The Patent Office of the Republic of Poland has granted a patent for an innovative test that detects complications of diabetes, a disease that affects millions of people around the world. The diagnostic method, which involves the direct measurement of the activity of two proteolytic enzymes in urine using chemical compounds, was developed by scientists from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Gdańsk.
The team of creators from the University of Gdańsk included Prof. Adam Lesner, who led the research, Dr. Magdalena Wysocka, Prof. UG, and Dr. Natalia Gruba. The research was conducted in close cooperation with Prof. Agnieszka Piwkowska, Dr. Dorota Rogacka, and Dr. Irena Audzeyenka, scientists from the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Research that would not have been possible without the team of Prof. Agnieszka Piwkowska from IMDIK PAN, – the initiator of work on enzymes from the ADAM family, concerns both the diagnosis of diabetes and its early complications, such as diabetic nephropathy, which, if detected early enough, is a reversible disease, says Prof. Adam Lesner.
– This means that we can cure the patient or halt the process of kidney damage caused by diabetes. Currently, the diagnosis is made on the basis of symptoms or accidentally during a routine urine test. In many cases, it is already too late for effective treatment, and the alternative is dialysis or organ transplantation. In this context, early detection of such complications of diabetes is extremely important and necessary, emphasizes Prof. Lesner.
– Unlike the commonly used method of diagnosing diabetes by measuring blood plasma glucose levels, which is invasive and susceptible to external factors, our innovative test allows for the detection of diabetes complications not only quickly, but also non-invasively. Our solution is not intended to be an alternative to diabetes diagnostics, as we have very good simple (home blood tests) and sometimes even extremely advanced solutions available, such as wrist sensors for measuring blood glucose levels – adds Professor Lesner.
The invention can be used to diagnose diabetes complications at a very early stage.
The intellectual property protection process at the University of Gdańsk was coordinated by specialists from the University of Gdańsk Technology Transfer Center, headed by Director Katarzyna Gronowska.
