Rapid Urine Test Detects Early Kidney Injury
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 05 May 2014 |

Image: The NephroCheck Test cartridge and Astute140 Meter (Photo courtesy of Astute Medical).
A new test utilizes fluorescence immunoassay technology to detect and measure two biomarkers that reflect the risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI).
The NephroCheck Test measures tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7(IGFBP-7) in human urine. Both are involved in G1 cell cycle arrest during the very early phases of cellular stress, and are robust measures of risk for AKI manifesting within the following 12-24 hours. TIMP-2 is an inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that directly suppress the proliferation of endothelial cells. IGFBP-7 is involved in the regulation of tissue availability of insulin and IGFs, and stimulates cell adhesion implicated in epithelial cell-cycle arrest.
For the test, a sample of a patient’s urine is mixed with reagents onto a single-use cartridge inserted into the proprietary Astute140 Meter. The meter employs a sandwich immunoassay technique along with fluorescence detection technology to quantitatively measure the biomarker concentrations, combining them into a single numerical test result. Multiple levels of controls (internal, external, and electronic) are used to ensure reliable and accurate results in about 20 minutes. The NephroCheck Test and Astute140 Meter are products of Astute Medical (San Diego, CA, USA), and have received the European Community CE marking of approval.
“We believe the NephroCheck Test will be able to help physicians address one of the most costly, deadly, and confounding conditions affecting intensive care hospital patients,” said Chris Hibberd, CEO of Astute Medical. “With increasing constraints on healthcare spending, innovative tools such as the NephroCheck Test will be essential to ensuring that the right resources get to the right patients at the right time.”
AKI is a significant global health hazard that strikes up to seven percent of hospitalized patients. AKI often occurs in patients that are already suffering from myriad issues such as sepsis, trauma, surgery, or being treated with nephrotoxic drugs, further complicating diagnosis, while also increasing mortality rates.
Related Links:
Astute Medical
The NephroCheck Test measures tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7(IGFBP-7) in human urine. Both are involved in G1 cell cycle arrest during the very early phases of cellular stress, and are robust measures of risk for AKI manifesting within the following 12-24 hours. TIMP-2 is an inhibitor of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that directly suppress the proliferation of endothelial cells. IGFBP-7 is involved in the regulation of tissue availability of insulin and IGFs, and stimulates cell adhesion implicated in epithelial cell-cycle arrest.
For the test, a sample of a patient’s urine is mixed with reagents onto a single-use cartridge inserted into the proprietary Astute140 Meter. The meter employs a sandwich immunoassay technique along with fluorescence detection technology to quantitatively measure the biomarker concentrations, combining them into a single numerical test result. Multiple levels of controls (internal, external, and electronic) are used to ensure reliable and accurate results in about 20 minutes. The NephroCheck Test and Astute140 Meter are products of Astute Medical (San Diego, CA, USA), and have received the European Community CE marking of approval.
“We believe the NephroCheck Test will be able to help physicians address one of the most costly, deadly, and confounding conditions affecting intensive care hospital patients,” said Chris Hibberd, CEO of Astute Medical. “With increasing constraints on healthcare spending, innovative tools such as the NephroCheck Test will be essential to ensuring that the right resources get to the right patients at the right time.”
AKI is a significant global health hazard that strikes up to seven percent of hospitalized patients. AKI often occurs in patients that are already suffering from myriad issues such as sepsis, trauma, surgery, or being treated with nephrotoxic drugs, further complicating diagnosis, while also increasing mortality rates.
