Columbia U: Greek researcher Eliza Konofagou paves the way for treating Alzheimer's with ultrasound

Based on these data, it is immediately clear why the treatment of the disease is seen as the “Holy Grail” of medical science. It is a quest that combines a deep understanding of the human brain, scientific innovation and the hope of millions of families worldwide.

Professor of Biomedical Technology at the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at Columbia University, Eliza Konofagou

“It is completely understandable that everyone who cares for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease is anxious about developing a treatment, as the disease has a profound impact. Our research focuses on understanding the immune system and its interaction with the brain, with the aim of developing new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Eliza Konofagou, Professor of Biomedical Technology at the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at Columbia University in New York, speaking to THEMA online. She herself, however, receives a steady stream of messages from Greece about the progress of her research, indicative of the burden and anxiety of the patients’ families.

The distinguished Greek researcher – who is also a member of the US National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors awarded in the field of Medicine – has focused for the last 20 years on ultrasound and its use for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in a multitude of diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The value of this year's Nobel Prizes for research on the immune system

Her research has opened new paths and each new finding brings science closer to a treatment that could radically change the lives of patients and their families. However, as she says, enthusiastically describing the research field in which she has been completing almost three decades, "research, in addition to dedication, perseverance and patience, also requires a little... luck. Not necessarily in the same scientist, but in the field in general. This is how science and our lives progress."

The awarding of the Nobel Prize to three scientists for their research on the immune system is, according to the Greek professor, a very strong example, as their paths had distant and different starting points and met along the way for the benefit of science and patients. "In the last ten years, the science of the immune system has experienced rapid development. "In the past, we only understood how autoimmune diseases arise or how cancer interacts with the immune system. As immune cells are scattered throughout the body, they were not easily isolated for analysis. Today, thanks to new technologies, we can monitor their function in much greater depth, even at the DNA and RNA level," she explained. However, the research requires high costs and specialized tools, which are often available in few centers internationally, she added.