Trace Technology for Assays of Novel Biomarkers

The availability of an easily measurable specific marker for diagnosis of a disease is an important but not always reachable objective. Emergency area is an area where decisions must be taken as quick as possible, and sometimes it is not clear if the patient is well enough to be treated as an outpatient or must be hospitalized. During last few years many new biomarkers and techniques for their measurement have been developed, and surely some others will appear. The aim of this report was to present TRACE technology for specific assays such as: copeptin, proadrenomedullin and proatrial natriuretic peptide. Ongoing research is being done to decide in which diseases they might be useful and if they will be needed for diagnosis, prognosis or treatment monitoring. Results are not conclusive yet, but in the future some of these markers could be used in routine laboratory work if their utility is documented by new data.