The Randox liquid ready-to-use Lipoprotein (a) kit provides a highly sensitive and specific method for the detection of Lp(a) in serum and plasma.
Lp(a) in combination with other lipid tests can provide clinicians with much needed additional information on an individual's risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
It is of particular use in assessing the risk of coronary heart disease in specific populations as Lp(a) concentrations have been shown to be genetically determined and to vary with ethnic populations.
Lp(a) is an LDL-like particle with a molecule of Apolipoprotein B-100 (Apo B100) linked by a disulphide bridge to Apolipoprotein (a) (Apo(a)).
Apo (a) is unique in that it is extremely heterogeneous in size.
It is made up of a variable number of repeat structures known as kringles.
The size heterogeneity of Apo (a) is due to the kringle 4 domain and the kringle 4 type 2 domain in particular, which can be present in a variable number of repeat copies (3-40).
The use of Lp(a) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease risk has been impeded by the lack of internationally accepted standardisation and the fact that many commercial Lp(a) methods suffer from apolipoprotein (a) size related bias.
The size heterogeneity of Apo (a) affects to varying degrees the outcome of many commercially available Lipoprotein (a) kits resulting in the underestimation of Apo (a) in samples containing an Apo (a) molecule smaller than that used in the assays calibrator and conversely to overestimate the concentration in samples containing larger Apo (a) particles.
The antibody used in the Randox method detects the complete Lp(a) molecule providing accurate and consistent results.
Research has documented and shown the Randox method to be one of only few to exhibit minimum size related bias, according to the company.
Not only is the Randox Lp(a) kit robust against Apo (a) size heterogeneity, it is also standardised to the WHO/IFCC reference material SRM 2B and is closest in terms of agreement to the Elisa reference method, added Randox.
Other features of the Randox Lp(a) kit include: open vial stability of 30 days on board the analyser at 10C; dynamic assay range 3-90mg/dl; precision - within run CVs less than three per cent; no sample preparation required; limited interference from intralipid, bilirubin, haemoglobin, ascorbic acid, triglycerides, plasminogen and apolipoprotein B; and antigen excess effects are not noted up to 341mg/dl.
Dedicated or multi-analyte controls and calibrators are available for the kit, as well as fully automated applications for a wide range of clinical analysers.