Recently, the scientific research achievement of Prof. Zhang Dongshan's team, a novel molecular marker TCONS_00024536, has been granted a patent by the European Patent Office (EPO). This patent involves a novel molecular marker and assay kit, which can be used for the early diagnosis and prediction of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI). Filed on May 14, 2018, under application number 188019350, the patent was officially granted on October 26, 2023, representing a substantial leap forward in the early detection and prediction of S-AKI.

Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection, often resulting in serious complications like AKI. However, due to the complex pathogenesis of sepsis, currently, there is no effective early diagnosis and prediction method. Therefore, it is significant to develop a molecular marker and assay kit for the early diagnosis and prediction of S-AKI.

The study has revealed that TCONS_00024536 is highly expressed in the blood of patients with S-AKI. By detecting its level, one can ascertain if the patient has S-AKI or the likelihood of developing it. This finding provides new insights and methods for early diagnosis and prediction of S-AKI. Additionally, the patent application also involves an assay kit for detecting the expression of TCONS_00024536 in the blood of patients. This kit is user-friendly, swift, and highly sensitive, providing clinicians and researchers with an effective diagnostic and predictive tool.

The team meticulously analyzed patient records, revealing that detecting TCONS_00024536 expression in blood effectively predicts the risk of S-AKI. This crucial discovery strongly supports the clinical application of this technology.

The team has been engaged in non-coding RNA research for over 10 years, publishing more than 10 SCI papers in top journals such as Molecular Therapy, Cell Death Disease, and MTNA. Prof. Pierre-Louis, director of the Nephrology Department of Université Paris Cité, cited their achievements in a paper published in NATURE REVIEWS NEPHROLOGY (IF: 43.439), emphasizing their significant contributions to the field. Additionally, the team has obtained two invention patents and two PCT patents in the early stage.