Jeffrey N. Weiss, M.D.: The Four-Cent Test That Could Catch Alzheimer's Decades Early
In this episode, Carl sits down with Dr. Jeffrey N. Weiss, former Chief of Retinal Surgery at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, faculty at Harvard Medical School, and a visiting scientist at MIT. Dr. Weiss entered college at 16 and medical school at 19 on full scholarships, earned an electrical engineering degree magna cum laude while still in medical school, and graduated medical school summa cum laude at 23. He has authored more than 100 publications, holds more than 20 patents, and has spent more than two decades pursuing a promise he made to his mother. The centerpiece of the conversation is Dr. Weiss's work on early detection of Alzheimer's disease, years, even decades, before symptoms appear. His method shines a light into the eye and reads changes in the retina, which is directly connected to the brain through the optic nerve. The test takes seconds, requires no drops or blood draw, and costs about four cents, compared to a $5,000 amyloid PET scan or a $2,000 blood test that current research shows can produce false positives. Dr. Weiss argues that today's approved Alzheimer's drugs treat amyloid, a late-stage marker of the disease rather than its cause, which is part of why he believes more than 500 drug studies have failed to produce a real breakthrough over the past 20 years. Dr. Weiss walks through a career built on being first: the first physician to safely cannulate a retinal blood vessel for stroke in the eye, the first to use hyperbaric oxygen to treat certain retinal conditions, and the first to perform retinal stem cell surgery anywhere in the world. He describes the systemic obstacles that have slowed adoption of his work, from insurance reimbursement models that reward volume over outcomes, to FDA approval costs that can run into the millions, to what he calls the "silo mentality" of modern medicine, a concept he ties back to physicist and historian Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Beyond the science, Dr. Weiss shares his path from a childhood in Astoria, Queens, delivering flyers for 50 cents an hour, to volunteer medical work in the South Pacific, to meeting President Trump about bringing his Alzheimer's research forward. Carl shares a personal story about his own mother's battle with dementia, and the two close by urging listeners to get involved: to read the research, contact their representatives, and push for wider access to early detection. In this episode: ➔ A four cent test that could catch Alzheimer's a decade before symptoms ➔ Why 500 drug studies have failed, and what that says about how we diagnose the disease ➔ A career of medical firsts, and the system that keeps slowing them down Connect with Dr. Weiss: LinkedIn Books Micron Ophthalmic (Early Alzheimer's Detection) MD Stem Cells Alzheimer's, Cognitive Impairment and Autism Treatment Study Connect with Carl: Instagram Facebook LinkedIn YouTube X Produced by: Social Chameleon Disclaimer: This episode discusses investigational medical treatments and research, including stem cell therapy that is not FDA-approved and is offered only through NIH-registered clinical studies. We encourage our audience to do their own research and consult a licensed medical professional before seeking any treatment discussed in this episode.
