Kugcine ukubuyekezwa ngoJulayi 22, 2024 ngu Mthandi Wezinja
A groundbreaking ukuhlolwa kofuzo egqugquzelwa onesibindi inja yokulondoloza kungavula indlela yokuqeda ifa eliwohlozayo ubumpumputhe ezinjeni. Shola, A Umalusi wesiNgisi omehlo akhe ayengasaboni ngenxa I-progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), ibe semqoka entuthukweni yesayensi enesithembiso kubafuyi bezinja emhlabeni wonke.
I-PRA, isimo esithinta izinhlobo zezinja ezingaphezu kwe-100, siholela ekulahlekeni okuqhubekayo kwamangqamuzana angezwani nokukhanya ku-retina, ekugcineni okubangele ubumpumputhe. Ngokwesiko, akubanga khona ukwelashwa okuphumelelayo, futhi ezinye izinja zibonisa izimpawu kuphela ngemva kweminyaka yokudlulisela ufuzo esizukulwaneni esilandelayo.
Katherine Stanbury ukusuka I-University of Cambridge, umcwaningi oholayo kulo msebenzi, wabelane ngokuthi uShola waqala ukulahlekelwa umbono wakhe eneminyaka emine. “UShola waxilongwa ngudokotela wamehlo wezilwane, kwatholakala ukuthi unePRA, kamuva sathola ukuthi umfowabo wayethintekile,” kusho uStanbury.
Ithimba labacwaningi alizange likhombe kuphela ukwahluka kofuzo okubhekele i-PRA kuma-English shepherds kodwa futhi lathuthukisa a Ukuhlolwa kweDNA engu-£48 ukunquma ukuthi inja iphethe ikhophi eyodwa noma amabili okuhlukile. Lokhu kuthuthuka kulindeleke ukuthi kube nomthelela omkhulu imikhuba yokuzalanisa, njengoba kuvumela abafuyi ukuthi babone futhi bagweme ukusebenzisa izinja ezingase zidlule kulesi simo.
U-Stanbury wachaza ukuthi nakuba okuhlukile okubangela i-PRA kuvame ukuqondene nezinhlobo ezithile zohlobo oluthile, ukuhlolwa okusha kuzosetshenziswa kwezinye izinhlobo ezinezimo zamehlo ezizuzwe njengefa. “Uma sithola okuhlukile kwezinye izinhlobo, singakubheka futhi sikulungise ngendlela,” engeza.
Ukutholakala kwalokhu kuqale ngesikhathi uShola nomfowabo beziswa ethimbeni labacwaningi ngumfuyi okhathazekile. Ngokusebenzisa ukulandelana kwe-genome okuphelele kanye nokuhlaziya, abacwaningi bahlonze ukuhluka kofuzo kwenoveli okubhekele i-PRA kulezi zinja.
Ithemba ukuthi lokhu kuhlola kuzosiza ekuvimbeleni ukusabalala kwe-PRA ngokunika amandla ukuhlonzwa kusenesikhathi kwezinja ezithintekile, ngaleyo ndlela kube namandla okuqeda isimo ohlotsheni. "Ukuzalanisa enkampanini yenethiwekhi kungenzeka uma kubhangqwe nenja ecacile, okubalulekile ekugcineni ukuhlukahluka kofuzo phakathi kohlobo," kuphawula uStanbury.
Ifa likaShola liyaqhubeka enzalweni yakhe, namadodakazi akhe amabili aqeda ukuqeqeshwa kokuhlenga entabeni kanye nendodana eyodwa esebenza njengenja yokwelapha. "Abanikazi balezi zinja bangaqiniseka ukuthi akekho ozobhekana nokungaboni, ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ukuqeqeshwa kwazo okubalulekile akulona ize," kusho uStanbury.
Le ntuthuko imele isinyathelo esibalulekile esiya phambili izakhi zofuzo zezilwane futhi inikeza ikusasa elithembisayo lokunciphisa ubumpumputhe bofuzo ezinjeni.
Funda udaba oluphelele ku-The Guardian lapha.
Source: The Guardian