A team of researchers at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) yesterday unveiled a photo-electrical device for quickly testing urea concentration in cats, which can help detect kidney disease in felines at an early stage.
NCTU department of photonics professor Zan Hsiao-wen (冉曉雯) said that she has two cats, aged nine and 18, and that the younger one has kidney disease.
The hassle of visiting a veterinarian motivated her to design the quick-test device, she told a news conference at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Kidney disease is the most common chronic disease in cats older than 10, and is usually diagnosed via blood or urine tests, which cost at least NT$600 per test, in addition to other costs, said Kaohsiung-based Jong-Shing Animal Hospital vice president Huang Ming-ju (黃明如), who offered clinical advice to the team.
To detect kidney problems in cats, the team developed a device called “Dual Optical Fiber Reaction Tank” to test urine collected from a cat’s litter, as it is easier to collect than a separate urine sample, Zan said.
The detection process involves separating the urine from the litter in a reaction tank and using an acid-based solution to test the samples, Zan added.
The urine-containing solution influences optical and electrical currents that can be detected by a sensor attached to the device, she added.
The color of the solution deepens as the urea concentration increases, reducing the light that reaches the light sensor and weakening electrical currents, she said.
Cats with urea concentrations of lower than 400 millimoles might have kidney problems, as the kidneys cannot efficiently discharge urea, Zan said, adding that the device can produce test results in five minutes.
By comparison, a blood test for kidney disease can take up to an hour and kidney disease can only be confirmed after up to three months of clinical observation, Huang said.
The team used the device to test urine samples from 10 cats provided by the animal hospital, Zan said, adding that it only provides quick testing and is not intended to replace precise diagnoses by veterinarians.
As the team has only experimented with cat’s litter made of beans and wood materials, more research is needed for other materials, she added.
While other instruments for blood and urine testing can cost hundreds of thousands of New Taiwan dollars, the team’s device would only cost several thousand NT dollars, Zan said, urging businesses interested in the device to help commercialize it.
The team hopes to develop a smaller portable device with the same functionality by working with long-term collaborator Olivier Soppera of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, she said.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit