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Endocrine Abstracts (2016) 41 D3.1 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.41.D3.1

ECE2016 DEBATE Strengths and weaknesses of hormone immunoassays and mass spectrometry: what the clinician should know (2 abstracts)

Strengths and weaknesses of hormone immunoassays and mass spectrometry: what the clinician should know: mass spectrometry

Brian Keevil


UK.


Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) is a powerful tool that is changing the way we analyse steroids in the clinical laboratory. It offers positive compound identification to enable the unequivocal identification of a compound free from interference. LC–MS/MS is already opening up the field of steroid analysis in endocrinology and is providing new applications for individual steroids and panels of steroids in different clinical conditions. LC–MS/MS is now well-accepted technology and is increasingly being used to replace problematic immunoassay methods because of greater sensitivity and specificity. Improved sample preparation, modern chromatography methods and sensitive, faster scanning mass spectrometers have all played a role in improving LC–MS/MS. LC–MS/MS is also playing a key role in improving the quality of assays through the development of reference measurement procedures, characterisation of reference materials and multi-site calibration programmes. There is increasing interest in multiplexing steroid assays into panels of diagnostic tests to aid and improve the diagnosis and monitoring of disease.

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