Developing Applications of Raman Spectroscopy for Effectively Determing VCID Diagnosis/Progression

Raman spectroscopy (RSS) is a diagnostic technology that analyzes scattered light to measure the different vibrational energy modes of biological materials in a sample. Because of its affordability and time efficiency, RSS has been previously used to diagnose cancers, and more recently, it has been involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research. Working in tandem with newly discovered biomarkers and developed nanoparticles, RSS is used in research for both the diagnosis of AD and to determine its progression in order to develop future treatments. However, RSS could be translated to the diagnosis of another neurodegenerative disease, VCID, or “Vascular Dementia.” Diagnosing VCID usually requires expensive and time-consuming techniques, along with less quantitative neurological evaluations, which have been demonstrated to vary in agreement. With an ability to quickly analyze the chemical changes associated with VCID, including white matter hyperintensities and small vessel disease, RSS could be utilized to more accurately distinguish VCID from other forms of neurodegenerative disease.