GluCare.Health launches a biomarker test for early detection of diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease is a silent grinder. It creeps in early. It shows up late. And for too many patients, the first real warning comes when the damage is already baked in. That is the grim logic GluCare.Health is now trying to break.

The UAE-based metabolic health provider has launched the region's first uPTM FetA biomarker test for the early detection of diabetic kidney disease. It is a quiet shift with loud consequences. Earlier detection. Earlier action. Better odds.

As Dr Ihsan Almarzooqi puts it plainly, “By implementing the uPTM FetA biomarker test into routine diabetes check-ups, we enable our care team to protect kidneys before irreversible damage occurs and not when it is too late.”

That sentence alone tells you what side of history this move is on.

How does it work?

Diabetic kidney disease does not start with failure. It starts with inflammation and fibrosis. The kidneys whisper before they scream. The problem is that most standard tests only listen once things get noisy.

Here is the shift.

• The uPTM FetA test detects a modified protein released into urine at the very earliest stage of kidney stress.
• Traditional markers like UACR and eGFR often remain normal in up to 40% of early DKD cases.
• uPTM FetA rises one to two years earlier than those standard markers.
• It is non-invasive and used alongside existing tests, not instead of them.

In other words, it turns the headlights on before the bend in the road, not after the crash.

Dr Almarzooqi frames the logic behind it with the urgency of someone who sees the damage every day. “We cannot wait until guidelines change. There are so many innovations occurring that a forward-thinking provider has to constantly be tweaking their care model.”

That line captures the whole operating philosophy. Move early. Move fast. Let science lead care.

Why does it matter?

Because timing is everything in kidney disease, once scarring sets in, there is no rewind button.

Early detection does three critical things for patients.

• It slows progression. Catching DKD before standard tests flags it, which helps prevent end-stage renal disease.
• It lowers mortality. Earlier use of kidney-protective therapies can reduce ESRD risk by up to 40%.
• It personalises care.

For instance:

• Low-risk patients continue standard diabetes care with lifestyle support and yearly kidney checks.
• High-risk patients are moved sooner to preventive therapies, tighter monitoring, and multidrug support.

This is not theoretical medicine. It is practical risk sorting. Calm for some. Urgency for others. Precision instead of guesswork.

And the outcomes matter beyond kidneys. Kidney failure reshapes a life. It drags the heart with it. It shortens timelines. It drains families and systems alike.

When Dr Almarzooqi says, “Our personalised evidence-based hybrid care pathways have led to outcomes that are vastly superior to traditional care providers,” that is not bravado. It is the cold math of earlier intervention.

The context

The backdrop here is not flattering. Around 70% of people with Type 2 diabetes in the UAE still present as uncontrolled. That is not a rounding error. That is a systems failure.

GluCare.Health was founded in 2020 with a different logic. Hybrid care. Continuous monitoring. Humans plus machines. The model blends physicians with dieticians, exercise coaches, and lifestyle coaches as part of routine care, not optional extras.

Digital biomarkers sit at the centre of that loop.

• Continuous glucose monitors track blood sugar in real time.
• Wearables like the Oura ring surface sleep, stress, recovery, and activity.
• Care plans adjust dynamically, not once every few months.

Now the uPTM FetA test slots directly into that same ecosystem. It becomes part of routine diabetes and prediabetes reviews, not a specialist afterthought.

Dr Almarzooqi sums up the ambition without sugarcoating it. “Many providers look at our care model as the benchmark of what they should be implementing into their care pathways and what the future of health looks like.”

In plain terms, this launch is not just about one test. It is about dragging kidney care out of the waiting room and into the early warning system, where it always belonged.