sTfR Assay
sTfR Assay
Reagent | Soluble Transferrin Receptor
Key benefits of the Randox sTfR assay
Excellent correlation
A correlation coefficient of r=0.977 was displayed when the Randox methodology was compared against other commercially available methods.
Latex Enhanced Immunoturbidimetric method
Facilitating testing on biochemistry analysers and eliminating the need for dedicated equipment
Excellent measuring range
The healthy range for sTfR is 0.65 – 1.88mg/L. The Randox sTfR assay can comfortably detect levels outside of the healthy range, measuring between 0.5 – 11.77 mg/L.
Liquid ready-to-use assay
The Randox sTfR assay is available in a liquid ready-to-use format for convenience and ease-of-use.
Stable to expiry date
The Randox sTfR assay is stable to expiry date when stored at +2 to +8°C
Applications are available
Applications are available detailing instrument-specific settings for the convenient use of the Randox soluble transferrin receptor assay on a wide range of clinical chemistry analysers.
Ordering information
Cat No | Size | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TF10159 | R1 1 x 9ml (L) R2 1 x 5.8ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
(L) Indicates liquid option |
The most common nutritional deficiency globally is iron deficiency (ID) with 15% to 20% of the global population affected by IDA 1. IDA has also been recognised as the most common form of anaemia in infants aged between 4 and 24 months of age, school-age children, female adolescents, pregnant women, and nurturing mothers. It has been recognised that young children including infants require high levels of iron during growth periods making them more susceptible to ID 2.
Soluble transferrin receptor levels have also been found to be a strong biomarker of erythropoietic and haemolysis drive compared to iron-restricted erythropoiesis in paediatric sickle cell disease 3.
Another study found that elevated levels of sTfR is linked with central obesity in men with hyperferritinemia 4.
sTfR has also “been included in multivariable blood testing models for the detection of performance enhancing erythropoietin misuse in sport” and has been recommended as a marker of ID in athletes 5.
A truncated extracellular form of the membrane transferrin receptor, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a marker of iron status and erythropoiesis. sTfR levels have been found to increase in iron-deficient erythropoiesis and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Some have reported that sTfR is useful in the differential diagnosis of IDA and anaemia of chronic disease or inflammation (ACD)1.
At present, ferritin remains the traditional iron deficiency marker with serum ferritin reflecting intracellular iron storage. Ferritin is an acute phase reactant, and so ferritin levels can be influenced by inflammatory conditions. In the presence of inflammation, ferritin levels may be represented as an elevated value leading to a false representation of iron stores in the body, resulting in a delayed diagnosis. For these reasons, sTfR should be tested when the reliability of a ferritin test is compromised.
There isn’t a single diagnostic test to diagnose anaemia. Currently the diagnosis comprises of two steps:
> Firstly confirming that the patient has anaemia which utilises the haemoglobin assay and red blood cell count.
> Secondly is the determination of the root cause of the anaemia which can be identified through testing sTfR and transferrin levels.
Randox offer a number of diagnostic reagents in addition to sTfR which can be used on a wide range of biochemistry analysers for the diagnosis of anaemia. The Randox assays have shown clinical utility in testing for anaemia. The Randox anaemia toolbox comprises of: iron, ferritin, transferrin, unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and the recent addition of sTfR.
There are many different types of anaemia and many triggers and conditions which contribute to the development of anaemia. For this reason, a single test cannot diagnose an individual with anaemia while also knowing what the root cause of it is. Additionally, patient symptoms can give an indication but a full range of diagnostic tests provide independent information to aid the definitive medical diagnosis and enable clinicians to provide effective treatment for patients.
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References
[1] Freixenet, N. et al., 2009. Serum soluble transferrin receptor concentrations are increased in central obesity. Results from a screening programme for hereditary hemochromatosis in men with hyperferritinemia. 400(1-2).
[2] Lulla, R., Thompson, A. & Liem, R., 2010. Elevated soluble transferrin receptor levels reflect increased erythropoietic drive rather than iron deficiency in pediatric sickle cell disease.
[3] Monajemzadeh, S. M. & Zarkesh, M. R., 2009. Iron deficieny anemia in infants aged 12-15 months in Ahwaz, Iran. 52(2).
[4] Schumacher, Y., Schmid, A., König, D. & Berg, A., 2002. Effects of exercise on soluble transferrin receptor and other variables of the iron status.
[5] Yoon, S. H. et al., 2015. The usefulness of soluble transferrin receptor in the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children.