Portable Point-of-Care Uric Acid Detection System with Cloud-Based Data Analysis and Patient Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Elevated uric acid levels are linked to gout, kidney failure, and metabolic disorders.
• Current 24-hour urine uric acid measurement is time-consuming and requires hospital visits.
• Laboratory instruments are the standard for determining 24-hour urine uric acid concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the proof-of-concept for Uricia, a portable point-of-care tool for uric acid monitoring.
• To enhance patient quality of life through convenient uric acid self-monitoring.
• To validate a spectrophotometry-based method for urine uric acid analysis.

Main Methods:

• Spectrophotometry at a fixed wavelength of 295 nm to measure ultraviolet light absorption by uric acid.
• Internal calibration algorithm to manage nonlinear optical responses, calibrated against a GENESYS 10S UV-Vis spectrophotometer.
• Evaluation of urinary interferences, particularly ascorbic acid, and development of a dilution method using alkali solution.

Main Results:

• Uricia successfully measures uric acid concentration via spectrophotometry.
• Ascorbic acid was identified as the primary urinary interference, impacting results up to 15%.
• A dilution method expanded the detection window to 10 mg/dL, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0232 mg/dL and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.0702 mg/dL.
• Cloud-based data analysis enables spot analysis for patient status tracking.

Conclusions:

• The Uricia device demonstrates a viable technical architecture for controlled matrix uric acid measurement.
• This portable spectrophotometry tool offers a promising alternative to conventional laboratory methods for uric acid monitoring.
• The developed method and device can improve patient management of uric acid-related conditions.