Clinical evaluation of the Immulite® 1000 chemiluminescent immunoassay for measurement of equine serum insulin.
Authors: Go Yun Young, Hazard Nicole W, Balasuriya Udeni B R, Chapman Anna M, Fitton Nanette S, Kenéz Ákos, Andrews Frank M
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Immulite® 1000 Chemiluminescent Immunoassay for Equine Insulin Measurement Accurate insulin quantification is fundamental to identifying hyperinsulinemia in horses, yet the proliferation of different laboratory assays has created a fragmented landscape where results are often incomparable between facilities. Young and colleagues validated the Immulite® 1000 chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) against the gold-standard radioimmunoassay (RIA) by evaluating intra- and inter-assay precision, analytical recovery, and clinical performance across equine serum samples. The Immulite® 1000 demonstrated acceptable precision metrics and reliable dilutional recovery, establishing it as a viable alternative to RIA and enabling the development of assay-specific reference ranges critical for standardised hyperinsulinemia diagnosis. These findings are particularly significant for practitioners seeking reliable insulin testing options, as establishing validated cut-off values specific to the Immulite® platform will improve consistency in identifying metabolic dysfunction across different laboratories. Implementation of this standardised approach should reduce diagnostic uncertainty when comparing results between veterinary centres and support more evidence-based management of equine metabolic syndrome and insulin dysregulation.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •When evaluating insulin levels in your horses, know which assay method your laboratory uses—reference ranges are NOT interchangeable between methods
- •The Immulite® 1000 offers a practical alternative to RIA for insulin testing with good reliability, potentially improving availability of hyperinsulinemia diagnosis
- •Always request assay-specific cut values from your laboratory when interpreting insulin results for metabolic syndrome assessment
Key Findings
- •Immulite® 1000 CLIA demonstrated acceptable analytical performance with intra-assay and inter-assay precision suitable for clinical use in horses
- •Significant discrepancies exist between different immunoassay methods for equine insulin measurement, requiring assay-specific reference ranges
- •Immulite® 1000 CLIA showed comparable performance to radioimmunoassay (RIA) with improved practicality for routine laboratory use