NCTU unveils device for detecting feline kidney disease

2020/02/06

A domestically developed photoelectric device for early detection of feline kidney disease was unveiled by Hsinchu City-based National Chiao Tung University last month in northern Taiwan.
 
 Produced by NCTU in collaboration with Kaohsiung City-headquartered Jong-Shing Animal Hospital in southern Taiwan and the Ministry of Science and Technology, the device—known as a dual optical fiber reaction tank—works by testing urea concentration in feline litter.
 
 According to NCTU, the process uses an acid-based solution to test litter samples. As urea concentration increases, the solution color deepens, blocking light from reaching the sensor. The changes can be monitored to provide the test results, the university said, adding that cats with urea levels lower than 400 millimoles are likely to have a kidney disorder.
 
 Huang Ming-ju, vice dean of Jong-Shing Animal Hospital, said the noninvasive, real-time detection equipment will slash waiting times and costs associated with common blood, urine and ultrasound tests. Collecting a sample of a cat’s litter is also easier and less stressful on the animal than requiring a separate urine sample, she added.
 
 Further research on producing a more portable version of the device utilizing semiconductor technology is also in the pipeline in collaboration with Paris-based French National Centre for Scientific Research, the MOST said.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)