ANYL 301 |
| Tacrolimus (Prograf, FK-506) is a commonly prescribed immunosuppressant drug used for the prophylaxis of organ rejection following liver, kidney and heart transplantation. The highly variable pharmacokinetics and narrow therapeutic index of this drug necessitate routine therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). TDM, in concert with other laboratory and clinical parameters, is considered essential to minimizing undesired side-effects while maximizing therapeutic value. To date the most commonly employed assays for monitoring patients receiving tacrolimus therapy are antibody based Microparticle Enzyme or Enzyme Multiplied immunoassay techniques, MEIA and EMIT, respectively. These assays are nonspecific and suffer from cross-reactivity with pharmacologically active and inactive metabolites of the drug, complicating the interpretation of the assay results. Liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry provides a practical alternative to antibody based methodologies. In addition, the specificity and sensitivity of the technique provide a high degree of accuracy and precision, making it an ideal tool for tacrolimus TDM. |
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Chromatographic Separations in Clinical Chemistry
9:00 AM-11:50 AM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- 104A, Oral
Division of Analytical Chemistry |