Mater Research leads World-First Trial for Bowel Disease.
10 News Amanda Hart reports on the collaboration of Mater Research and SYMBYX, as they commence the world's first trial that will investigate the effectiveness of light therapy in reducing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) symptoms in young people.
There is fresh hope for people living with inflammatory bowel disease. The World’s first trial at Brisbane’s Mater hospital is using light therapy to treat young people with the debilitating and painful condition and the prognosis is looking good.
Amanda Hart (AH): There are some days that even moving a few meters is too hard.
Jazmine Domagala (Jaz): Pretty much always in pain, no one wants to take me seriously, everyone thinks it’s a bit of a joke, ‘oh yeah she is sick again’, it makes me not want to do anything, it’s quite isolating
AH: Jaz is living with inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic and debilitating autoimmune condition.
Dr Tatjana Ewais: Pain, frequency of bowel motion, abscesses. Very often people have joint pain, symptoms in the eyes and other parts of the body.
AH: Not to mention fatigue and depression. Now Jaz is taking part in a world first trial run by the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, to try alleviate the symptoms using laser therapy.
Dr Liisa Laakso: It’s not like Star Wars laser therapy, it’s not like surgical laser where you cut tissue, it is a very low intensity, low power output device that stimulates cells. It releases molecules that help to reduce inflammation.
Dr Wayne Markman: So if you can control inflammation, you have the capacity to interfere, slow down and even stop most chronic disease progression
AH: There are currently other trials using this technology to treat Parkinson’s, and the results so far have been outstanding.
More than 100,000 Australians are living with Inflammatory Bowel disease and most of them develop symptoms between 15 -29 years old. Currently treatment is varied, and results are mixed so that’s why this trial is so important
Jaz: I’m really excited to see how it affects me and what I can start to do now.
AH: Amanda Hart, for Ten News First.