” the researcher said. Dr. Bradley Goldsteinprofessor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.
His team recently published findings from a small, encouraging nasal swab study Communication of nature.
The goal, he said, is to one day be able to “diagnose Alzheimer’s very early, before damage occurs in the brain.”
For the study, researchers took nasal samples from 22 participants.
First, they used a numbing spray, then directed a tiny brush at the top of the nose, where the nerve cells that detect smells are located.
From these samples, they could see which genes were active, an indicator of activity within the brain.
The swabs allowed them to measure the activity of thousands of genes in hundreds of thousands of individual cells, making up millions of data points — early changes in nerve and immune cells, even in people who had laboratory-based Alzheimer’s symptoms but no symptoms.
The result: The swab test correctly distinguished early and clinical Alzheimer’s from healthy controls about 81% of the time.
Alzheimer’s blood tests currently in use detect symptoms that appear only later in the disease process, the researchers said in background notes.
But the nasal swab records live neural and immune activity, which can provide a more direct look at disease-related changes and pave the way for earlier intervention.
“Much of what we know about Alzheimer’s disease comes from cadaveric tissue,” said the first author. Vincent D’Annibalstudent in the Duke Medical Scientist Training Program. “We can now study living nerve tissue, opening up new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment.”
Mary Umstead volunteered in honor of her sister, Mariah Umstead, who died of Alzheimer’s disease. Maria was only 57 when she was diagnosed, although the family had noticed signs of the disease much earlier.
“When the opportunity arose to participate in a research study, I jumped at it because I never want any family to go through the kind of loss we experienced with Mariah,” he said. “I would never want any patient to go through what we went through.”
In collaboration with the Duke & UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Duke team is expanding their research to larger cohorts and aims to find out if the swab can help track treatment progress over time.
The National Institutes of Health funded the study.
More information
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is an online test for cognitive, memory or thinking problems.
Source: Duke Health, news release, March 18, 2026
What does this mean for you?
A nasal swab may one day detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
