Kidney disease is one of the most common diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 10% of the global population. A major challenge in the development of new non-invasive test methods based on urine samples is their limited shelf life. This is only a few hours, as prolonged incubation of the cells in urine leads to cell death and alters the cell properties.
Kernevo GmbH, a spin-off of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, is developing Urikon, an innovative medical urine cup that enables the analysis of cells in urine through chemical fixation. The technology developed by Kernevo stabilizes the cells and keeps urine samples fresh for several days. This paves the way for new diagnostic procedures.
The team led by CEO Simon Ronicke plans to manufacture and certify the Urikon system for various cell-based test approaches. Together with Labor Berlin GmbH, the first clinical implementation is currently being prepared.
As the technology transfer partner of Charité and BIH, Ascenion has accompanied the project from the outset and supported Charité during licensing negotiations and the start-up process.
Further information: Urikon's website
