New Lipid Assays Help Assess Coronary Risk

Comprehensive lipid assays meet the need created by emerging markers for the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD). These include tests for apolipoprotein A and associated subclasses.

The US National Institutes of Health issued a report on CAD in 2001 that recognized the need to measure new lipid markers in addition to the traditional panel of cholesterol and triglycerides. Apolipoproteins are significant contributors to the cholesterol transport process. Apolipoproteins A-I and A-II play major roles in the removal of excess cholesterol. They are the principal apolipoprotein component of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and are useful in characterizing patients with genetic disorders that lead to low HDL. Elevated levels of apolipoprotein B, on the other hand, have long been associated with increased CAD risk. Although there is less data, there also appears to be a strong relationship between CAD and apolipoproteins C-II, C-III, and E.

Comprehensive assays have been developed for apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, E, NEFA, Lp(a), and remnant lipoprotein cholesterol by Polymedco (Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA). All the assays are configured in an immunoturbidimetric format. They are based on analyte-specific antibody-antigen reactions between the apolipoprotein measured in serum or plasma and the specific anti-human Apo antibodies provided.




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