研究人員發現使用金納米顆粒能夠消除beta淀粉纖維和斑塊，據信可以緩解早老性癡呆患者的智力衰退。

研究人員把這種新技術叫做“分子手術”，這種治療能夠停止或者減緩疾病的發展，而不會損傷正常的腦細胞。這項研究結果發表在2006年1月11日的美國化學學會的《納米通訊》。

使用實驗室模型進行研究，研究人員將金納米顆粒貼附在beta淀粉纖維上，孵育幾天之后，然后暴露于微弱的微波下數小時。研究人員說，治療區域的能量水平比傳統手機要低7倍，不會損傷健康的細胞。纖維然后溶解并在隨后至少1周內繼續溶解，提示治療不僅是成功的溶解了纖維，而且能夠降低患者再次出現蛋白凝集的傾向。

Radiation, Nanoparticles May Slow Alzheimer’s
 
Researchers have discovered a new approach that uses gold nanoparticles to destroy beta-amyloid fibrils and plaque, believed to contribute to the mental deterioration of Alzheimer’s patients.

The researchers state that the new technique, which they call a type of “molecular surgery,” could stop or slow the disease’s progression without injuring healthy brain cells. The study was published in the January 11, 2006, issue of the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters.

Utilizing laboratory model studies, the investigators attached gold nanoparticles to a group of beta amyloid fibrils, incubated the ensuing compound for several days, and then exposed it to weak microwave fields for several hours. The energy levels of the fields were six times smaller than those of traditional cell phones and not likely to harm healthy cells, according to the researchers. The fibrils then dissolved and remained dissolved for at least one week after being irradiated, indicating that the treatment was not only successful at breaking up the fibrils but also resulted in a lower propensity of the proteins to re-aggregate, according to the researchers.