Behind the breakthrough discovery are, among others, Prof. Jacek Malejczyk from the Chair and Department of Histology and Embryology MUW and Dr. Ilona Kalaszczyńska from the same clinic and department, as well as vice president of the Diagendo company. The test is an opportunity for rapid diagnosis for millions of female patients.
It is estimated that one in ten women suffers from endometriosis. The disease accounts for half of infertility cases in Poland. And its characteristic symptom is very severe pain.
The development of endometriosis occurs when endometrial (uterine mucosal) tissue appears outside the uterine cavity, that is, for example, in the ovary, fallopian tube, intestine, bladder, peritoneum, stomach, liver, and sometimes even in the lungs or brain.
Detecting the disease is not at all easy, and many women receive a diagnosis only when they get to the operating table - at which point the doctor takes the specimens and returns them for examination. According to statistics, it takes 8-12 years from the first symptoms to the diagnosis. Now there is a chance for this to change.
The test developed by our scientists is similar to tests for coronavirus. However, in the case of endometriosis, the marker is a specific gene that, as it turned out, is overactive in women suffering from the disease.
And what will the test itself look like? First, the gynecologist will take a swab from inside the uterus. Then this material will be sent to the laboratory, and there, using the test of our scientists, they will check whether we are dealing with endometriosis or not.
The test may be available as early as the end of March, it is not yet known how much it will cost.