Review of applications of capillary electrophoresis for clinical analysis

As an analytical tool, CE offers several advantages in the clinical laboratories. In addition to high resolution of the CE, the ease of modifying the selectivity by simple additives to the buffer allows complex mixtures of analytes in biological samples to be resolved easily. The driving forces for the widespread use of CE at the present time are simplicity, speed, high resolution, and low operating costs. Four general application areas were identified which are expected to have a great impact on the routine clinical analysis by CE. These areas are proteins (serum, CSF, urine), ions, drug screening, and DNA analysis. The analysis of these compounds is rapidly expanding and it is mature enough for bringing them into the routine work. The DNA applications for sequencing and PCR analysis have progressed to the extent that few specialized instruments dedicated to these analyses are on the market. Proteases as well as other enzymes can be analyzed conveniently by CE. The CE can offer also basic physical and structural information for the peptides and proteins such as charge (pI), size, and isoforms. The application of capillary electrophoresis in clinical analysis is expected to become more widespread in the near future with the introduction of more commercial instruments designed for specific applications.