Blood Monitoring Service

From the Winter 1999 issue of National PKU News.

The University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics Announces a New International Blood Monitoring Service for Phenylalanine

Dear Editor:

We recently have developed a highly sensitive and accurate method for analysis of phenylalanine and tyrosine from a single blood spot. All of our patients now use this system. It has improved compliance significantly and many more samples are being sent by patients than before.

We are making this test available to everyone in the PKU community who could benefit. We would be glad to offer it at our cost of $150.00.

The analysis is done by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), using a stable isotope dilution. This is considered the "gold standard" of chromatographic quantification and thus is very accurate. The run on the analyzer takes only 10 minutes following a short extraction procedure (20 minutes). Turnaround time for getting results, from the time we receive the blood sample, is 48 hours.

Our laboratory can bill clinics or hospitals, but we cannot bill individual insurance companies in other states. We can report the results by fax or e-mail, to anywhere in the world. If any physician or patient wishes to try this assay, we will send the simple collection kit. The kit includes a Microtainer Safety Flow Lancet, but you may use any sampling device with which you are comfortable.