Mass spectrometry - a key technique for traceability in clinical chemistry

Metrological Traceability is an essential task to support standardization and thereby the performance of clinical chemical testing, finally for the benefit of the patients. The establishment of this concept requires reference measurement procedures of highest specificity and selectivity. Mass spectrometry is one of the most important techniques to develop these procedures in compliance with the international requirements. Particularly the principle of isotope dilution mass spectrometry provides the possibility to realize traceability to the “amount of substances” for a variety of analytes like hormones, metabolites and substrates, and proteins. The international accepted database of the Joint Committee of Traceability in Laboratory Medicine publishes the present state of the art of approved procedures.