Update on AKI Biomarker Patents

Background: Acute kidney injury is a common clinical problem that is associated with substantially increased morbidity and mortality. Biomarkers of AKI can be identified from urine, blood or other samples to aide in early detection, prognostication, and to guide treatment decisions. In addition, biomarkers may represent potential treatment targets for targeted therapy of this syndrome. This is especially important since thus far, only supportive treatment strategies, for example renal replacement therapies, were available for management. Objective: In this update of a previous review article from 2012, a comprehensive but succinct overview over patents issued following the initial article on AKI biomarkers is presented. Methods: The patent review was performed using the United States Patent and Trademark office (uspto.gov) and Google patents. An accompanying literature review was performed using National Library of Medicine's PubMed-MEDLINE database. Due to the sheer number of full patents, with a total of 54 reviewed in this article, and in contrast to the previous article, only full patents were included and patent applications were omitted. Results/Conclusion: The patents in review are summarized in two comprehensive tables, one focused on diagnosis and the other on therapy. A brief assessment of potential future directions and conclusion is formulated at the end of the review.