凯德尼研究成果登上国际顶级期刊，AI健康指导显著改善肾病患者预后

KidneyTec Research Reaches International Stage, Providing Evidence-Based Support for Digital Therapeutics

In June 2023, the research team at Beijing KidneyTec Medical Technology Co., Ltd. published important research findings in the top international digital health journal "JMIR mHealth and uHealth" (Impact Factor: 5.4). This paper, titled "Improving Kidney Outcomes in Patients With Nondiabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Through an Artificial Intelligence-Based Health Coaching Mobile App: Retrospective Cohort Study," is the first to systematically demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-driven digital health management systems in slowing chronic kidney disease progression, providing strong evidence-based medical support for digital therapeutics applications in the nephrology field.

Research Background: Digital Technology Empowering Chronic Disease Management

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a major global public health issue, with a prevalence rate of 10.8% among Chinese adults and a total patient population exceeding 120 million. However, low disease awareness, uneven distribution of medical resources, and insufficient patient self-management capabilities seriously constrain effective CKD prevention and treatment.

With the rapid development of mobile internet and artificial intelligence technology, digital health management provides new possibilities for solving these challenges. However, digital therapeutics in the chronic kidney disease field have long lacked high-quality clinical research evidence, which has become a major barrier to clinical application and regulatory approval.

Dr. Chen Xuyong, Founder and CEO of KidneyTec Healthcare, stated: "For digital therapeutics to truly enter clinical practice and benefit patients, they must be supported by solid clinical research evidence. Since our inception, we have placed great emphasis on clinical research, hoping to prove the value of digital technology in chronic disease management through rigorous scientific studies."

Study Design: Large Sample, Long Follow-up, Real-World Data

This study adopted a retrospective cohort design based on KidneyTec Healthcare's independently developed "KidneyOnline" intelligent care system, including non-diabetic, non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients who registered on the platform between January 2017 and January 2021.

Research highlights include:

• Large sample size: The study included data from thousands of real-world CKD patients
• Long-term follow-up: Maximum follow-up time reached 4 years, allowing observation of long-term disease progression trends
• Real-world evidence: All data came from patients' actual daily use of the platform, more closely reflecting real clinical scenarios
• Rigorous controls: Statistical methods such as propensity score matching were used to control confounding factors, improving the reliability of research conclusions

Technical Features: AI-Driven Comprehensive Health Management

The "KidneyOnline" intelligent care system integrates multiple cutting-edge technologies:

• Deep Learning OCR Technology: Automatically recognizes and extracts key information from medical documents such as test reports and medical records uploaded by patients, significantly reducing data entry burden
• AI Personalized Recipe Generation: Automatically generates personalized recipes that comply with kidney disease dietary principles based on patients' kidney function stage, nutritional status, dietary preferences, and other factors
• Intelligent Lifestyle Intervention: Provides personalized recommendations for exercise, rest, emotional management, etc., based on patients' health data and behavioral characteristics
• Early Disease Warning: Uses machine learning algorithms to analyze patients' multidimensional health data, promptly detecting abnormal indicators and disease progression risks
• Real-time Intelligent Q&A: 24/7 AI health assistant ready to answer patients' disease management questions
• Personalized Follow-up Management: Automatically develops follow-up plans based on patient conditions, ensuring timely monitoring and intervention

The organic integration of these functions constructs a complete CKD intelligent management ecosystem, achieving full-process coverage from disease monitoring and risk warning to intervention management.

Research Results: Significantly Improved Kidney Outcomes

The research results are encouraging. Data analysis showed that compared with control groups who did not use or used the system infrequently, non-diabetic CKD patients who consistently used the "KidneyOnline" intelligent care system showed significant improvements in multiple key indicators:

• Slowed kidney function decline: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline rate in the intervention group was significantly slower than the control group
• Reduced risk of adverse kidney outcomes: The incidence of composite endpoint events including kidney function deterioration and initiation of dialysis treatment was significantly reduced
• Improved metabolic indicators: Control rates for blood pressure, blood lipids, and other metabolic indicators significantly improved
• Optimized lifestyle: Patients showed improvements in diet, exercise, medication adherence, and other aspects

Statistical analysis indicated a significant correlation between using the "KidneyOnline" system and reduced risk of adverse kidney outcomes in CKD patients, and this protective effect remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, gender, baseline kidney function, and comorbidities.

