Rapid Method Determines Free and Total PSA in Serum
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 01 Feb 2017 |
Image: The free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) / total PSA fraction is significantly diminished in men with prostate cancer since almost all of the PSA is bound. When the fraction is under 10%, the risk of prostate cancer is high. When it is above 25%, the elevation of PSA is probably related to benign hyperplasia (Photo courtesy of Dianon Pathology).
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by prostate gland cells, circulates through the body in two ways: either bound to other proteins or on its own. PSA traveling alone is called free PSA. The free-PSA test measures the percentage of unbound PSA; the PSA test measures the total of both free and bound PSA.
Prostate cancer can raise PSA levels, but so can other conditions. These include an enlarged prostate, prostatitis, and advancing age. In fact, studies have shown that about 75% of men with an elevated PSA do not have prostate cancer. To determine which men actually have cancer and which do not, physicians traditionally perform a biopsy.
Scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine developed a novel, sensitive and rapid method to simultaneously determine the free and total prostate-specific antigen (fPSA and tPSA) in serum by combining a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) and immunomagnetic separation. The new approach uses magnetic particles as an immobilization matrix and means of separation, whereas the luminescent europium (Eu) and samarium (Sm) chelates are used as probes. The proposed method was evaluated via a single-step, sandwich-type TRFIA immunoassay of tPSA and fPSA as model analytes in serum.
The one-step method simultaneously detected fPSA and tPSA in less than 15 minutes with the detection limits of 0.006 ng/mL for fPSA and 0.05 ng/mL for tPSA. The assay ranges for fPSA and tPSA were both 0.5 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL, whereas the average recovery of those two obtained by their original mode were 95.9% and 95.3%, respectively. The present new TRFIA method carrying larger reproducibility, higher recovery, and sensitive specificity was demonstrated to be widely acceptable.
The authors concluded that the simultaneous determination method containing a fast and sensitive approach can be put into an important position to screening large quantities of specimen, and be commonly applied to the clinical determination of fPSA and tPSA in human serum. The study was published on January 19, 2017, in the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.
Prostate cancer can raise PSA levels, but so can other conditions. These include an enlarged prostate, prostatitis, and advancing age. In fact, studies have shown that about 75% of men with an elevated PSA do not have prostate cancer. To determine which men actually have cancer and which do not, physicians traditionally perform a biopsy.
Scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine developed a novel, sensitive and rapid method to simultaneously determine the free and total prostate-specific antigen (fPSA and tPSA) in serum by combining a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) and immunomagnetic separation. The new approach uses magnetic particles as an immobilization matrix and means of separation, whereas the luminescent europium (Eu) and samarium (Sm) chelates are used as probes. The proposed method was evaluated via a single-step, sandwich-type TRFIA immunoassay of tPSA and fPSA as model analytes in serum.
The one-step method simultaneously detected fPSA and tPSA in less than 15 minutes with the detection limits of 0.006 ng/mL for fPSA and 0.05 ng/mL for tPSA. The assay ranges for fPSA and tPSA were both 0.5 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL, whereas the average recovery of those two obtained by their original mode were 95.9% and 95.3%, respectively. The present new TRFIA method carrying larger reproducibility, higher recovery, and sensitive specificity was demonstrated to be widely acceptable.
The authors concluded that the simultaneous determination method containing a fast and sensitive approach can be put into an important position to screening large quantities of specimen, and be commonly applied to the clinical determination of fPSA and tPSA in human serum. The study was published on January 19, 2017, in the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.
Latest Pathology News
- Robotic Blood Drawing Device to Revolutionize Sample Collection for Diagnostic Testing
- Use of DICOM Images for Pathology Diagnostics Marks Significant Step towards Standardization
- First of Its Kind Universal Tool to Revolutionize Sample Collection for Diagnostic Tests
- AI-Powered Digital Imaging System to Revolutionize Cancer Diagnosis
- New Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Panel to Support Real-Time Surveillance and Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
- New Method Offers Sustainable Approach to Universal Metabolic Cancer Diagnosis
- Spatial Tissue Analysis Identifies Patterns Associated With Ovarian Cancer Relapse
- Unique Hand-Warming Technology Supports High-Quality Fingertip Blood Sample Collection
- Image-Based AI Shows Promise for Parasite Detection in Digitized Stool Samples
- Deep Learning Powered AI Algorithms Improve Skin Cancer Diagnostic Accuracy
- Microfluidic Device for Cancer Detection Precisely Separates Tumor Entities
- Virtual Skin Biopsy Determines Presence of Cancerous Cells
- AI Detects Viable Tumor Cells for Accurate Bone Cancer Prognoses Post Chemotherapy
- First Ever Technique Identifies Single Cancer Cells in Blood for Targeted Treatments
- Innovative Blood Collection Device Overcomes Common Obstacles Related to Phlebotomy
- Intra-Operative POC Device Distinguishes Between Benign and Malignant Ovarian Cysts within 15 Minutes