The current status of serum insulin measurements and the need for standardization

Insulin assays are used to assess insulin resistance and to aid in the diagnosis of conditions such as insulinoma and various forms of hypoglycemia. However, discrepancies among commercial assays limit their clinical and research utility. This study evaluates the current comparability of the most widely used insulin assays.

Forty serum samples, including those from healthy individuals and patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, were analyzed by nine manufacturers using 12 commercial immunoassays. Results from each assay were compared both to the isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) method and across the different immunoassays.

Intra-assay repeatability was excellent (ICCs>0.99), but substantial inter-assay variability was observed. Differences relative to LC-MS ranged from -298.2 to +302.6 pmol/L. Several assays overestimated insulin concentrations at low levels and underestimated them at higher levels. Only one assay method showed full agreement with the IDMS method.

Despite all methods claiming traceability to the WHO 66/304 standard, significant variability persists among insulin assays. These findings highlight the urgent need for insulin assay standardization using commutable certified reference materials.