DETECT: Disposable Sensor for Continuous Detection of Renal Disease
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Engineering
Abstract
Disease detection using non-invasive methods has gained significant attention as the non-invasive technology is user-friendly and suitable for developing home care diagnostics devices. Non-invasive detection is important especially for early-stage detection and monitoring of chronic diseases as chronic diseases are accountable for around 75% of deaths across the world as per the WHO report.
Among chronic diseases, the detection of chronic renal (kidney) disease is important as it has affected around 10 % of the population globally and millions of people die every year due to unaffordable treatment. In addition, recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 long-haulers are at significantly higher risk for getting end-stage renal disease. Therefore, early-stage renal disease detection is the most appropriate way to prevent it reaching to the severe stage.Presently, blood and urine sampling methods are used for renal disease detection. However, existing methods are laboratory dependent, need skilled technicians, non-user-friendly, time-consuming, and inconvenient for continuous monitoring. Therefore, there is need to come up with a suitable non-invasive detection method, which is user-friendly, fast, easily repeatable, more acceptable for patients and convenient for continuous monitoring. To serve the purpose, DETECT is explicitly aimed at fabricating a multi-functional antenna to develop a wireless ammonia sensor demonstrating reliable sensing performance for early-stage detection of renal disease. The multi-functional antenna or antenna sensor will serve the dual function as: (i) NFC tag for wireless communication; and (ii) analyte sensor for detection of target analyte i.e., ammonia. The antenna sensor would be developed using the biodegradable materials (e.g., PEDOT: PSS, graphene, carbon) on a disposable substrate (e.g., PDMS, PLA, Paper) to develop a high performance and eco-friendly ammonia sensing device suitable for continuous detection of renal disease.
Among chronic diseases, the detection of chronic renal (kidney) disease is important as it has affected around 10 % of the population globally and millions of people die every year due to unaffordable treatment. In addition, recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 long-haulers are at significantly higher risk for getting end-stage renal disease. Therefore, early-stage renal disease detection is the most appropriate way to prevent it reaching to the severe stage.Presently, blood and urine sampling methods are used for renal disease detection. However, existing methods are laboratory dependent, need skilled technicians, non-user-friendly, time-consuming, and inconvenient for continuous monitoring. Therefore, there is need to come up with a suitable non-invasive detection method, which is user-friendly, fast, easily repeatable, more acceptable for patients and convenient for continuous monitoring. To serve the purpose, DETECT is explicitly aimed at fabricating a multi-functional antenna to develop a wireless ammonia sensor demonstrating reliable sensing performance for early-stage detection of renal disease. The multi-functional antenna or antenna sensor will serve the dual function as: (i) NFC tag for wireless communication; and (ii) analyte sensor for detection of target analyte i.e., ammonia. The antenna sensor would be developed using the biodegradable materials (e.g., PEDOT: PSS, graphene, carbon) on a disposable substrate (e.g., PDMS, PLA, Paper) to develop a high performance and eco-friendly ammonia sensing device suitable for continuous detection of renal disease.
