NTU develops non-invasive probes to detect acute renal failure at an early stage

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a type of imaging probe that should detect early-stage acute kidney failure, which develops rapidly and can be fatal.

Developed by Associate Professor Pu Kanyi and his NTU team, these unique kidney probes were tested in mice while injecting them into the bloodstream and illuminating them after detecting molecular changes caused by the onset from acute renal failure.

It should be noted that these probes can be used in test strips for urine specimens, making it a non-invasive method of detecting renal failure. After creating these probes, consisting of three components, they were injected into mice after administering an anti-cancer drug at a level dangerous to the kidneys. In addition to the ability to detect probes, the team also found that they had a high efficiency of renal clearance, which can be used directly on urine samples.

AS according to Professor Pu, the renal molecular probes are useful for patients in a very critical condition. He also believes that these solutions could be used in intensive care units, where early detection of this disease is essential for patient survival.

It should be noted that current diagnostic platforms are unable to detect the precursor and pre-morbid changes that underlie acute renal failure. But NTU's molecular imaging probe would be sensitive enough to track changes in biological processes triggered by the onset of the disease.

After the probes were tested on mice with acute drug-induced renal failure, the researchers found that these had detected the onset of the disease a day and a half earlier than the procedures. current molecular imaging.

To ensure that molecular renal probes follow the right signals and biological processes, the research team first identified the reactive oxygen species (ROS), molecules chemically unstable early biomarkers for kidney damage.

It should be noted that an imbalance of ROS causes lesions of adipose tissue, DNA and body proteins, likely to cause cell death in an organ and renal fibrosis, in which kidney damage can not be healed.

Associate Professor Pu Kanyi, of the NTU School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said: "Numerous reports have shown that byproducts induced by ROS are deregulated in plasma or plasma. urine before the onset of acute kidney injury, could identify acute renal failure earlier. "