Halifax Doctor Develops Urine Test for Muscle Health
HALIFAX– Five years ago, Rafaela Andrade was doing her postdoc at Dalhousie University when a tragedy occurred in her family. That tragedy would affect how Dr. Andrade would focus her medical career.
Andrade’s beloved Aunt died very suddenly. And muscle degeneration was found to have been a factor in her death.
“My aunt, who was very close to us, she had a fall while she was very healthy. She had a physical, active, life, but she was getting older,” Andrade recalled. She had a fall and died from the complications of the fall. So that played a role into me looking for biomarkers that could detect early degeneration of muscle.”
Through years of study, Andrade has developed a simple urine test that can detect early signs of muscle loss and atrophy. All you have to do is pee on a stick, Andrade is doing further clinical trials in Halifax this fall. She hopes that her company, Myomar Molecular, will have the test ready for purchase within two years or less.
In May, Andrade, who is doing her Dalhousie postdoc in biomedical engineering, was given $5,000 and won an award from Mitacs. The award was for being an “Outstanding Entrepreneur.
By developing such a simple test, Andrade succeeded in doing something many academics find difficult: translating complex research into something the public benefits from.
“I started doing my Ph.D. at Dalhousie, and I always wanted to translate my basic science research to society, something practical that society could use it,” said Andrade.
“And when we found some interesting biomarkers, I decided to look into making the research like a business. I started doing some entrepreneurship training at Dalhousie University. That allowed me to talk to over 100 people, healthcare professionals, and also patients that were going through musculoskeletal diseases.”
Such a home-based testing kit, which could be bought at pharmacies like a pregnancy kit, would be groundbreaking. Right now, the only way to know if you’re at risk of muscle loss is through expensive DEXA or MRI scans.
The way the urine test works is actually quite simple. As our muscles grow, they release molecules. These molecules end up in our bloodstream and into our urine. So the health of our muscles can be seen through the molecular balance found in a pee test.
“These molecules, when they’re in a good balance, means that your muscle is regenerating at a good level and appropriate level, and your overall muscle health is good,” explained Andrade. “But when those molecules have a skew balance, when they start having an increase of one molecule over the other…then it’s more degeneration of the muscle.”
But what should one do if the urine test indicates the possibility of muscle loss? Andrade says there will be a tool that gives personalized recommendations for that as well.
“So the tests also have a coaching tool, which will be able to provide specific recommendations for your levels of biomarkers, explains Andrade. “And those recommendations will take into consideration your overall physical health but also diet. So as we view this powerful AI tool, we’ll be able to make specific recommendations for each individual.”
And how does one know if they should be taking the test? Andrade says age plays a big role in potential muscle loss.
“As we age, especially when we’re 40 years old, is when we start losing a lot of our muscle mass and muscle strength,” she said. “And a lot of the exercise that we used to do when we’re younger doesn’t help anymore to build muscle. So, I would say anybody above 40, who would like to better understand your overall muscle health, should take the tests themselves.”
But keeping track of our muscles isn’t just prudent for our physical health. Andrade explains that good muscle health can lead to better brain health as well.
“Muscle plays a huge role in the cognitive function of the brain. So, it’s very important that you keep your muscle health, so you avoid dementia in the future.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].