Automated BNP Assay to Diagnose Heart Failure

The automated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) assay is the first fully automated BNP assay to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an aid in the diagnosis of heart failure.

During heart failure, proBNP, the precursor of BNP, is released from the heart ventricles into the bloodstream as a compensatory response to increased blood pressure and volume overload. As it enters the bloodstream, it is cleaved into two fragments: BNP and NT-proBNP. BNP, the molecule measured by the new assay, is the physiologic active molecule that counteracts the deleterious effects of this intra-cardiac pressure. NT-proBNP, on the other hand, is the inactive byproduct of the split.

The assay, from Bayer Diagnostics (Tarrytown, NY, USA), is designed to be run on Bayer's Advia CentaurT immunoassay system. The assay incorporates antibodies supplied by Shionogi & Company Limited (Tokyo, Japan). The rapid high-throughput method takes just 18 minutes to complete and allows BNP measurements to become a routine part of a laboratory testing.

"It is anticipated that BNP will allow a significant triage to take place at the level of general practice with consequent cost savings,” stated Dr. Richard Spooner from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust (UK), who presented a poster on the assay at the annual meeting of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) in Barcelona (Spain).




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