Skip to Content
Merck

Clinical & Forensic Testing

As your partner in clinical testing, we understand the impact of your accuracy and speed on decisions made by healthcare professionals, researchers, and scientists. That’s why our unparalleled portfolio of analytical solutions is backed by guaranteed quality and reliable delivery. Our application-optimized reagents, reference materials, and tools empower every stage of your workflow. And our team supports you with expert technical assistance, for example to design and run lab developed tests (LDTs) for clinical diagnostics. Whether you’re performing LC-MS, PCR, or ELISA testing methods, we’ll help you raise your precision, so that healthcare professionals can trust their decisions.

Benefits

  • Superior patient care and safety: comprehensive range of trusted, innovative LC-MS diagnostic solutions for accurate results
  • Greater quality control: batch-to-batch consistency, product quality verification, and detection of contaminants or impurities
  • Up to date regulations: extensive technical content and global support on drug efficacy, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics
  • Speed and convenience: all the products you need available 24/7 on our e-commerce platform with fast, reliable delivery

Clinical Testing Techniques

Select your preferred diagnostic method to review its workflow and directly purchase analytical products.


Related Articles

Related Protocols

Find More Articles and Protocols


LC-MS-Based Clinical Testing

 

Tray of samples for LCMS analysis

LC-MS is a powerful analytical technique used more and more in clinical laboratories to analyze complex mixtures and identify and quantify various substances, such as drugs, metabolites, and biomarkers, in patient samples. It offers, often in combination with distinct and robust sample preparation techniques -depending on sample and analyte type, high sensitivity, selectivity, allowing for accurate and fast results for targeted determinations and screenings. LC-MS is particularly valuable in detecting low concentrations of analytes and in identifying unknown compounds, making it an essential tool for enhancing patient care and improving treatment outcomes in today's clinical labs in hospitals. Fundament for reliable results are suitable standards such as certified reference materials to ensure accurate identifications and quantifications. 

Applications


LC-MS Workflow

Sample Collection

Sample Collection

Sample collection and preparation are key elements at the start of LC MS. These steps should ensure sample integrity and appropriate processing for suitability for the subsequent steps of analysis.

    Sample Preparation

    Effective sample prep is critical to accurate and efficient analysis. Improve your analysis and protect your instrument by concentrating and purifying your sample

      Standardization and Calibration

      Reference materials are a critical component of analytical testing workflows and broader quality assurance schemes. Qualify and calibrate your instruments and assays.

       

        Chromatographic Separation and Analysis

        Columns, solvents, reagents and accessories have a critical impact on the accuracy, reliability and efficiency of your analysis. Leverage the available technical resources to optimize your approach.


          Clinical Applications of PCR

          SARS-CoV-2 blood sample in test tube

          Clinical PCR testing is a widely used technique to detect and analyze the presence, length, or sequence of DNA or RNA from biological samples for diagnostic purposes. While identifying pathogens, genetic mutations, or other molecular markers is the most common use, clinical PCR has broader applications. It plays a crucial role in treatment monitoring, personalized medicine, cancer care, and other healthcare applications.

          The PCR workflow starts with sample collection, followed by sample preparation, and concludes with DNA/RNA target-specific amplification. Typically, the post-amplification analysis is performed using qPCR, where quantification occurs in real time during the amplification cycles. Alternatively, end-point PCR can be used, where results are measured after the amplification cycles are complete. A key goal in preparing a DNA or RNA library for next generation sequencing (NGS) is to maximize its complexity while minimizing biases introduced by PCR or other amplification methods, as these factors significantly influence the quality of the resulting library and, ultimately, the NGS results.

          Applications

          • Infectious disease screening and identification
          • Clinical Genomics
          • Genetic screening
          • Oncology
          • Prenatal testing

          PCR Workflow and Products

          Sample Preparation
          Standardization and Calibration

          NGS reference standards are essential for NGS assay standardization and NGS validation, ensuring that assays and instruments are calibrated and validated for optimal performance.

          Seraseq® Oncology and NIPT products

          • Seraseq® oncology products are most patient-like, highly multiplexed reference samples for pan-cancer disease profiling, disease monitoring, and immune-oncology biomarker validation, facilitating the standardization and analytical validation of NGS assays.
          • Seraseq® NIPT products are patient-derived and patient-like reference materials, preserving the native fetal and maternal cfDNA characteristics. They are compatible with multiple assay technologies and platforms including WG & SNP-based fetal fraction estimation methods.
            Sample amplification and analysis

              ELISA-Based Clinical Testing

              Scientist examining ELISA microtiter plate

              Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an immunoassay technique widely used for high-throughput screening and quantification of antibodies, proteins, peptides, and other small molecules. ELISAs are typically run on a 96-well plate format. Plates can be supplied ready to use for in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) or prepared in-house for lab-developed tests (LDTs).

              Applications

              • Oncology
              • Infectious diseases
              • Drugs of abuse screening
              • Hormone measurement
              • Immune function/immunology

              ELISA Workflow and Products





              Sign In To Continue

              To continue reading please sign in or create an account.

              Don't Have An Account?