PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS IS A TECHNIQUE USED TO SEPARATE PROTEINS BASED ON THEIR SIZE AND CHARGE. IN SERUM, THIS METHOD IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR DIAGNOSING VARIOUS MEDICAL CONDITIONS. BY APPLYING AN ELECTRIC CURRENT TO A GEL CONTAINING SERUM PROTEINS, THEY MIGRATE AT DIFFERENT RATES DEPENDING ON THEIR SIZE AND CHARGE. THIS ALLOWS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF ABNORMAL PROTEIN PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASES SUCH AS MULTIPLE MYELOMA, LIVER DISEASE, AND CERTAIN INFECTIONS.

THIS ASSAY IN COMBINATION WITH SERUM PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS AND IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS YIELDS HIGH SENSITIVITY (99%) FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PLASMA CELL DISORDERS (PCD). BASELINE MEASUREMENT IS OF MAJOR PROGNOSTIC VALUE AND ALLOWS QUANTITATIVE MONITORING OF PATIENTS WITH OLIGOSECRETORY PCD.

THIS ASSAY IS USEFUL FOR DIAGNOSING & MONITORING PATIENTS WITH MONOCLONAL GAMMOPATHIES. PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS ALONE IS NOT CONSIDERED AN ADEQUATE SCREENING TEST FOR MONOCLONAL GAMMOPATHIES.