A test prototype not very different from those of pregnancy identifies a protein connected to endometriosis in the blood of menstruation.
A quick, non -invasive test and to be self -administered at home promises to detect in menstrual blood the presence of a protein associated with endometriosis. The exam, for now developed during the prototype phase, could shorten the complex process necessary to achieve a diagnosis of this painful condition, which affects 10-20% of women of fertile age and for which there is currently no single and unappealable diagnostic tool.
Endometriosis: the obstacle course of the diagnosis
Endometriosis is a pathology characterized by the presence of endometrial fabricthe mucous membrane that covers the interior of the uterine cavity, outside its physiological location (for example in the ovaries, in the fallopian tubes, in the intestine, in the bladder and in the ureter or, more rarely, in the lungs). The outbreaks of endometriosis are not always visible and The right listening is not always given to the pains reported by the patients: The result is that the diagnosis is often problematic and that, on average, we arrive at the response of endometriosis After 7-8 years And after passing from the path of infertility, of which endometriosis is often the cause.
From Scrap product to sample to be analyzed
Currently the diagnostic examination of election to get to a diagnosis of endometriosis is the laparoscopya tiny surgery technique that allows you to explore organs and tissues of the pelvic cavity with a tiny incisions on the abdomen with an optical optical tool and to remove any injuries caused by the disease.
But it is an exam practiced under general anesthesia and a small intervention, to be done in the conclaimed phases of the pathology. Tests that can detect endometriosis lesions must be developed When I’m still at the beginning And the treatments are maximum effective.
Since in menstrual blood they are present Fragments of endometriuma group of biomedical engineers of the University of Pennsylvania has thought of using this liquid too often considered a waste product surrounded by taboos as a sample to be analyzed. The team has developed a test prototype not very different from those of pregnancy capable of detecting, in the blood expelled with menstruation, the presence of a protein associated with endometriosis, HMGB1.
How the potential endometriosis test works
Scientists scattered on nanofogli of borophenea biocompatible and biodegradable two -dimensionable material made by a single layer of boron atoms, antibodies capable of binding to the HMGB1 protein. When the blood comes into contact with the test strip, if the protein is present, it hooks to the antibodies and the strip droolves. Two donges mean positive test, only one negative.
Even when the protein was present In low concentrationsas should be in an initial endometriosis, the test detected it with a sensitivity five times higher than that of the current laboratory tests.
Objective, facilitate diagnosis
The test, which will be further validated before you can arrive at clinical experimentation, could facilitate the diagnosis of endometriosis in rural contexts, distant from health facilities And where gynecological consultations are made more difficult by cultural barriers. Integrated in an absorbent To be worn during menstruation, it would allow to monitor the levels of the HMGB1 protein in a discreet, economic and non -invasive way. The same platform could also be used for the diagnosis of other conditions, such as the human virus papilloma or the cervical cancer.
