· Log in

Researchers get reward for breakthrough in OSA research

Written by: David Castillo on February 18th, 2010

Researchers get reward for breakthrough in OSA research | read this item

Researchers from the University of Louisville have discovered that urine can be used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among children, eliminating the need for expensive sleep studies.

Dr. Saeed A. Jortani, a chemist, says that there are different stress-related proteins in the urine of child with sleep apnea. His findings were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Jortani and his research team earned a $150,000 reward from the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) and they will be using it to further develop their studies.

“I believe it’s possible to develop a diagnostic test so simple that some day it could be available for use in the home, like a home pregnancy test,” commented Dr. Jortani.

OSA is a common sleep disorder, where a person’s airway becomes partially blocked causing snoring and difficulty in breathing. The condition has been linked to behavioral problems, like hypertension, cardiac disease, and obesity.

CB050291