Urine Test May Reveal Early Signs of Genitourinary Diseases: Study finds

According to a new study from scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington, Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub, and Stanford University, studying the RNA and other substances within urine can show changes in cell types, revealing early signs of cancer and other diseases. This method could help clinicians detect problems earlier when they are more easily treated without invasive procedures.

“The current gold standard for detecting many genitourinary ailments is a biopsy where small tissue is removed during a rectal exam and sent to the lab for analysis. The invasive nature of the test can scare some people from getting the care they need,” said Joseph Buonomo, assistant professor of chemistry at UTA and an author of the study. “Our preliminary research shows that studying the RNA found in urine can detect some ailments in their earliest stages where they are easily—and cost effectively—managed.”

In the study, the team collected urine samples from two groups of people – healthy individuals and people with kidney stones. Researchers took two types of RNA from the urine – cell-free RNA that floats freely in urine, and sediment RNA, which comes from solid particles. The types of RNA were then sequenced and analyzed, comparing the specimens from the healthy individuals to the ones with kidney stones. They found that advanced urine analyses identified patterns in cells indicative of whether a person has disease.

“We’re excited about this new research as it may lead to new, easier screening tools that can help detect diseases of the bladder, kidneys, and prostate,” said Buonomo. “Although our patient cohort was small, it lays the groundwork for development of a type of ‘non-invasive liquid biopsy’ that will be used to track the progression of ailments like kidney stones, diabetes, and cancer using urine instead of surgical specimens.”

Reference: Sevahn K Vorperian, Brian C DeFelice, Joseph A Buonomo, Hagop J Chinchinian, Ira J Gray, Jia Yan, Kathleen E Mach, Vinh La, Timothy J Lee, Joseph C Liao, Richard Lafayette, Gabriel B Loeb, Carolyn R Bertozzi, Stephen R Quake, Deconvolution of Human Urine across the Transcriptome and Metabolome, Clinical Chemistry, 2024;, hvae137