Academic Value: Filling Evidence Gaps in Digital Therapeutics

"JMIR mHealth and uHealth" is one of the most influential top-tier academic journals globally in the fields of mobile health and digital medicine, hosted by the University of Toronto, Canada, specializing in publishing high-quality research on mobile health technology and digital interventions. The journal employs a rigorous peer review process with an acceptance rate below 20%.

KidneyTec Healthcare's publication in this journal not only recognizes research quality but also marks an important breakthrough for Chinese digital therapeutics companies on the international academic stage.

The first author and head of KidneyTec Healthcare's research team stated: "This study is the first to systematically demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-driven mobile health applications in slowing the progression of non-diabetic CKD. The research results provide important evidence-based medical support for clinical applications of digital therapeutics in nephrology and lay a scientific foundation for regulatory approval of related products."

Clinical Significance: From Research to Practice

The clinical value of this research lies not only in demonstrating technical effectiveness but more importantly in providing new ideas and methods for CKD management:

1. Improving Healthcare Accessibility

Through mobile applications, high-quality kidney disease management services can reach underserved grassroots areas, benefiting more patients.

2. Reducing Healthcare Costs

Through early intervention and disease progression delay, the number of patients entering dialysis treatment can be significantly reduced, lowering overall healthcare expenditure. An economic evaluation showed that delaying CKD patient progression by one year can save tens of thousands of yuan in medical costs.

3. Empowering Patient Self-Management

AI technology transforms complex medical knowledge into understandable and actionable health guidance for patients, truly achieving "putting doctors in your pocket."

4. Optimizing Medical Resource Allocation

Intelligent systems can help doctors identify high-risk patients, enabling precise allocation and efficient utilization of medical resources.

International Recognition: Chinese Digital Healthcare Going Global

After publication, the paper attracted widespread attention in international academic and industry circles. Multiple internationally renowned nephrology experts and digital healthcare field experts gave high praise to the research, considering it an important milestone for digital therapeutics in chronic kidney disease.

Dr. Chen Xuyong stated: "This study is just the beginning. We are conducting more prospective randomized controlled trials to further validate and optimize digital therapeutics protocols. At the same time, we are actively advancing medical device certification and digital therapeutics regulatory approval for related products, hoping to translate research findings into clinical practice as soon as possible to benefit more patients."

Future Prospects: Broad Horizons for Digital Therapeutics

With this research publication, KidneyTec Healthcare's digital therapeutics strategy enters a new phase. The company plans to continue deepening research work and explore the following directions:

• Conducting multicenter, large-sample prospective randomized controlled trials
• Expanding research scope to other CKD subtypes such as diabetic kidney disease and hypertensive nephropathy
• Exploring optimal integration models of digital therapeutics with traditional treatments
• Developing more intelligent and precise AI algorithms and intervention strategies
• Promoting standardization and regulation of digital therapeutics development

Dr. Chen Xuyong stated: "Our vision is for every kidney disease patient to receive high-quality health management services. This requires continuous research investment, technological innovation, and clinical practice. We will continue to uphold a scientifically rigorous, patient-first philosophy, advancing digital therapeutics development in nephrology and contributing to achieving 'Healthy China' strategic goals."

About the Research Paper

Title: Improving Kidney Outcomes in Patients With Nondiabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Through an Artificial Intelligence–Based Health Coaching Mobile App: Retrospective Cohort Study

Journal: JMIR mHealth and uHealth (IF: 5.4)

Publication Date: June 1, 2023

DOI: 10.2196/45531

Paper Link: https://mhealth.jmir.org/2023/1/e45531

Authors: Liu W, Yu X, Wang J, Zhou T, Yu T, Chen X, Xie S, Han F, Wang Z