A simple blood test may soon identify kidney disease earlier to both halt progression and enable better management with simpler monitoring.
Nearly one third of intensive care patients develop acute kidney injury, which is currently hard to detect in very early stages when intervention is critical.
While an estimated 13% of people live with chronic kidney disease, a leading cause of premature mortality.
Point-of-care tests to identify acute kidney injury hours faster than current methods and to allow chronic kidney disease monitoring at home for the first time are being developed by a team from RMIT University and an Australian diagnostic company.
The test is aimed to provide a more timely, cheaper and easier alternative to existing pathology-based kidney function tests.
The current testing of kidney damage based on reduced urine output and increased serum creatinine levels can take six and 24 hours respectively, while the new ultrasensitive diagnostic technology aims to detect damage much earlier.
“The rapid onset of acute kidney injury yet the lack of a reliable diagnostic test, poses a major challenge for healthcare professionals to make timely interventions,” said RMIT’s Professor Vipul Bansal.
Earlier intervention can result in better outcomes and prevent acute kidney injury from developing into irreversible chronic kidney disease.
Kidney disease testing still an unmet clinical need
Current methods often delayed diagnosis, said Professor Shekhar Kumta, a clinician experienced in managing kidney failure in trauma and complex surgical patients, and Head of the Clinical Translational Research Partnership between RMIT University and Northern Hospital.
“Detecting kidney injury currently relies on testing kidney function, such as their ability to filter out creatinine. However, as creatinine build-up takes time, it can take hours or days to detect a noticeable difference.
“Changes in the kidney function lag the damage to the complex structure of the kidney.
A new test that could directly investigate the damage to different parts of the kidneys will be a real game-changer, Dr Kumta said.
“These new blood tests will be able to diagnose the root cause of the acute kidney injury early, which will play an important role in more clearly defining the optimal clinical management plan for patients.”
Similar tests customised for at-home regular monitoring of chronic kidney disease could help over 850 million patients worldwide, with the potential to sit alongside the blood glucose monitoring many diabetics use as part of their daily routine.
Established platform technology
The technology has already been well developed for another diagnostic target – Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria. The test for GBS, which is carried by one in five pregnant women, and can cause serious complications to babies, is in progress with a clinical trial approved to begin this year at Northern Health in Melbourne.
Both projects with RMIT are aimed to deliver rapid, affordable tests that can be used in hospitals, clinics, and ultimately in the home.
