| Speaker(s): | (1) Michael Reid is a Clinical Chemist at Alberta Precision Laboratories in Calgary and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Calgary. He earned his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Alberta and completed his Clinical Chemistry Fellowship at the University of Calgary. He directs high-volume immunoassay testing at the Diagnostic and Scientific centre in Calgary, where he also performs sign out services for hemoglobinopathies and monoclonal gammopathies. Dr. Reid is also actively involved in resident and fellow education in clinical chemistry.
(2) Angela Rutledge is a clinical biochemist employed at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) since 2013. At LHSC, she is the section head of the endocrinology laboratory and also oversees serum protein electrophoresis and many of the core laboratory immunoassays.
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| Overview (s): | (1) Accurate measurement of low-level estradiol remains a challenge in the clinical laboratory. While immunoassays are widely used, they have limitations in precision and sensitivity at low concentrations, which can impact critical clinical decisions in endocrinology, reproductive medicine, and oncology. This session will review how limits of quantitation are established and the practical considerations involved, illustrated with a representative estradiol assay. Clinical scenarios where low-level estradiol measurement is clinically significant will be highlighted. Alternative strategies, such as mass spectrometry, will be briefly discussed, along with emerging technologies that may enhance estradiol performance on automated analyzers and enable more rapid, accessible testing in routine practice.
(2) This presentation will give an overview of how copeptin is synthesized and the properties that allow it to serve as a more reliable surrogate measure of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) concentration than measurement of ADH concentration itself. It will also describe the clinical utility of copeptin testing, as part of several possible protocols, in the differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus.
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| Learning Objectives: | (1) At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:1. Describe how limits of quantitation are established and discuss practical considerations and challenges, illustrated with an estradiol immunoassay example. 2. Identify clinical scenarios where accurate measurement of low-level estradiol is important and explain the potential impact of current immunoassay limitations on clinical decisions. 3. Discuss alternative approaches to improve low-level estradiol measurement, including practical considerations and emerging assay methods.
(2) At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
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