New:  Nephrin ELISA:  An ELISA designed to measure urinary nephrin.

The transmembrane protein nephrin is specifically expressed in renal glomerular podocytes, the visceral epithelial cells that line the outer aspect of the glomerular basement membrane. Podocytes contain interdigitated foot processes forming a slit diaphragm that regulates the passage of plasma proteins across the glomerular filtration barrier. Mutation of the nephrin gene, altered nephrin production and abnormal podocyte function lead to proteinuria in diseases affecting the glomerulus such as nephrotic syndrome and diabetes. Podocyte injury may be accompanied by shedding of the nephrin protein and/or of podocytes into the urine, and studies in experimental animals and in human diabetes support the hypothesis that nephrinuria is a marker for, and reflects severity of, filtration dysfunction. ELISA measurement of urinary nephrin may provide an avenue for detection of early renal dysfunction and/or for assessing response to therapeutic interventions in experimental animal and clinical research.

The kits and reagents listed on these pages offers several products to aid the study of both the aetiology  and management of diabetic disorders . These include kits, reagents and standards for  the research laboratory using animal models of diabetes.

Of particular importance are the kits for the measurement of Microalbuminuria - the established marker of early diabetic kidney dysfunction; Glycated Albumin - to asses intermediate term glycemic control;  Glycated Hemoglobin - to assess long term glycemic control and Glycated LDL - to assess recent glycemic control