The sooner kidney failure can be detected, the greater the chance of successful treatment to inhibit the damage. Diabetes, high blood pressure and age come with a higher risk of kidney failure, so the Dutch Kidney Foundation urges people aged sixty and over to have their kidney checked every year to expose possible kidney failure.

Right now, these checks often involve laboratory tests in hospitals. The easy-to-use test the TU/e students plan on developing, can reduce costs and the burden for both patients and caregivers. Patients can do the easy, quick, and cheap test at their GP or even at home. It's a biosensor: a device that searches for certain substances, or biomarkers, in blood, urine, perspiration or saliva that show whether someone is sick or not.

The Eindhoven student team will take on teams from England, Sweden, Belgum, and Denmark on September 9 and 10. The protoypes will then be tested and assessed for aspects including precision, user-friendliness, and innovation.

Source: TU/e-department of Biomedical Engineering