A urine test could be used to determine the effects of cystic fibrosis in the kidneys, according to a July 23 study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
The study accomplished several things: It identified excretion as the mechanism of secretin-induced urinary bicarbonate, explained metabolic alkalosis in patients with cystic fibrosis, and suggested feasibility of an in vivo human cystic fibrosis urine test to validate drug efficacy.
A research team led by Dr. Jens Leipziger, PhD, from Aarhus University in Denmark and Dr. Karl Kunzelmann, PhD, from the University of Regensburg in Germany used mouse models, patients with cystic fibrosis, and different types of cells to define the mechanisms involved in the urinary excretion of bicarbonate. They found a urine test of bicarbonate may help to assess cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator function in patients, which may be useful for assessing the potential of new medications.
