{"id":471699,"date":"2024-03-11T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=471699"},"modified":"2024-03-11T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T05:30:00","slug":"tears-full-of-promise-at-maastricht-umc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/tears-full-of-promise-at-maastricht-umc\/","title":{"rendered":"Tears full of promise at Maastricht UMC+"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2023, \u201ctear doctor\u201d Marlies Gijs published an article on a global first: she detected compounds of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and the incurable brain disorder Huntington\u2019s disease in tears. This is also important news for patients since until now, these substances could only be detected by performing an invasive epidural. The breakthrough is particularly noteworthy because the Flemish biochemist works in the Ophthalmology Department at Maastricht UMC+. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tear research, Gijs explains, is a way to obtain biological information about our eyes. \u201cWe perform a lot of scans here at the clinic; we look at different layers in patients\u2019 eyes, and if they have undergone structural changes, this means there\u2019s a problem. However, structural changes always start with enzymes or proteins that aren\u2019t working as they should or have accumulated. The sooner you detect this the better because it can lead to damage. If you want to examine the tear fluid, you can only get this data from the eye using a needle. This isn\u2019t a very pleasant procedure, so it isn\u2019t much good to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this is important: <\/h2>

Marlies Gijs is conducting promising research on tear fluid at Maastricht UMC+, which may lead to new diagnostic and treatment options for eye diseases and other medical conditions.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Noncompliant<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born in Dessel, Belgium, Marlies Gijs comes from a family of tree growers from the Kempen region. She studied pharmaceutics in Leuven and got her master\u2019s degree in biotechnology and biochemistry in Antwerp. Marlies ended up in Maastricht through cancer research in Li\u00e8ge, where she started working on the development of a drug delivery device for eyes, a public-private funded project of Chemelot InSciTe. \u201cWe developed a small rod to contain medicines,\u201d she explains from her sixth-floor office with a lovely view of the Maas River and the hill of D\u2019n Observant. \u201cWe know that patients struggle with having to put drops in their eyes three times a day for 30 days post-op. They are not very compliant when it comes to therapy, so this naturally results in complications. This was why we developed a rod containing a 30-day supply of the drug. Measuring the tear fluid, we analyzed exactly how much of the drug was administered by the rod. This was how I got started on tear-fluid testing. Later on, I started looking into biomarkers, substances that indicate the presence of Alzheimer\u2019s disease, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preference for basal tears<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We can compare tears to blood, Gijs says. \u201cTears contain lots of substances that can tell you something about a patient\u2019s health, and not just their eyes, but also about their brain and entire body. The question, of course, is: does being able to detect certain diseases in tear fluid add value? In order to diagnose Alzheimer’s, you now have to perform an epidural. In this case, extracting tears is much more preferable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gijs shows me a strip of paper that is laid in the lower eyelid where it absorbs tears. \u201cIt\u2019s not painful and is at the most a little uncomfortable.\u201d The drop is squeezed out again in the lab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Foto: Marcel van Hoorn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is it easier if the patient cries? \u201cWhen we cry, we produce more tears, which are actually more water than anything. The disease-specific substances aren\u2019t produced immediately so we\u2019re more interested in tears that just keep our eyes moist. We have a preference for basal tears over emotional ones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans produce about one to two microliters of tear fluid per minute. This fluid is produced and drained in a closed circuit and keeps our eyes healthy. Gijs: \u201cAnything found in air particles ends up on your eye surface, including viruses. These must be broken down immediately and rinsed away. At the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were rumors in China that the virus entered the body through the eyes. We started studying this right away. We did find the virus in the tear fluid, but the idea that this was how people contracted it turned out to be an urban legend.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
john-bloebaum-innovation-manager-at-the-police-force-use-of-technology-in-underworld-is-very-normal<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Opponents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the publication of the article on detecting Alzheimer\u2019s in tear fluid, Gijs\u2019 research continued. \u201cNow we\u2019re trying to prove that we can diagnose Alzheimer\u2019s as accurately as we could with an invasive epidural. Even if we can avoid just a few of the epidurals being performed, that\u2019s a win.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incidentally, not everyone is cheering on this kind of research. Gijs has the full support of Maastricht UMC+ but there is a strong biopharmaceutical lobby advocating for blood analyses. \u201cYou quickly see opponents who don\u2019t believe that tests on tears or saliva are reliable enough. And they have a huge industry behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, the University Clinic for Ophthalmology, in cooperation with Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, has called in a patent agency to help with patenting the results in tear fluid. \u201cThey study whether or not the results are patentable and help write and submit the patent application. After that, Brightlands helps sell the patent, or decides to commercialize the invention ourselves so we can launch the test on the market.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question of conscience: if all this works out, will she join in? \u201cI definitely want to stay involved as a researcher, but I won\u2019t become the CEO or anything. I know for sure there will be tests based on tear research in the future. On the one hand, because they offer an alternative to invasive testing, and on the other, because self-tests have become much more common since COVID-19. People are open to it. I think healthy people these days want to know more about their blood and about vitamins. People with diabetes have to test themselves anyway. If they can do this without having to use a needle, that would be major progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
