Assessing a New Diagnostic Test for Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease

SUMMARY: Researchers will investigate the utility of a new test for chronic kidney disease in cats.

THE PROBLEM: A high proportion of senior cats develop chronic kidney disease (CKD). As the disease progresses, cats feel sick, losing weight and energy. To alleviate symptoms and prevent CKD progression, affected cats may require frequent veterinary visits and ongoing care. Although CKD dramatically impacts cats' quality of life and lifespan, sadly, it is often diagnosed too late. This is because cats’ symptoms are challenging to notice in the early CKD stages and the tests currently used to diagnose CKD can only identify it when most of the kidney function is permanently lost. After a diagnosis is established, treatment and monitoring decisions can also be challenging. Since the reason why kidney disease occurs is unknown for most cats, it’s difficult to determine how to best treat or prevent it. 

THE PROJECT: In humans, a method called tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been used to analyze CKD patients’ urine by measuring the hundreds of proteins present. By examining these proteins, human doctors can identify kidney damage faster than when using the current standard tests. This analysis can also predict how fast CKD will progress, whether certain treatments will be effective for a patient, and establish why the kidneys were damaged. In this study, researchers plan to use MS/MS to compare the urine proteins of healthy cats and cats with CKD. The team has previously run this analysis on urine from three healthy cats and three cats with CKD. The results from these cats were very encouraging, showing that MS/MS urine analysis will likely be a valuable tool in cats’ CKD, just like in people. They plan to expand the method, run the analysis on the urine of more cats using samples collected in prior studies, and analyze the relationship between MS/MS results and cats’ kidney function, how fast a cat’s disease progresses, and the CKD medications a cat takes. 

POTENTIAL IMPACT: With this study, the team hopes to advance the diagnosis and management of feline CKD, helping the countless cats that suffer from this disease and the families who care for them.