Related Links:
Astute Medical
Latest Clinical Chem. News
- New Blood Test Index Offers Earlier Detection of Liver Scarring
- Electronic Nose Smells Early Signs of Ovarian Cancer in Blood
- Simple Blood Test Offers New Path to Alzheimer’s Assessment in Primary Care
- Existing Hospital Analyzers Can Identify Fake Liquid Medical Products
- Rapid Blood Testing Method Aids Safer Decision-Making in Drug-Related Emergencies
- New PSA-Based Prognostic Model Improves Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment
- Extracellular Vesicles Linked to Heart Failure Risk in CKD Patients
- Study Compares Analytical Performance of Quantitative Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Assays
- Blood Test Could Predict and Identify Early Relapses in Myeloma Patients
- Compact Raman Imaging System Detects Subtle Tumor Signals
- Noninvasive Blood-Glucose Monitoring to Replace Finger Pricks for Diabetics
- POC Breath Diagnostic System to Detect Pneumonia-Causing Pathogens
- Online Tool Detects Drug Exposure Directly from Patient Samples
- Chemical Imaging Probe Could Track and Treat Prostate Cancer
- Mismatch Between Two Common Kidney Function Tests Indicates Serious Health Problems
- VOCs Show Promise for Early Multi-Cancer Detection
Channels
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Blood Test Could Spot Common Post-Surgery Condition Early
Heterotopic ossification (HO), the abnormal formation of bone in soft tissue, is a common complication following hip replacement surgery. The condition affects nearly one in three patients and can lead... Read more
New Blood Test Can Help Predict Testicular Cancer Recurrence
Stage 1 testicular germ cell tumor is typically treated with surgery followed by active surveillance. Although most patients experience strong long-term outcomes, about one in four will see their cancer... Read more
New Test Detects Alzheimer’s by Analyzing Altered Protein Shapes in Blood
Alzheimer’s disease begins developing years before memory loss or other symptoms become visible. Misfolded proteins gradually accumulate in the brain, disrupting normal cellular processes.... Read more
New Diagnostic Markers for Multiple Sclerosis Discovered in Cerebrospinal Fluid
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects nearly three million people worldwide and can cause symptoms such as numbness, visual disturbances, fatigue, and neurological disability. Diagnosing the disease can be challenging... Read moreHematology
view channel
Rapid Cartridge-Based Test Aims to Expand Access to Hemoglobin Disorder Diagnosis
Sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are hemoglobin disorders that often require referral to specialized laboratories for definitive diagnosis, delaying results for patients and clinicians.... Read more
New Guidelines Aim to Improve AL Amyloidosis Diagnosis
Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare, life-threatening bone marrow disorder in which abnormal amyloid proteins accumulate in organs. Approximately 3,260 people in the United States are diagnosed... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Cancer Mutation ‘Fingerprints’ to Improve Prediction of Immunotherapy Response
Cancer cells accumulate thousands of genetic mutations, but not all mutations affect tumors in the same way. Some make cancer cells more visible to the immune system, while others allow tumors to evade... Read more
Immune Signature Identified in Treatment-Resistant Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a rare autoimmune disorder in which immune attack at the neuromuscular junction causes fluctuating weakness that can impair vision, movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing.... Read more
New Biomarker Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer in which patients often show widely varying responses to chemotherapy. Predicting who will benefit from treatment remains challenging,... Read moreBlood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and even newly approved immunotherapies do not benefit all patients. While immunotherapy can extend survival for some,... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Rapid Sequencing Could Transform Tuberculosis Care
Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, responsible for more than one million deaths each year. Diagnosing and monitoring the disease can be slow because... Read more
Blood-Based Viral Signature Identified in Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder affecting approximately 0.4% of the European population, with symptoms and progression that vary widely. Although viral components of the microbiome... Read morePathology
view channel
World’s First Optical Microneedle Device to Enable Blood-Sampling-Free Clinical Testing
Blood sampling is one of the most common clinical procedures, but it can be difficult or uncomfortable for many patients, especially older adults or individuals with certain medical conditions.... Read more
Pathogen-Agnostic Testing Reveals Hidden Respiratory Threats in Negative Samples
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing became widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic as a powerful method for detecting viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. PCR belongs to a group of diagnostic methods... Read moreTechnology
view channel
AI Model Outperforms Clinicians in Rare Disease Detection
Rare diseases affect an estimated 300 million people worldwide, yet diagnosis is often protracted and error-prone. Many conditions present with heterogeneous signs that overlap with common disorders, leading... Read more
AI-Driven Diagnostic Demonstrates High Accuracy in Detecting Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare but serious complication affecting 1% to 2% of primary joint replacement surgeries. The condition occurs when bacteria or fungi infect tissues around an implanted... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Cepheid Joins CDC Initiative to Strengthen U.S. Pandemic Testing Preparednesss
Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) has been selected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of four national collaborators in a federal initiative to speed rapid diagnostic technologies... Read more
QuidelOrtho Collaborates with Lifotronic to Expand Global Immunoassay Portfolio
QuidelOrtho (San Diego, CA, USA) has entered a long-term strategic supply agreement with Lifotronic Technology (Shenzhen, China) to expand its global immunoassay portfolio and accelerate customer access... Read more







