Russian scientists have developed a unique technology for organism’s immunologic assessment, which allows finding out diseases, while they are literally in germ. This technique opens a broad way for preventive medicine.

All countries want their population to be large and healthy, and Russia is not an exception. Russian scientists are now able to stimulate birthrate, but they cannot guarantee that all children would be born healthy.

Why does this happen? First we used to blame our fate, then genes became the scapegoat. But recently biologists have found out that gene deviations are responsible only for 13-15% of children born with various diseases. In the 80s of the 20th century scientists concluded that mother’s immune system was much more important than genes, which parents pass to their children. Revolutionary technique for immunologic assessment, developed by Russian biologists, helps to get a glance at human immune system.

The most important thing that the immune system does is nonstop scanning of an organism’s molecular structure, its control and launching correction mechanisms in case of malfunction. The immune system has a wide range of biologically active substances, which have many functions. Most specific agents, produced by the immune system, are called antibodies (or immunoglobulins).

Scientists have started to understand the real role of antibodies, autoantibodies (antibodies to organism’s own antigens), in particular, not very long ago, and even now some of them tend to think that any antibodies do harm to an organism. Studies proved that autoantibodies regulate many processes, taking place inside cells. Some of them “guard” hormones, which do not collapse while bound to said bodies, others take needless proteins for recycling or regulate chains of biochemical reactions. Healthy people have almost equal number of different types of autoantibodies – when this number varies, we can say that the organ, for which these antibodies are responsible, experiences problems. Changes in autioantibodies’ number occur during the earliest stages of a disease, and visible clinical changes can be detected in six months and even in several years.

Russian scientists are developing a unique technique of immunologic assessment. It’s important to analyze the whole complex of antibodies. Autoantibodies are analyzed by classic enzyme multiplied immunoassay – one drop of blood is enough to get an immunologic portrait. Now Russian biologists are able to warn about an upcoming disease, thus it is possible to fight the malady on its early stages.

Scientists claim that existing 50 tests are not enough for making an immunologic portrait – at least 200 tests are required, and about 2000 tests would have been perfect. Russian biologists continue their studies, making the technique cheaper and introducing it to medical practice. Patients won’t have to visit tens of doctors – all they will have to do is taking immunologic assessment twice a year and then plan further treatment.
 

Anna Kizilova
 

Source: www.expert.ru