On October 24, 2026, the Department e for Physics and Astronomy will host the first installment of Saturday Morning Physics for the 2025–26 winter semester. The theme of this series is the role of physics in the medicine of the future. Kicking things off is Prof. Klaus Gerwert, Professor of Biophysics at Ruhr University Bochum and CEO of betaSense GmbH, a Bochum-based biotechnology company specializing in the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. The topic of his lecture is: “How can Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s be detected early in the blood and addressed at an early stage?”
Can Alzheimer's and Parkinson's be treated?
We are at a turning point in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. For the first time, medications are available that not only alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s but can also directly intervene in the disease process. This is a major breakthrough—but it is only the beginning.
So far, only certain groups of patients have benefited from these therapies. Their effectiveness is still limited, and they can cause significant side effects.
The key challenge is to detect Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as early as possible—before irreversible damage to the brain has occurred. This is because by the time the first symptoms appear, the diseases are often already quite advanced.
This is exactly where our research comes in: We have developed innovative blood tests that can detect biological changes characteristic of specific diseases. In the case of Alzheimer’s, these tests allow us to better assess the risk of developing dementia later in life. For Parkinson’s, our tests offer, for the first time, the possibility of supplementing the diagnosis—which has thus far been primarily symptom-based—with biological diagnostics based on blood samples.
Our goal is to make these blood tests available to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, we still need to overcome some EU bureaucratic hurdles to do so, particularly obtaining European approval under the so-called IVDR.
In my presentation, I will discuss the therapeutic breakthroughs that have already been achieved, what our blood tests are capable of today, and how early detection and new therapies could fundamentally change the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The key question is: Will we be able to detect and treat these diseases in the future before the first symptoms appear?
Prof. Klaus Gerwert
When?October 24, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
Where? Pauluskirche in downtown Bochum, Grabenstraße 9
Admission is free. Starting at10:30 a.m., the student council will provide visitors with waffles and coffee and welcomes small donations.
The goal of Saturday Morning Physics is to bring the world of physics to the public and to downtown Bochum. The event is held in cooperation with the Evangelical Church Congregation of Bochum on three Saturdays during the 26/27 winter semester at the Pauluskirche.
Photos: Klaus Gerwert © RUB, Marquard; blood collection tubes © Testalize.me on Unsplash