Subclinical Acidosis in Chronic Kidney Disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) inevitably undergo a progression to end-stage renal failure, requiring renal replacement therapy for the rest of their lives. CKD is associated with systemic acid retention, which accelerates future kidney damage. This acid retention, known as 'subclinical acidosis’ (SA), begins slowly and is undetectable in blood samples during its early stages. By the time it’s detectable via a blood test, the SA will have become severe, and damage to the patient’s kidneys will be progressing rapidly.

The Inspiration Behind the Innovation

Earlier detection of SA would provide a simple prognostic marker for foreseeing the progression of CKD, and open up new opportunities for kidney-protecting interventions. Acid overload is a correctable condition, and correction of SA in patients with fast-progressing CKD could help to stabilise the course of the condition.

The Innovation 

The team is developing a device that can perform urine analysis that measures subclinical acidosis long before it can be detected by a blood test. This test enables clinicians to differentiate between CKD patients with stable kidney function (i.e. non-SA) and those with declining function (i.e. SA).

The test's performance is under final clinical evaluation, and a clinical study to evaluate the earlier intervention for subclinical acidosis is planned during the BETA.HEALTH period. The clinical outcome of an increased dialysis-free period in CDK-affected patients will be supported by a health-economic analysis. The final aim is commercialisation, and the team has established a spin-out, Equilibrium, which also develops IVD solutions for other clinical indications. 

The Core Team

Samuel Levi Svendsen: MD, PhD; Dept. of Nephrology, Aarhus University Hospital; Aarhus University

Mads Vaarby Sørensen: MSc, PhD, Assoc. Professor; Inst. for Biomedicine, Aarhus University