Long-term quality control of the cytokine & growth factors and cell adhesion molecule arrays at the Randox Evidence Investigator

Abstract

Multi component assays are a promising development in laboratory medicine. Reproducibility and standardization of the used technology is crucial for the quality of the results. In our laboratory several studies were carried out in a period of more than two years using the Randox Evidence Investigator. We applied the Cytokine & Growth Factors and Cell Adhesion Molecule Array from which reference values could be obtained. Cytokines are not useful in low grade inflammation or in normal persons as the levels are too low to detect. However growth factors and cell adhesion molecules could be determined in those studies. Outcomes with the arrays were compared with conventional assays such as ELISA. The correlations of IL-6 and IL-10 were very good and that of s-ICAM acceptable. Inter-assay coefficients of variation could be calculated by using the same control level material during those years. The system turned out to be easy to handle and very stable over a long period of time with CV's of about 8-12%. The results obtained are not dependent of the lot number of the arrays or apparatus as two different apparatus gave same outcomes.

Keywords

• biochip array
• multi component analysis
• quality control