Neway Health Launches 14-Parameter At-Home Urine Test Analyzer to Bring Routine Urinalysis into Daily Life

“People often undergo relevant tests only after unhealthy symptoms have already manifested. In my view, medical interventions should be implemented before disease symptoms occur.” In an interview, Li Kuiyang, founder of NewAI Health, summarized the contemporary relationship between health and medical care in this manner. “I aim to change this status quo, enabling people to participate in managing their own health as part of their daily lives.”

Li Kuiyang was originally a platform technology expert with over a decade of experience in information systems, and he initially paid little attention to the healthcare sector. Throughout his early career, he witnessed the untimely deaths of several young colleagues due to illness. These experiences, beyond evoking reflections on the fragility of life, inspired Li to consider entering the healthcare field. In October 2016, the sudden death of a well-known founder of an internet healthcare company from acute myocardial infarction drew widespread attention across various industries. As the founder of an internet healthcare company, he presumably had access to abundant high-quality medical resources, yet he died prematurely. This tragic event not only elicited public regret but also led Li to realize that medical care is not synonymous with health. People tend to seek medical intervention only after unhealthy symptoms manifest.

Li Kuiyang, Founder of Neway Health

“More than a decade ago, many of our information systems followed a reactive model: issues were analyzed and addressed only after they occurred. Technical staff were constantly firefighting, resulting in low efficiency and high costs. Moreover, the adverse impacts had already taken place, and user satisfaction was compromised. Later, we developed a dedicated system health monitoring solution that collects and monitors various metrics of business systems. This approach provides early warnings through key indicators before serious issues arise, enabling us to gain control over our systems and shift from a reactive to a proactive stance. Today, any software system of significant importance relies on such a technical framework for assurance. Each of us is also a complex system that similarly requires a set of health metrics for detection and monitoring,” said Li Kuiyang.

Li Kuiyang told VCBeat that after he developed an interest in joining the healthcare industry, he paid close attention to opportunities in related fields. He was also fortunate to engage in discussions with multiple medical experts, who unanimously agreed that with the advancement of technologies such as smart devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and 5G, it is becoming increasingly feasible to establish a system for proactive health indicator monitoring and management.

In 2018, when the founding team was discussing how to enter the health management sector, they sought a testing approach capable of measuring multiple physiological indicators while remaining feasible for real-world daily life scenarios. After extensive deliberation, the company ultimately decided to use urinalysis as its entry point, enabling personal health management in everyday settings.

The establishment of Neway Health and the development of its devices have received support from numerous experts in the field of laboratory medicine. Notably, Professor Kang Xixiong, one of the leading figures in China’s laboratory medicine sector, has joined the team as a co-founder. The team aims to establish a health management system, using home-based urine testing as an entry point, to serve hundreds of millions of Chinese households and individuals.

“Urinalysis can focus on specific diseases; for instance, indicators related to kidney disease can be obtained with relative accuracy through urine tests,” said Li Kuiyang. “In addition to kidney-related markers, urinalysis can actually detect up to 200 different indicators, reflecting the health status of various organs throughout the body. Through urinalysis, we can facilitate early auxiliary screening for diseases affecting multiple organs.”

Urinalysis is a non-invasive, low-cost entry point for health management identified by Nuai Health. Although urinalysis was already a mature technology in hospitals at the time, the primary challenge for Nuai Health in adapting this hospital-based technology to everyday life scenarios was to miniaturize and portableize the equipment, making it simple enough for ordinary people to use.

In hospital settings, urinalysis devices are relatively large and operated by professional physicians. In home or daily-life scenarios, however, it is essential not only to ensure device portability but also to guarantee data accuracy even when non-professional users perform improper or non-standard operations. These are critical challenges that must be addressed in the development of NewAI Health’s home-use urinalysis devices.

Li Kuiyang told VCBeat, “Hospital urine tests can already detect over 200 physiological indicators. As we adapt urine testing for everyday life scenarios, we must also consider which indicators are suitable for routine monitoring. Currently, Neway Health focuses on the 14 parameters of standard urinalysis, and we plan to expand the range of tested indicators in the future.”

These 14 indicators, including urinary protein, urobilinogen, nitrites, and occult blood, enable early screening for ten conditions such as kidney disease, bladder cancer, hyperthyroidism, jaundice, and urinary tract infections.

Schematic Diagram of Niuai Health Home Urine Test Device

When using this home urine testing device, users can obtain results in just five minutes through four simple steps. First, collect an appropriate amount of urine in a clean, disposable cup or a dedicated urine collection cup. Then, hold the test strip by its blue area and immerse the reagent pad section into the urine sample. Next, press the power button on the urine testing device, insert the test strip into the detection slot in the correct orientation, and ensure that the blue area is flush with the device’s detection port. Finally, open the mobile mini-program on your smartphone, connect to the device via Bluetooth, and receive the test results on your phone within approximately one minute.

Through a doctor-user dialogue interface, NewAi Health guides users in reviewing their test results. Users can access detailed metric data from each test via the mini-program and understand the specific health implications behind these indicators. Additionally, by leveraging big data on population distributions, patients can reasonably assess whether their health status falls within the normal range. Furthermore, the same NewAi Health home urine analyzer supports multiple uses by family members at any time and place. Its family-sharing mode enables children living apart from their parents to monitor their parents’ health conditions in real time through the mini-program.

The most authentic health monitoring should be conducted without disrupting the user’s normal daily life. Urinalysis performed in hospitals often requires patients to adhere to dietary restrictions and other preparations prior to testing to ensure they are in their optimal condition. However, this optimal state does not reflect the body’s true physiological status. Only by integrating testing into everyday life, thereby conducting assessments without interfering with normal routines, can we capture users’ real-world health data. Users can perform urinalysis at home on a daily basis, allowing them to monitor changes in relevant health indicators in real time. When abnormalities are detected, they can promptly adjust their lifestyle habits, thereby achieving genuine health management.

Li Kuiyang stated, “Detection devices such as blood pressure monitors, which are integrated into daily life scenarios, can only measure a single physiological parameter. In contrast, urinalysis can simultaneously assess multiple physiological parameters, yet its diagnostic value in everyday life has not been fully realized. Currently, the number of individuals undergoing urinalysis is increasing both domestically and internationally. We hope that more enterprises will join this effort to collectively maximize the value of urinalysis.”

Furthermore, Neway Health has trained an intelligent analysis model using testing data from a partner tertiary hospital, enabling disease-related predictions based on this model. This technology has been integrated into Neway Health’s home urine testing device, allowing it to perform disease analyses based on patients’ urine test results. Although the home urine tester is designed for non-clinical use, Neway Health has conducted relevant clinical validations in collaboration with tertiary hospitals; however, the specific testing data have not yet been disclosed.

Currently, NewAI Health holds six software copyrights and one utility model patent. The company is in the process of applying for multiple patents as well as a production license for its home urine testing devices. In addition to manufacturing home urine testing equipment, the company is also exploring the use of urine tests for early screening of gestational diabetes to expand its business scope. Meanwhile, NewAI Health has launched a new round of financing, aiming to raise between RMB 5 million and RMB 10 million in exchange for 10% to 20% equity. The proceeds will be allocated to new product research and development, marketing promotion, talent acquisition, and other areas.