'Pregnancy tester' to diagnose kidney disease

The £10 device can be used at home and could revolutionise kidney disease care in the UK, according to a report - Nanotechnology: The Societal Impact of the Invisible - published today by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

“Nanotechnology could revolutionise the way we live our lives

IMechE’s Helen Meese

Developed by Bio Nano Consulting, the device - known as quantitative electrochemical lateral flow assay (QELFA) - uses nanoparticles to test the patient’s urine giving results in seconds.

It can also be linked to a patient’s surgery via mobile technology, allowing doctors to track how the disease is developing.

Within its report, the IMechE highlights the potential for nanotechnology in our society but calls on the government to increase funding for nanotech development to ensure the UK does not fall behind other nations.

Head of Materials at the IMechE, and report author, Helen Meese said: “Nanotechnology could revolutionise the way we live our lives - it can be used in everything from food and healthcare to electronics, clothing and cosmetics. But despite its 40 years in the public domain, the nanotechnology industry is still failing to engage with society in an open and clear way, and governments continue to lack impetus in committing to international regulation.

“The UK government must provide more funding to ensure that the UK benefits fully from nanotechnology’s potential.”

To help commercialise nanotechnology within the UK, the IMechE report recommends that the government should revise its existing strategic plan on nanotechnology immediately, to reflect the significant changes that have taken place in nanotechnology regulation in the past five years, and commits to match the current EU funding of £36.5m for a further three years.

It asks the profession to work with government and non-technical sectors such as the media to create a well-defined forum for public awareness and open dialogue on emerging technologies.

The report also calls on industry to create a number of ’Industry Champions’ whose aim is to pull the research through to the commercial product. These high-profile nanotechnology advocates would act as a catalyst to bring together fundamental research and commerce and identify high value markets where technical demonstrators and proof-of-concept could be developed.

Meese highlighted the ingenuity of the QELFA device as a “brilliant example” of what is possible.

“Using an old technology like a pregnancy tester and combining it with nanotechnology, you have a device which could not only diagnose the million people in the UK who are unaware they have kidney disease, but also help doctors effectively monitor those undergoing treatment,” Meese said.

“It could also save the NHS millions of pounds a year.”

Statistics suggest that kidney disease care in the UK currently costs the NHS over £1.4 billion - more than breast, lung, colon and skin cancer combined.