If successful, this program will result in an assay chip that collects, stabilizes, and accurately quantifies a suite of biomarkers indicative of renal injury. Its sensitivity and accuracy may enable it to detect slowly occurring renal damage. Its multianalyte capability could distinguish different mechanisms of renal damage. It should be adaptable to automated assays and hence usable in a clinical setting.
The need for an early diagnosis of renal injury is important for patients with renal disease, for those undergoing kidney transplantation, and for patients undergoing drug therapy, especially new drugs that may cause renal damage. Traditional biomarkers are not capable of detecting early stages of renal damage. For this reason there is high interest and activity in the search for new biomarkers of renal damage. There is less activity in developing new assay formats that use new biomarkers. We propose to develop a such an assay. We propose developing a diagnostic chip capable of collection, stabilization, and highly sensitive and accurate quantification of a suite of biomarkers indicative of renal damage.