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A 15-year-old British boy has developed a potential test for Alzheimer’s disease that could allow the condition to be diagnosed 10 years before the first symptoms appear.

Currently, Alzheimer’s can only be detected through cognitive tests or by looking at the brain after death.

But Krtin Nithiyanandam, of Epsom, Surrey, has developed a “Trojan horse” antibody which can penetrate the brain and attach itself to the toxic proteins present in the disease’s early stages.

The antibodies, which would be injected into the blood, are also attached to fluorescent particles which can then be picked up on a brain scan.

Krtin submitted his test to the Google Science Fair Prize and learned that he had made it through to the final last week. He will find out next month if he has won a scholarship and mentoring to take his idea further.