Translational Diagnostics

PROJECT SUMMARY: Translational Diagnostics Core The long-term goal of the Washington University Diabetes Research Center (DRC) Translational Diagnostics Core is to improve human health by supporting clinical laboratory testing services for research in diabetes mellitus and related metabolic disorders. Over 50 analytes are routinely available as part of the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment (CLIA) test menu. Several other analytes are available on multiple testing platforms for research use. Most quantitation is performed on serum or plasma samples from human studies. Some analyses are performed on samples from animal models. During this past funding period, the Core provided services to 46 different DRC member laboratories (including 9 P&F recipients), and 16 external academic users, and these services supported the publication of 100 papers. More than 137,000 test results were provided, including >37,000 human insulin values, >33,000 human C-peptide values, and >3,000 mouse insulin values. The Core seeks to provide expert consultation to investigators so that the most appropriate tests can be chosen while taking cost, sample volume, and number of samples into consideration. In addition to quantification of classic metabolic analytes relevant to diabetes, such as insulin and glucagon, the Core has added glycated albumin, which promises to be a useful marker of intermediate term glucose control, and will add type 1 diabetes autoantibodies during the next funding cycle. The Core also offers assays for diabetes and metabolism relevant molecules, such as adiponectin, leptin, IL-6 and TNF. For analytes not offered in-house, the Core maintains contracts with outside laboratories, so that these analyses can be performed at substantially lower cost to DRC members. Development of new research tests on specialized equipment is another important activity of the Translational Diagnostics Core, which makes the latest advances in diabetes and metabolism research available to DRC members. A newly acquired single molecule counting instrument will allow better accuracy for low-abundant signaling molecules with a wider dynamic range than with traditional methods. The Translational Diagnostics Core provides efficient, high quality diagnostic services promoting the translation of basic scientific discoveries for the prevention, treatment and cure of diabetes and its complications.