We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ZeptoMetrix an Antylia scientific company

SEBIA

Sebia provides clinical protein electrophoresis equipment and reagents for in-vitro diagnostic testing, including sys... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Gel and Capillary Electrophoresis Compared for Human Proteins

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 12 May 2021
The electrophoresis of serum proteins remains a laboratory cornerstone for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with plasma cell disorders, such as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, and AL amyloidosis.

Gel electrophoresis remains the method used by most clinical laboratories in the USA. More...
However usage of gel electrophoresis is gradually decreasing while that of capillary electrophoresis is increasing. More recently, analysis of liquid media by capillary electrophoresis was developed and applied to the analysis of serum proteins for clinical purposes.

Laboratory Immunologists at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA) tested all serum samples analyzed by the immunology laboratory over the course of eight days for routine clinical purposes during the months of October and November 2019, totaling 304 sera. There were 160 females (62 ± 16 years, range 19 -95) and 144 males (65 ± 14 years, range 23-97), with no significant difference in age according to sex.

Sera were first ran using the system currently in use, which consists of a thin-layer agarose gel, HYDRAGEL 30 Protein (E) (Sebia, Lisses, France) and the Sebia Hydrasys 2 semi-automated analyzer. Sera were then assayed on the Sebia Capillarys III TERA automated analyzer using CAPI 3 Protein (E) reagents. Serum immunofixation electrophoresis (SIFE) was performed in 214 of the total 304 sera because already ordered by the provider for most cases. Sera were pre-diluted according to the immunoglobulin G, A, and M concentrations, and then ran on the immunofixation system currently in use, which consists of a thin-layer agarose gel (HYDRAGEL IF 2/4, from Sebia) and the Hydrasys 2 semi-automated analyzer.

The scientists reported that Gel and capillary estimated the concentration of albumin, gamma region, and M-spikes nearly perfectly, and that of beta, alpha-2, and alpha-1 regions with excellent correlation. The two systems classified concordantly 268 of 304 sera (88% agreement) as having no, one, or two M-spikes, but differed in the remaining 36 sera (12%). Gel electrophoresis correctly identified M-spikes in 82 of 112 sera that were shown to have monoclonal band(s) by immunofixation (73% sensitivity), and correctly did not reveal M-spikes in 97/102 sera that had no immunofixation bands (95% specificity). Capillary achieved slightly higher sensitivity (85/112, 76%) and slightly lower specificity (94/102, 92%), but the two areas under the ROC curves were nearly identical at 0.84.

The authors concluded that Gel and capillary electrophoresis systems perform similarly to estimate the concentration of serum protein fractions and detect M-spikes. The Capillarys system has the disadvantages of a higher equipment cost and requiring a greater sample volume. On the other hand, Capillarys requires less involvement of laboratory technicians, offers a faster turn-around time, identifies the specimens they are being analyzed, does not depend upon the chemicals needed to stain and destain the gels, and is more amenable to remote reporting. The study was published on April 29, 2021 in the journal Practical Laboratory Medicine.

Related Links:
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Sebia



Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
New
UHF RFID Tag & Inlay
AD-327 U9 ETSI Pure 95
New
Mumps Test
ReQuest MUMPS IgM Assay
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The POC device rapidly predicts neonatal respiratory disease at birth in the NICU (Photo courtesy of SIME Diagnostics)

AI-Powered Lung Maturity Test Identifies Newborns at Higher Risk of Respiratory Distress

Each year, approximately 300,000 babies in the United States are born between 32 and 36 weeks' gestation, according to national health data. This group is at an elevated risk for respiratory distress,... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Early prediction of preterm birth in cell-free RNA could revolutionize prevention strategies (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Blood Cell-Free RNA Signatures Can Predict Preterm Birth Four Months Before Delivery

Every year, around 13.4 million babies are born prematurely worldwide, accounting for roughly one in ten of all live births. Of these, nearly one million preterm infants die annually, and preterm birth... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Results of AI-based 3D virtual H&E staining and quantitative analysis of pathological tissue (Photo courtesy of Nature Communications, DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-59820-0)

Virtual Staining Technology Paves Way for Non-Invasive Pathological Diagnosis

For more than 200 years, traditional pathology has depended on the technique of examining cancer tissues under a microscope, a method that provides only limited, specific cross-sections of the 3D structure... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Scanning electron microscopy images showing 3D micro-printed Limacon-shaped whispering-gallery-mode microcavities with different amounts of deformation (Photo courtesy of A. Ping Zhang/PolyU)

Tiny Microlaser Sensors with Supercharged Biosensing Ability to Enable Early Disease Diagnosis

Optical whispering-gallery-mode microlaser sensors function by trapping light within tiny microcavities. When target molecules bind to the cavity, they induce subtle changes in the laser’s frequency, allowing... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.