Uvavanyo, oluphuhliswe ziinjineli zebhayoloji kunye neengcali zentsholongwane eziphuma kwiDyunivesithi yaseGlasgow, lunikezela ngeziphumo ezihamba ngasemva ezifana novavanyo lwasekhaya lwe-COVID-19 malunga nemizuzu engama-30.
Kwiphepha elitsha elipapashwe namhlanje kwiphephancwadi loNxibelelwano lweNdalo, iqela lophando lichaza indlela abaphuhlise ngayo inkqubo. Yakha kwiimpumelelo zangaphambili zoxilongo olukhawulezileyo kunye ne-virology kwiYunivesithi, inika iziphumo ngokuchaneka kwe-98%.
IHepatitis C, intsholongwane egazini eyonakalisa isibindi, kuqikelelwa ukuba ichaphazela abantu abazizigidi ezingama-70 kwihlabathi liphela. Iziphumo zentsholongwane esibindini ziyacotha, kwaye izigulane zinokungaziqondi ukuba zosulelekile de zigule kakhulu zinengxaki ezifana ne-cirrhosis okanye umhlaza.
Ukuba usulelo lufunyaniswe ngaphambi kokuba luhambele phambili kakhulu, lunokunyangwa ngokufanelekileyo ngamayeza angabizi kakhulu, afumaneka lula. Nangona kunjalo, malunga neepesenti ze-80 zabantu abanentsholongwane abaqapheli ukusuleleka kwabo de kubekho iingxaki zeklinikhi.
Ngenxa yoko, malunga nama-400,000 abantu kwihlabathi liphela babulawa zizigulo ezinxulumene ne-hepatitis C nyaka ngamnye, uninzi lwabo ebenokusindiswa ngoxilongo kunye nonyango lwangaphambili.
Okwangoku, usulelo lweHepatitis C lufunyaniswa kwiimeko zaselabhorethri kusetyenziswa inkqubo enamanyathelo amabini evavanya igazi ubukho be-antibodies kunye nokufumanisa i-RNA yentsholongwane okanye i-antigens engundoqo.
Inkqubo inokuthatha ixesha elibalulekileyo lokuhambisa iziphumo, ukwandisa amathuba okuba ezinye izigulane ezithatha uvavanyo zingabuyeli ukuze zifunde ngesiphumo. Ukufikelela kuvavanyo kwakhona kuthintelwe kumazwe anengeniso ephantsi kunye nephakathi, apho uninzi lwabantu abane-hepatitis C bahlala khona.
Ngelixa iimvavanyo eziphathwayo ezikwaziyo ukuzisa iziphumo ezikhawulezayo ziphuhlisiwe kwiminyaka yakutshanje, ukuchaneka kwazo kunokuthintelwa, ngakumbi kuzo zonke iindidi zabantu ezahlukeneyo.
Inkqubo entsha yeqela elikhokelwa yiYunivesithi yaseGlasgow, nangona kunjalo, ilungele ukusetyenziswa kwihlabathi liphela. Ilungiswe kwinkqubo efanayo abayiphuhlisileyo ukunikezela ngoxilongo olukhawulezileyo lwemalariya, evavanyiweyo ngeziphumo ezikhuthazayo eUganda.
Isixhobo sisebenzisa amaphepha e-origami-efana ne-wax egoqiweyo ukuze kulungiswe iisampuli zenkqubo eyaziwa ngokuba yi-loop-mediated isothermal amplification, okanye i-LAMP. Inkqubo yokusongwa kwephepha yenza ukuba isampuli iqhutywe kwaye ihanjiswe kumagumbi amancinci amathathu kwikhatriji, apho umatshini we-LAMP ushushu kwaye usebenzise ukuvavanya iisampuli zobukho be-hepatitis C RNA. Ubuchwephesha bulula ngokwaneleyo ukuba bunakho, kwixa elizayo, ukuhanjiswa ebaleni, kwisampulu yegazi ethathwe kwisigulana ngokuthathwa kweminwe.
Inkqubo ithatha malunga nemizuzu engama-30. Iziphumo zihanjiswa ngoluhlu lokuqukuqela olusecaleni olufundeka lula njengovavanyo lokukhulelwa okanye uvavanyo lwe-COVID-19 lwasekhaya, olubonisa amacandelo amabini eziphumo eziqinisekileyo kunye nebhendi enye ye-negative.
Ukuvavanya iprototype yabo, iqela lisebenzise inkqubo ukuhlalutya iisampuli ze-plasma zegazi ze-100 ezingaziwa kwizigulane ezinosulelo olungapheliyo lwe-HCV kunye nezinye iisampuli ze-100 ezivela kwizigulane ezingenayo i-HCV, ezenza njengeqela lokulawula. Iisampulu zavavanywa kwakhona kusetyenziswa i-assay ye-Abbott RealTime ye-hepatitis C esemgangathweni ukuqinisekisa iziphumo ze-LAMP. Iimvavanyo ze-LAMP zinike iziphumo ebezichanekile ngama-98%.
Iqela lijonge ukusebenzisa le nkqubo kulingo lwasendle kwi-Afrika ekwi-sub-Sahara kulo nyaka uzayo.
Iphepha leqela, elinesihloko esithi 'Loop mediated isothermal amplification njengesixhobo esinamandla sokuxilongwa kwangoko kwentsholongwane ye-hepatitis C', lipapashwe kwiNdawo yoNxibelelwano. Uphando luxhaswe ngenkxaso-mali evela kwiBhunga loPhando lobuNjineli nePhysical Sciences (EPSRC), iBhunga loPhando lwezoNyango kunye neWellcome Trust.
