Urine Metabolite Profiling for Differentiating LUTS Causes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clinical urinalysis methods fail to differentiate between healthy and incontinent subjects and do not provide adequate data to understand the underlying causes of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) such as overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary urge incontinence (UUI), limiting effective prognosis and treatment.
Innovation Solution
A method of detecting specific metabolites, including androstenediol, octenedioate, dihydrouracil, heptanoylglutamine, pregnenetriol sulfate, and others, to produce a metabolic profile that characterizes LUTS, using techniques like LC-MS/MS and NMR for analysis, and consumer products like testing strips for self-assessment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional urinalysis is performed on urine samples, then basic urine composition can be analyzed, but the ability to differentiate between healthy and incontinent subjects is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the urine analysis into multiple metabolic parameters by analyzing specific metabolites (creatinine, uric acid, hippuric acid, etc.) individually. This segmentation allows each metabolite to provide specific information about different physiological processes, enabling better differentiation between healthy and incontinent subjects while preserving underlying cause information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the analytical parameters from basic urinalysis to metabolic profiling by measuring specific metabolite concentrations and ratios. This parameter transformation enables the detection of subtle metabolic changes associated with LUTS, improving measurement precision and information retention about underlying causes.
2Loss of information
If metabolic analysis is performed to obtain metabolic profiles, then underlying mechanisms can be investigated, but the complexity of analysis increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific metabolites of interest (creatinine, uric acid, hippuric acid, etc.) from the complex urine matrix for targeted analysis. By focusing on these specific components rather than attempting to analyze the entire metabolic profile, the method reduces analysis complexity while still capturing the underlying mechanisms of LUTS.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses metabolite ratios as intermediary parameters to simplify the interpretation of complex metabolic data. For example, the ratio of specific metabolites serves as a mediator that translates complex metabolic changes into clinically actionable information, reducing the perceived complexity for clinicians.
3Ease of operation
If mid-stream urine samples are collected instead of direct bladder urine, then collection is easier, but the accuracy of LUTS detection decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a metabolic profile copy that is characteristic of direct bladder urine by analyzing specific metabolite patterns. This metabolic signature serves as a surrogate marker that allows mid-stream samples to provide accurate LUTS detection without requiring direct bladder catheterization, thus maintaining ease of collection while preserving detection accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and consumer products for detecting a metabolite, the method comprising: testing a urine sample from a subject for a metabolite selected from the group consisting of androstenediol, oxtenedioate, digydrouracil, heptanoylglutamine, pregnenetriol, sulfate, heptenoylglutamine, hexanoylglutamine, guanine, methylhexanoylglutamine, hexanoylglycine, hexenoylglycine, spermidine, diacetylspermine, acisoga and combinations thereof; and producing a metabolic profile for the metabolite.