Design and Development of Choline Acetyltransferase Fluorescence Imaging Probes

This thesis explores a novel approach for early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is an important strategy in combating the incurable disease. The auto-fluorescent lead compound identified in this study, N1-DMA, has demonstrated high binding affinity and selectivity for the target protein choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), while exerting no significant toxicity against SH-SY5Y cells. Overall, this thesis identifies a selective ChAT ligand with potential to be used as a fluorescence imaging probe for early AD detection.