Measurement of prolactin is one of the most commonly undertaken hormonal investigations in evaluating patients with reproductive disorders
Olympus has introduced a prolactin assay for sale in the USA.
Prolactin levels are also determined when breast cancer and pituitary tumors are suspected.
The assay is designed for use with the fully automated Olympus AU3000i immunoassay system.
The prolactin assay is a two-step immunometric assay with a very broad measuring range of approximately 0.05-300 micrograms per liter (1.06-6360mIU/l).
It measures quantitative concentrations of prolactin in either 50 microlitres of serum or lithium-heparin plasma samples after 28 minutes of processing time.
Each prolactin kit is sufficient to process 100 tests, and contains prolactin reagents, a single ready-to-use calibrator, and a single ready-to-use control.
Reagents are stable on board the AU3000i system for 28 days.
"The addition of the prolactin assay to the already available Olympus fertility assays LH and FSH is an important step in the development of a panel of tests comprising from seven to ten percent of the test volume in a routine clinical laboratory," said Lorraine Damico, director of immunoassay marketing for Olympus America
