Times of India
04 Aug 2011
By, Kounteya Sinha
New Delhi, India

Tech Using Urine Sample To Benefit 30m Couples
Now, a simple urine sample can tell women about their chances of bearing a child.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientists have developed a first–ofits–kind non–invasive testing kit to determine a woman’s fertility level.

These kits will only require 3ml of first–morning urine sample. Within two hours, the kits will be able to access the woman’s fertility level with 98% efficacy.

The technology that uses an enzyme–linked immunesorbent assay (ELISA) test has been transferred to HLL Lifecare Ltd. The company aims to make it available in the market within the next 24 months.

Dr M I Khatkhatay from ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH), who developed the test kits, told TOI: “We had been working on developing a non–invasive fertility test for the past two years. At present, fertility hormones are tested with a blood sample. The new test will be very simple, highly accurate and can be for woman of all ages.”

HLL feels the test will greatly benefit the over 30 million infertile couples in the country. HLL is validating the cost–effective urinebased fertility measuring kits following which a manufacturing site for these diagnostic sets will be set up.

HLL will take up mass production of the urinebased fertility test kit for measurement of four key reproductive hormones of four principal metabolites.

The metabolites in the urine like estrogen glucuronide, pregnanediol glucuronide, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone can be measured with these kits.

The first kit will be for monitoring ovulation induction therapy and also for invitro fertilization programme — in procedures of producing a test–tube baby — whereas the second kit will be for the estimation of the metabolite for detection of occurrence of ovulation.

The third kit will be used to measure the evaluation of hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis, a function of the endocrine organ situated deep in the brain that is responsible for the formation of the reproductive hormone, whereas the last kit measures LH assay in conjunction with follies.

M Ayyappan, chairman of HLL, said: “This new discovery will put many people, who are at risk of infertility, at ease. The technology transfer involves global exclusive and perpetuating rights for manufacture, marketing and sale of kit. Compared to the existing special procedures that are expensive, time consuming and stressful, the urine–based kits would be simple and costeffective.”