A new blood test may soon help doctors find kidney disease earlier and manage it more easily.
Researchers from RMIT University in Australia are working with the diagnostic company Nexsen Limited to create this new test.
Their goal is to detect signs of kidney injury much faster than current tests can, and even allow patients with long-term kidney disease to check their kidney health at home.
Right now, it’s hard to spot early signs of kidney injury. This is especially a problem for people in intensive care units. About one in three ICU patients develops a sudden kidney problem called acute kidney injury. But doctors usually can’t detect it until hours or even a day after damage begins. That delay can make it harder to treat.
Chronic kidney disease is also a major problem. Around 13% of people live with it, and it often leads to early death. The new test aims to change that by finding damage earlier and offering better ways to monitor it over time.
Professor Vipul Bansal, who leads the project at RMIT’s NanoBioSensing Facility, said the new test could be cheaper and faster than current methods, which rely on checking urine output or blood levels of a waste product called creatinine. These tests take time because they only show results after the kidneys have already started to fail.
Instead, the new test will look for signs of damage in the kidney’s structure, not just its function. It uses a special method involving DNA aptamers—tiny molecules that can detect specific damage-related markers in the blood. These signs can appear before the kidney function drops, meaning treatment could start much earlier.
Professor Shekhar Kumta, a kidney specialist working with the team, said this early detection could be a major breakthrough. By finding damage early, doctors may be able to stop a short-term injury from turning into a life-long disease.
The team is also working on a version of the test that people can use at home. This would be helpful for millions of people worldwide with chronic kidney disease. It could work like the finger-prick tests that people with diabetes use to monitor blood sugar.
RMIT and Nexsen have been working together on other health projects too. One example is a test for a common bacteria called Group B Streptococcus (GBS), which can be dangerous for newborn babies. That test is already being prepared for trials in hospitals.
The same technology used for the GBS test is now being adapted for kidney disease. If it works as expected, it could lead to faster, cheaper, and easier ways to check kidney health in hospitals and at home.
Reece O’Connell, Executive Chairman of Nexsen, said the company is proud of its partnership with RMIT. Their goal is to bring simple, accurate, and affordable tests to the public—starting with GBS and kidney disease.
With kidney disease on the rise around the world, this project could help millions of people live healthier lives through better, earlier care.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about High blood pressure drugs may affect kidney health and findings of Effective home remedies for kidney infections.
For more health information, please read studies about important cause of kidney disease and Cruciferous vegetables may reverse kidney damage in diabetics.
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