Bright People<\/div>
The BRIGHT PEOPLE interview series features aspiring Brightlands figureheads. Through them, we show what it takes to find the solutions for today\u2019s and tomorrow\u2019s big challenges. <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Do you really want to know?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The question is whether people want to know if they have Alzheimer\u2019s. It takes a long time for the condition to reveal itself. Gijs: \u201cOf course it\u2019s always better to do one of these tests in the presence of a GP or an expert. Particularly when it comes to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, for which a cure still hasn\u2019t been found. Do you really want to know? And yet, when our discovery was announced in the media, I got a lot of emails from people whose parents had dementia and who want to know for themselves if they have it too. I just know people will use one of these tests when they are available on the market. Huntington\u2019s disease is hereditary and usually starts in adulthood, but it\u2019s still hard to predict when exactly. This really complicates people\u2019s life plans. We are now studying whether or not we can predict when the disease will actually emerge using tear fluid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u2018There is a lot of interest in my research because tears are considered sweet and tender. I think this would be quite different if I was researching urine or saliva, though\u2019<\/p>\nMarlies Gijs<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Digital self-tests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where Gijs\u2019 mission as a biochemist lies. \u201cWe work with other physicians to figure out where doctors\u2019 and patients\u2019 needs lie. We can examine tear fluid to determine the vitamin and hormone levels in healthy people, but it gives me more satisfaction when we can really contribute to preventing or fighting diseases. Our hope is that we can acquire new information about the course of a disease by taking regular tear samples. We are also seeing a rise in digital self-testing at conferences, products with a detector that can read the outcome of a pregnancy test and immediately email this to the GP or gynecologist, or digital self-tests that tell you to go see your doctor. These applications exist but I don\u2019t know if they\u2019re being used yet or not. We will see a lot more of these in the future at any rate. Digital medicine will also ensure that we will be having many more video calls with doctors as a way to save time and energy. This is where self tests can really help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crowdfunding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It will be a long time before the first tear test can be launched on the market, Gijs believes. \u201cThere are a lot of laws and regulations to deal with. I also noticed this when we developed the drug rod for eyes. Plus, it costs a lot of money.\u201d Is it hard to get the funding? \u201cDue in part to cuts in education and research, it\u2019s getting harder and harder to get government funding, so we also want to contribute to these efforts. In cooperation with the University Fund Limburg (SWOL), we have just set up a crowdfunding campaign<\/a>. This will enable foundations, companies and private individuals to contribute directly to my research on the innovative diagnostic tool for Alzheimer\u2019s using tear fluid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tender theme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere’s a lot of interest,\u201d says Gijs. \u201cIt becomes particularly noticeable when the media interviews me about it. The discovery appeals to them, and I think this is because tears are considered sweet and tender. I think this would be quite different if I was researching urine or saliva, though. Everyone is fascinated by tears. I prick up my ears too when I hear the word tears<\/em> in a song. I first noticed it when my children were born. Initially, babies cry without tears. Their first tear doesn\u2019t roll down their cheeks until they are seven months old. This is very unusual, and no one knows why it is. It\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
John Bloebaum, innovation manager at the police force: ‘Use of technology in underworld is very normal’<\/div>
iLab Politie develops cutting-edge crime-fighting technology. IO talked to John Bloebaum, who manages the department. “Either we do this for the whole country, or not at all.<\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2023, \u201ctear doctor\u201d Marlies Gijs published an article on a global first: she detected compounds of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and the incurable brain disorder Huntington\u2019s disease in tears. This is also important news for patients since until now, these substances could only be detected by performing an invasive epidural. The breakthrough is particularly noteworthy because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2261,"featured_media":505106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-partner.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34665],"tags":[65832,26573],"location":[6763],"article_type":[6758],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[82868],"class_list":["post-471699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-bright-people","tag-brightlands-en","location-netherlands","article_type-interview","reboot-archive-bio"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Tears are much more than just water and salt. A single tear contains more than a hundred substances that can reveal the presence of diseases. Marlies Gijs develops a self-test for tears.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Emile Hollman","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/emile-hollman\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/BL-mediabank-005828.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Health<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Bright People<\/a>","Brightlands<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Bright People<\/span>","Brightlands<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on March 11, 2024","modified":"Updated on March 11, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on March 11, 2024 6:30 am","modified":"Updated on March 11, 2024 6:30 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=471699"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=471699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}