With more than 20 years of experience and continuous innovation, we have created the most advanced system for measuring and understanding steroid hormones. Our sophisticated and precise chromatography-mass spectrometric techniques quantitatively evaluate endogenous steroids in various biological specimens, such as tissue, urine, blood, saliva and hair. Our proven assays have enabled basic scientists and clinicians to make novel discoveries—revealing critical insights that have advanced scientific research around the world.

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• A new paradigm in sitosterolemia diagnostics using dried-blood spot

  We developed a cost-effective population screening method for evaluating blood concentrations of free sterols, which is feasible for detecting sitosterolemia in primary care settings. This cross-sectional study clearly demonstrated that the dried blood spot (DBS)-based assay effectively discriminated patients with sitosterolemia from both heterozygotes and healthy controls. Additionally, the molecular ratios of individual plant sterols to cholesterol in the DBS samples supported the established diagnostic cut-off values. This innovative DBS-based assay for free sterols has the potential to be a practical tool in both clinical practice and population screening programs.

• Serum steroid profiling reveals metabolic signatures of subtypes in congenital adrenal hyperplasia

  The subtypes of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are distinguished by defects in enzymes responsible for aberrant steroidogenesis, particularly in cortisol production. Traditional diagnosis of CAH typically involves a labor-intensive process and has limitations in distinguishing between subtypes. Through LC-MS-based steroid profiling, a single analytical run reveals substantially elevated serum levels of specific steroids and metabolic ratios corresponding to the enzymatic activities of defective steroidogenic enzymes in the 21-OHD, 17α-OHD, and 11β-OHD subtypes of CAH.

• Simultaneous serum profiling of steroids, catecholamines, and metanephrines from patients with adrenal tumors

  To increase bioanalytical validity while maintaining sample homogeneity, LC-MS-based profiling of 29 cortical steroids and 6 medullary amines, including catecholamines and metanephrines, in a single run was developed.  A novel LC-MS-based quantitative profiling of steroids, catecholamines, and metanephrines in human serum successfully characterized metabolic features of individual adrenal tumors with Cushing syndrome, primary aldosteronism, and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. 

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