: Medical researchers from Penn State and Stanford University have developed a faster, results in 30 minutes improved urine-testing system for people suffering from kidney stones. The current conventional have a turnaround time of a week or more.
The research findings an development was published in the journal Science Advances
Typically, kidney stones occur due to buildup of certain salts and minerals that form crystals, which in turn stick together and enlarge to form a hard mass in the kidneys. The stones move into the urinary tract and can cause blood in the urine, considerable pain and blockages in the urinary system.
Current metabolic testing of a kidney stone patient's urine to identify metabolites such as minerals and solutes that cause stones to form is key for preventing future ones.
However this lengthy protocol involves the patient to collect their urine over a 24-hour period in a large container which is then sent to a lab for analysis and the results normally come back in 7 to 10 days.
Dr Pak Kin Wong, a Professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and principal investigator on the study told Thailand Medical News, "The lengthy process, cumbersome collection procedure and delay in obtaining the results render 24-hour urine testing to be underutilized in clinical practice despite guideline recommendations."
Dr Wong said that expensive special equipment is required to detect urinary solutes and minerals for a test result. The urine sample, therefore, has to be shipped to a commercial diagnostic lab for testing. To solve this, the research team developed a biomimetic detection system called slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS)-LAB.
SLIPS is a dynamic, extremely low-friction smooth surface created by locking lubricating liquids in micro/nanostructured substrates.
He added, "There are many aspects we can learn from nature and our environment, and our research is an example how biomedical engineers can make good use of it.”
The SLIPS-LAB platform works by enabling reagent and urine droplets to easily move over the slick surface of the testing device's fluid addition channel and not get stuck. The droplet is driven by a Laplace pressure difference, a small pressure force due to surface tension, induced by the geometry of the device. This enables the reactants to combine with the urine at the necessary timed rate for reaction.
Dr Wong further added, "We demonstrated that SLIPS-LAB enables the reagent and sample to move themselves and perform the reactions for us. It means the technology doesn't require a technician to run any test machinery, so it is possible to do the test in non-traditional settings, like a physician's office or even the patient's home."
The diagnostic results can then be read using a scanner or a cell phone, and the scanned image can then be analyzed using a computer algorithm.
The total procedure, according to Dr Wong, would take approximately 30 minutes in a physician's office. An added benefit, Wong said, is that SLIPS-LAB is more cost-effective than regular, 24-hour testing.
He added, "The low cost, rapidity and simplicity of SLIPS-LAB would reduce the barrier for the clinician and patient to undergo stone risk metabolite analysis. This would improve the management of patients with urinary stone disease and open new possibilities for stone patients to test their urine samples in mobile health settings."
Dr Hui Li, graduate student in biomedical engineering and the lead author of the study, said another promising result of their research was demonstrating that the test also works as a spot test, which means a patient can monitor certain levels in their urine without 24-hour collection.
Dr Li added, "SLIPS-LAB may open new opportunities in on-demand monitoring of urinary analytes and may potentially transform metabolic evaluation and clinical management of urinary stone disease.”
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