Bagong blood test vs blindness

NAKABUO ang mga Australian scientists ng blood test na may kakayahang makapagsalba ng milyun-milyong tao sa buong mundo mula sa pagkabulag.

Inihayag ng mga mananaliksik mula sa Australian National University (ANU) nitong Miyerkules na ang kanilang bagong blood test ay kayang makatukoy ng mga pasyenteng nanganganib sa dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), isang karaniwang sakit na sanhi ng pagkapinsala sa macular na nagreresulta sa pagkabulag.

Gumamit ang grupo, na pinamumunuan ni Riccardo Natoli mula sa ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research, ng light model upang pag-aralan ang pagkasira o paghina ng photoreceptor cells sa macular ng retina.

“The macular is the part of the retina that helps you see the grooves on your fingerprints. It is only 5.5 mm, so if an area equivalent to the size of a pin head starts dying—it renders you legally blind,” sabi ni Riccardo sa media release nitong Miyerkules.

“Once that’s lost, there is no repairing it. “By looking at these photoreceptor molecules in the macular and understanding how they function, we will be able to early predict or diagnose a patient that is having systemic inflammatory responses.

“Combined with predisposition genetic information, we hope to be able to predict people who are at high risk and start treating before the disease presentation even eventuates.”

Gugugol ng ilang taon ang kasalukuyang paraan na ginagamit para matukoy na may AMD ang isang pasyente, na sa pagkakataong iyon, ay hindi na kayang pigilan o alisin ang pinsala.

Maaaring gamutin ang AMD sa pamamagitan ng pag-inom ng mga bitamina at mineral, o kaya pagsailalim sa surgery kung maagang nalaman ang sakit.

“The detection mechanisms we currently have for dry AMD happen too late,” sabi pa ni Riccardo.

“Once dry AMD starts there is a threshold tipping point and once a patient gets over that point there is nothing that can be done to save their sight.

“By the diagnosis stage, you look at the back of the eye and you already see that photoreceptors, the light sensing cells of the eye, are starting to die.”