Diabetes mellitus is a long-term metabolic disorder marked by elevated blood glucose due to defects in insulin secretion and/or action. In the Philippines, people living with diabetes are projected to reach 7.5 million by 2045, highlighting the need for more efficient and accessible diagnostic strategies. This research aims to determine whether the Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy can detect spectral differences between diabetic and normoglycemic urine samples. A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 46 urine samples (23 normoglycemic and 23 diabetic) collected through purposive sampling. Samples were analyzed using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy within the 4000–400 cm⁻¹ range, with focus on the fingerprint region (1800–850 cm⁻¹). Spectral data were analyzed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman correlation, and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). Results showed observable spectral differences between groups, particularly in amide I, amide II, and carbohydrate/glucose/phosphate-related regions. PCA revealed partial overlap between groups despite explaining 92.5% of total variance, indicating limited separation using unsupervised analysis. The broad amide II region showed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0296). The optimized 6-component PLS-DA model achieved 78.3% accuracy, 69.6% sensitivity, 87.0% specificity, and an ROC-AUC of 0.805, suggesting moderate classification performance. Overall, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy demonstrates potential as a non-invasive and exploratory tool for urine-based metabolic profiling in diabetes. However, further validation with larger sample sizes and standardized protocols is necessary before clinical application.

Kamala Angela R. Tingson is a third-year Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology student at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas. She completed her secondary education at the College of Saint Anthony and pursued the Health Allied Strand at UST Senior High School. Alongside her academic pursuits, she served as an Executive Associate of the Rotaract Club of UST – Pharmacy Unit, where she developed and demonstrated her leadership and organizational abilities. Kamala is recognized for her adaptability, creativity, attention to detail, emotional intelligence, and strong time-management and organizational skills. Her academic background and active involvement in student organizations reflect her commitment to personal development, leadership, and the healthcare field.