Cystatin C Levels Help Diagnose Kidney Disease

An immunoassay, which determines the amount of cystatin C in human serum and plasma, is used in the diagnosis and treatment of renal disease.

A number of studies have reported that cystatin C assays are sensitive and that cystatin C is an early indicator of decreased renal function. In addition, it has been suggested that cystatin C might be a better marker than creatinine for the estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), the overall index of kidney function.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Fullerton, CA, USA) has expanded its renal menu with the addition of the Gentian Cystatin C Immunoassay, which can be performed on the company's Synchron and Unicel clinical systems. Reagents and calibrators for the Gentian Cystatin C assay are liquid and ready to use, eliminating the need for mixing, hydrating, or prediluting reagents before testing. The Gentian Cystatin C Immunoassay is a User Defined Reagent (UDR), manufactured by Gentian AS and distributed by Beckman Coulter as part of its broad menu of automated chemistry assays.

In addition to the Cystatin C Immunoassay, Beckman Coulter's renal menu includes albumin, BUN, calcium ISE, creatinine, glucose, microalbumin, and phosphorus. Beckman Coulter also provides a wide range of test panels for anemia, autoimmune conditions, cardiac disease, diabetes, therapeutic drug monitoring, general chemistry, hepatic function, infectious diseases, inflammatory proteins, lipids, nutritional assessment, thyroid function, toxicology, and specialty and STAT testing.

Beckman Coulter, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products that simplify, automate, and innovate complex biomedical tests.

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