ULTRA² RESOLUTION VARIANTS
Manufacturer: Trinity Biotech
Haemoglobin is a helix of globin chains composed of amino acids. A haemoglobin variant refers to an alteration in the amino acid composition of the globin chain that can occur through genetic mutation and may result in changes not only to the net charge on the molecule but also changes in polarity due to alterations in the helical structure. These changes in physical characteristics may, in some cases, produce clinically significant effects and have been used to fractionate haemoglobin species.
A decreased capacity for the synthesis of a globin chain results in clinical conditions known as thalassemias. Beta thalassemia is characterised by an increase in haemoglobin A2. Alpha thalassemia is characterized by a decrease in hemoglobin A2 and delta-beta thalassemia is characterised by an increase in hemoglobin F. Accurate quantitation of haemoglobins A2 and F is required for the evaluation of these conditions.
High performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods with high sensitivity and specificity have been developed for hemoglobin fractionation. Trinity Biotech’s ultra2 Resolution system for the separation and quantitation of normal and variant hemoglobin species in blood is designed to provide the maximum amount of information in the shortest possible time. This method combines the sensitivity and specificity of HPLC with sample preparation automation and assistance in evaluating the result.