Hepatitis C
Conditions
Brief summary
Hepatitis C (HCV) HCV antibody assays are the standard of care test used to screen for HCV, but confirmation of acute infection is relegated in the current US guidelines to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which often takes multiple days and may result in a loss to follow up and treatment, especially in high prevalence populations. HCV core antigen is a new, research use only immunoassay intended for use on the Abbott Alinity i system, an FDA-cleared instrument for clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing. The aim of the study is to evaluate the 48-hour stability of HCV core antigen in fresh serum and plasma specimens collected from individuals with a detectable HCV viral load (HCL VL), as per a recent antibody assay test, under multiple specimen storage conditions mirroring those employed in clinical laboratories.
Detailed description
This study seeks to test the stability of a novel method of hepatitis-C testing called HCV core antigen testing. This will be accomplished by prospectively consenting patients who have had a recent, positive standard of care HCV viral load test, and drawing additional blood to conduct HCV core antigen testing within the infectious period. Viral load amount of the core antigen test will be recorded at baseline and subsequent timepoints. Stability is defined as \<10% change from baseline and will be recorded at various timepoints up to 144 hours post-draw. Stability will also be tested at room temperature vs. refrigerated storage and on the gel vs. off the gel processing techniques. This information is necessary to ensure HCV core antigen is sufficiently stable following specimen collection to enable robust, accurate, and precise measurement using the HCV core antigen assay.
Interventions
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTHepatitis C core antigen
Semi-quantitative, automated immunoassay detecting core antigen of hepatitis C virus.
Sponsors
HealthPartners Institute
Study design
Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Able to provide informed consent * Had detectable HCV VL in a standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative test * Initial hepatitis C VL testing took place at any HealthPartners lab * Able to undergo a study blood draw within 3 weeks of initial hepatitis C VL testing * Ability to sign e-consent prior to presenting for a study lab draw
Exclusion criteria
* Age \<18 years * On the HealthPartners research opt-out list * HCV VL not detectable at follow-up lab draw (screen fail)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Serum on the clot stability | 6 days | Determine the 48-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at ambient temperatures (20.0-25.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. Determine the 144-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at refrigerated temperatures (2.0-8.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. |
| Serum off the clot stability | 6 days | Determine the 48-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at ambient temperatures (20.0-25.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. Determine the 144-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at refrigerated temperatures (2.0-8.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. |
| Plasma on the gel stability | 6 days | Determine the 48-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at ambient temperatures (20.0-25.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. Determine the 144-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at refrigerated temperatures (2.0-8.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. |
| Plasma off the gel stability | 6 days | Determine the 48-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at ambient temperatures (20.0-25.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. Determine the 144-hour reproducibility of HCV core antigen measurements in serum and plasma specimens stored at refrigerated temperatures (2.0-8.0 C) and collected from patients with detectable HCV VLs who completed standard of care Hepatitis C RNA Quantitative testing within the prior 2 weeks. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed