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One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency

Date:
October 27, 2014
Source:
University of British Columbia
Summary:
A novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency that is sensitive enough to work on anyone, including newborn babies and large swaths of the general population, scientists say.
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Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency that is sensitive enough to work on anyone, including newborn babies and large swaths of the general population.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be tested with a single drop of blood collected from a finger prick, then blotted and dried overnight on a card consisting of filter paper. The UBC study made dried blood spot card analysis sensitive enough to measure the amount of methylmalonic acid (MMA), an indicator of a person's B12 level.

"This minimally invasive approach helps us measure deficiency in an easier and more convenient way, especially in large samples of people," says study author Yvonne Lamers, a professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and Canada Research Chair in Human Nutrition and Vitamin Metabolism. "Our method is the first to make dried blood spot analysis sensitive enough to test healthy people for B12 deficiency."

The method simplifies blood sample collection for researchers in rural or remote areas where sophisticated lab equipment is unavailable. It's currently being used in a research project in rural Indonesia.

The method could also have a significant clinical application. It has the potential to be added to the BC Newborn Screening Program. The program tests for treatable disorders in all infants born in the province. B12 deficiency, if not detected and treated early, can cause delayed brain development, slow learning and digestion problems in babies.

"We are interested in Dr. Lamers' method, which may be sensitive enough to detect and confirm B12 deficiency using the blood spot cards currently collected on B.C. newborns," says Hilary Vallance, director of the BC Newborn Screening Program.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. T. H. Schroder, T. A. W. Quay, Y. Lamers. Methylmalonic Acid Quantified in Dried Blood Spots Provides a Precise, Valid, and Stable Measure of Functional Vitamin B-12 Status in Healthy Women. Journal of Nutrition, 2014; 144 (10): 1658 DOI: 10.3945/jn.114.194829

Cite This Page:

University of British Columbia. "One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 October 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141027100516.htm>.
University of British Columbia. (2014, October 27). One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 13, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141027100516.htm
University of British Columbia. "One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141027100516.htm (accessed October 13, 2024).

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