A non-invasive diagnostics that improves prediction of Chronic Kidney Disease progression risk

These urine biomarkers show strong prognostic value; and can improve patient selection and therapy monitoring in clinical trials of new CKD therapies.

Application

• Urinary biomarkers for estimation of kidney senescence
• Non-invasive prognostic tool to assess CDK progression risk

Development status

Proof of concept validation concluded

IP status

US patent application

Commercial offering

Licensing or collaborative opportunity

Opportunity

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) presents a significant global health challenge, with its prevalence rising markedly with age. While kidney biopsies remain highly effective for determining aetiology and response to treatment in CKD, this invasive procedure carries inherent risks—including potentially life-threatening bleeding—underscoring the critical need for non-invasive diagnostic tools. In CKD patients, an accumulation of senescent cells detrimentally impacts kidney function.

Edinburgh Inventors have recently identified that Clusterin and Fibronectin are senescence-associated biomarkers present in urine samples, offering a safe and non-invasive means to quantify the burden of senescent cells in individuals with CKD. These biomarkers not only provide robust prognostic value but also establish a critical foundation for developing targeted therapies to mitigate senescent cell accumulation in the kidney.

Technology overview

Edinburgh inventors have recently discovered that Clusterin and Fibronectin are strongly associated with the number of senescent epithelial cells in the kidney and can be detected in urine samples. This innovative technology enables the efficient and non‑invasive quantification of renal senescence without the need for a kidney biopsy.

Our advanced prognostic method offers a powerful approach for predicting the progression of CKD in affected individuals, can improve patient stratification in CKD clinical studies, and can facilitate therapy monitoring in clinical trials of therapies targeting renal senescence.

Benefits

• Rapid and non-invasive method to quantify degree of renal senescence.
• Novel use of clusterin and fibronectin to monitor chronic kidney disease progression and kidney cell senescence in mammals.
• High prognostic value.

Publications

Baird DP, Reck M, Campbell R, Docherty MH, Janas P, Mason T, Mortuza Z, Vermeren M, Nam A, Yang W, Schurman N, Williams C, Traynor JP, Mark PB, Mylonas KJ, Hughes J, Denby L, Conway BR, Ferenbach DA. Urinary clusterin is a biomarker of renal epithelial senescence and predicts human kidney disease progression. Kidney International Reports. 2025 Apr 21;10(7):2344-2356. 10.1016/j.ekir.2025.04.035

Baird DP, Ferenbach DA. Toward Noninvasive Biomarkers of Renal Senescence. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2025;36(7):1439–1441. https://doi.org/10.1681/asn.0000000659

Quote: TEC1104607