Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – A straightforward blood test may soon allow clinicians to spot kidney damage much earlier, enabling timely intervention to slow or stop deterioration and to support simpler, ongoing monitoring of kidney function.
Roughly one in three patients in intensive care go on to develop acute kidney injury, yet it is notoriously difficult to detect in its earliest phase — the period when quick action is most effective.
At the same time, about 13% of the global population lives with chronic kidney disease, which continues to be a major driver of early deaths.
In response, researchers at RMIT University, in partnership with Australian diagnostics firm Nexsen Limited, have secured a AUD $1.125 million (Roughly over USD 720,000) research agreement to build point-of-care tests using their existing platform technology. These tests aim to identify acute kidney injury several hours sooner than current diagnostics allow, and to make home-based monitoring of chronic kidney disease possible for the first time.
Kidney disease diagnostics remain a gap in current medical care, which urgently needs bridging.
Professor Vipul Bansal, who leads RMIT’s Sir Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility, said their proposed test offers a faster, more affordable and more user-friendly option compared to today’s pathology-based assessments of kidney performance.
Bansal indicated that the quick development of acute kidney injury — combined with the absence of a dependable diagnostic tool — creates a significant hurdle for clinicians trying to act early.
“The current testing of kidney damage based on reduced urine output and increased serum creatinine levels can take six and 24 hours respectively, while our ultrasensitive diagnostic technology aims to detect damage much earlier.”
He pointed out that acting sooner can improve patient outcomes and stop acute kidney damage from progressing to permanent chronic kidney disease.
Professor Shekhar Kumta — a specialist in treating kidney failure in trauma and complex surgical cases, and head of the Clinical Translational Research Partnership between RMIT University and Northern Hospital — noted that present approaches frequently lead to delayed diagnoses.
At the moment, kidney injury is identified by measuring kidney performance, such as how effectively they remove creatinine from the blood. But because creatinine accumulates slowly, it can take many hours or even days before the change becomes measurable.
Kumta indicated that the shift in kidney function happens well after the physical damage to the kidney’s intricate structure has already occurred.
“A new test that can directly investigate the damage to different parts of the kidneys will be a real game-changer.”
To achieve this, the researchers are engineering their patented DNA aptamers to recognise biomarkers that signal structural injury in the kidneys.
Kumta indicated that these new blood assays could identify the underlying cause of acute kidney injury at an early stage, which will be crucial for determining the best treatment pathway for patients.
Comparable versions designed for home-based, routine monitoring of chronic kidney disease could benefit more than 850 million people worldwide, potentially functioning much like the blood glucose meters commonly used by diabetics each day.
An established platform technology shows great promise for the diagnosis of kidney ailments.
RMIT already maintains a strong collaboration with Nexsen. The two parties have a memorandum of understanding that outlines the framework for a long-term strategic alliance, and RMIT has recently acquired an equity stake in the firm.
The depth of this partnership is highlighted by multiple shared roles between RMIT and Nexsen — among them, Bansal’s positions as Chief Innovation Officer and Chair of Nexsen’s Advisory Board.
Researchers at RMIT’s Sir Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility bring extensive expertise in creating point-of-care biosensing systems across various medical applications, and will now adapt their proven platform to detect kidney disease.
This same technology has already been successfully advanced for a different diagnostic use — detecting Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria — as part of a separate collaboration with Nexsen.
