Rapid Point-of-Care Test for Determination of C-Peptide Levels

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Diabetes Research
• Biomedical Diagnostics

Background:

• C-peptide, co-secreted with insulin, reflects functional beta-cell mass and is crucial for diabetes management.
• Accurate C-peptide assessment aids in differentiating diabetes types and identifying residual beta-cell function for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a quantitative point-of-care C-peptide test for accessible diabetes assessment.
• To enable rapid C-peptide measurement from small fingerstick blood samples.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel quantitative point-of-care assay for C-peptide.
• Validation using fingerstick blood samples and comparison with a commercial high-sensitivity ELISA assay.
• Assessment of test accuracy and correlation across a defined C-peptide concentration range.

Main Results:

• The point-of-care test accurately measured C-peptide levels as low as 0.2 ng/ml in fingerstick samples.
• The assay demonstrated accuracy over a range of 0.17 to 12.0 ng/ml.
• High correlation was observed between the point-of-care test and a commercial ELISA (r=0.98) and between serum and fingerstick samples (r=0.90).

Conclusions:

• A quantitative point-of-care C-peptide test has been successfully developed, offering accurate and accessible measurement.
• This test facilitates C-peptide assessment in clinical settings, aiding in diabetes diagnosis and management.
• The fingerstick-based approach enhances convenience and potential for widespread use in evaluating beta-cell function.