The non-invasive diabetic kidney disease detection system. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

A non-invasive diabetic kidney disease (DKD) detection system was launched by Anhui Huibang Biological Engineering Co Ltd in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone on Aug 18.

Consisting of a dry-type urine analyzer and a haptoglobin/microalbumin/creatinine test kit, among which the haptoglobin test is the first of its kind in the world, the system can give detection results within 10 minutes with only a drop of urine.

Featuring non-invasive, quick, accurate, and convenient detection, the system outperforms other detection methods that are currently on the market at home and abroad, including renal biopsy, which has a high degree of invasiveness, and microalbumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), which has a low detection rate of type II DKD.

According to the company, the haptoglobin dry-type immunodetection technology involved in the system is the first of its kind in China and the world. The technology obtained a national invention patent in 2018 and has completely independent intellectual property rights. The independently-developed dry-type urine analyzer integrating biochemical and immunological methodology is sensitive, accurate, and stable, of which there is no similar product on the market. Experts estimate that the system will provide nearly 3 billion detections in the next five years.

According to the latest IDF Diabetes Atlas (9th edition), published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the global population of people with diabetes is 463 million in 2019, which is projected to increase to 578 million by 2030. In 2019, the number of diabetics in China (aged 20-79) ranked first in the world, with 116.4 million people, and it is projected to reach 140.5 million by 2030.

DKD is an important complication of diabetes, as well as the main cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, the incidence of which is 40 percent. Experts agree that early detection, intervention, and diagnosis of DKD are urgent in preventing future problems.

Yang Jinkui, head of the Beijing diabetes research institute, said that by using urinary haptoglobin as an early marker of impaired renal function in diabetic patients, the detection system can make up for the lack of urine microalbumin tests as haptoglobin changes earlier than microalbumin.

Yang also said that the product is convenient for storage and transportation. Due to its simple, fast, and accurate detection, the innovative detection system will be of great help to the aforementioned more than 110 million people with diabetes in China. In addition, a large number of undetected DKD cases will be found through regular physical examinations that utilize the system, which can effectively reduce the national expenditure on chronic diseases.

China is one of the countries with the fastest growth in the prevalence of diabetes. The State Council has called for efforts to strengthen the health management of diabetic patients and high-risk groups, as well as promote the standardization of screening, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetes and complications in last year's published opinions on how to build a healthy country.