New polymer warns of dangerous kidney disease

WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A polymer designed at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences may be able to identify a kidney disease during its early phases.

Acute kidney injury, formerly known as acute renal failure, can be fatal for half of patients during its advanced phases of development. However, researchers in Warsaw say the key to fighting the disease is detecting it early when treatment is relatively simple.

The newly developed polymer is designed to specifically target and entrap lipocalin-2, a naturally-occurring protein found in human blood. By collecting a concentration of this compound, researchers say they can detect warning signs of acute kidney injury before patients experience symptoms.

"We deal with the creation of polymer recognition films for chemosensors that detect various substances," Dr. Krzysztof Noworyta explained in a press release. "These include biomarkers and other biologically important compounds, whose presence or changes in concentration in body fluids carry information about the health of the patient. Our latest polymer can selectively capture lipocalin-2, a protein biomarker for acute kidney injury."

The polymer was created using molecular imprinting. Molecules of lipocalin were surrounded by monomers binding the proteins at specific locations. Afterward, a cross-linking monomer was added, and subjected to polymerization, which washed the lipocalin out of the structure. The findings were published in ACS Applies Materials& Interfaces.

"Before acute kidney injury develops, the concentration of lipocalin increases in patient's blood. So, we devised a polymer in whose structure there are molecular cavities that are a good fit for the shape and properties of the molecules of just this compound," lead author Zofia Iskierko said.

Acute kidney injury is a sudden failure in the organ which can occur within a few hours or a few days following a build-up of waste products in blood. The disease can also affect other organs such as the brain, heart and lungs. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling around the legs and eyes, and too little urine leaving the body.