We are a group from Dr. Contreras-Vidal’s Rehabilitation Class at the University of Houston working on analyzing and classifying abnormal cilia caused by Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD).
PCD is a rare genetic disorder that affects roughly 1 in 20,000 people. People born with PCD have abnormal cilia caused by genetic defects. These defects can
affect their organ positions, hearing, and respiratory tract. Diseases as a result of PCD include sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and a myriad of other afflictions.
However, if the disease is caught early enough, people with PCD can have some symptoms alleviated. The younger a person is diagnosed, the better their chances in treatment. Many patients are not diagnosed until much later in life because symptoms are confused with a cold or flu and infants are more prone to these infections already.
Today, diagnosing a patient for PCD is a painstaking task that can require several hours of time for each patient. The state-of-the-art method for diagnosis still involves “eyeballing” for cilia under a microscope with no set standard for doctors to follow in making a diagnosis. Our group intends to change the way this process is done. Modern software techniques can be used to find, analyze and map the movement of cilia as a tool for doctors to make a better diagnosis.
Here we begin the process of creating a new, faster, more practical approach to help find people with PCD so that tomorrow nobody is left undiagnosed. Watch us as we change what is possible.
References:
[1] Jeffwyner – VSFX Studio II – Microbe Scene, http://www.theboxthebox.com/studio2/microbes.html.
[2] Harris, Amanda. “Diagnosis and Management of Children with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.” Nursing Children and Young People, RCN Publishing Company Limited, 11 Sept. 2017, journals.rcni.com/nursing-children-and-young-people/diagnosis-and-management-of-children-with-primary-ciliary-dyskinesia-ncyp.2017.e936.
Cilia Through the Lens 