Standardized to the WHO's 1st International Standard for Beta2 Microglobulin (code: B2M).

Kinetic UDR Immunoassay, enhanced with polystyrene particles, for their use on Beckman Coulter's IMMAGE® 800 Immunochemical Systems.

Applications available for the most common analyzers of Clinical Chemistry. For example Advia®, Alinity C, AU®, Atellica™, cobas® C, Optilite® or Mindray among others.

Clinical Significance of Beta 2 microglobulin

Elevated serum levels of B2m are either due to an increased production or to a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate which determines its accumulation. The increased rate of synthesis may be caused by many different diseases, in particular those of the lymphoid immune system, hematologic malignancies, viral infections, autoimmune diseases and others. B2m is hence not used as a specific diagnostic marker for any pathology in particular, but is rather widely used as a quantitative prognostic marker in many diseases. To take just one example, measurement of B2m levels is included in the International Staging System for Multiple Myeloma.

Measurement of B2m concentrations in urine is a very sensitive marker of tubular dysfunction due to any cause or pathology. Although as a tubular marker it suffers from the problems of instability in acidic environments (pH<6) and variable production levels.

B2m, Multiple Myeloma, Tubular dysfunction, IMMAGE® 800 Beckman Coulter, PENIA, Turbidimetric Immunoassay, TIA.