Glossary

PROTEIN ELECTROPHORESIS

Protein electrophoresis is a laboratory analysis based on the separation of proteins in the presence of an electric current. To perform this test, a solid support (such as agarose gel) can be used, as wellas liquid-filled thin silica tubes (capillaries). When a sample containing a mixture of proteins is applied to the gel or into a capillary, the different proteins within the mixture are separated according to their electric charge. When searching for a specific monoclonal component, laboratories analyze serum and urine by protein electrophoresis as it is the only test that can confirm monoclonality unambiguously.

 

 

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Glossary

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