NIST bioanalytical chemist Ashley Beasley Green leads the urine albumin standardization program and developed the standard reference material (SRM) for albumin in human urine. The SRM will improve the accuracy of measurements for diagnosing and managing kidney disease.
Credit: M. DeLorme
When you go to a doctor’s office, whether for an annual checkup or for specific symptoms, your doctor might ask you to provide a urine sample for testing at a clinical lab. The test can check for kidney disease and conditions that affect kidney function, such as diabetes and urinary tract infections.
To diagnose these conditions correctly, your doctor needs accurate measurements of key compounds in urine. Now, thanks to a new standard reference material (SRM) from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), those measurements are about to get more accurate and precise. SRM 3666 is a new human urine standard, the first of its kind, that contains carefully measured amounts of a protein called albumin and another important molecule called creatinine. The standard will improve clinical measurements and support decisions for diagnosing kidney disease.
“We need precise clinical measurements so clinicians can make accurate decisions. This SRM directly impacts the health of individuals and the quality of care they receive,” said NIST chemist Ashley Beasley Green. “It’s hard to determine the risk of kidney disease with inconsistent test results.”
To check the health of your kidneys, clinicians look at the ratio of albumin to creatinine. Albumin is a protein created in the liver, and creatinine is a smal ..
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