A Collaborative Study to Establish the Second International Standard for Streptokinase

1990 ◽  
Vol 64 (02) ◽  
pp. 267-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
A B Heath ◽  
P J Gaffney

SummaryAn International Standard for Streptokinase - Streptodomase (62/7) has been used to calibrate high purity clinical batches of SK since 1965. An international collaborative study, involving six laboratories, was undertaken to replace this standard with a high purity standard for SK. Two candidate preparations (88/826 and 88/824) were compared by a clot lysis assay with the current standard (62/7). Potencies of 671 i.u. and 461 i.u. were established for preparations A (88/826) and B (88/824), respectively.Either preparation appeared suitable to serve as a standard for SK. However, each ampoule of preparation A (88/826) contains a more appropriate amount of SK activity for potency testing, and is therefore preferred. Accelerated degradation tests indicate that preparation A (88/826) is very stable.The high purity streptokinase preparation, coded 88/826, has been established by the World Health Organisation as the 2nd International Standard for Streptokinase, with an assigned potency of 700 i.u. per ampoule.

Author(s):  
Susan J. Thorpe ◽  
Dawn Sands ◽  
Alan B. Heath ◽  
Malcolm S. Hamilton ◽  
Sheena Blackmore ◽  
...  

AbstractFolate measurements, particularly for whole blood, show wide inter-laboratory and inter-methodology variability. This variability appears to be due in part to the lack of internationally accepted reference materials. A whole blood haemolysate, lyophilised in ampoules and designated 95/528, was therefore evaluated by 15 laboratories in five countries for its suitability as an International Standard (IS) for whole blood folate. The preparation was assayed using a variety of microbiological and protein-binding methodologies against local standards and calibrators. A consensus folate content was assigned to 95/528. The inclusion of three whole blood samples in the study with widely differing folate levels demonstrated a considerable reduction in inter-laboratory variability when the folate content of the samples was determined relative to the proposed IS 95/528 rather than to laboratories' local standards and calibrators. Accelerated degradation studies indicated that the folate content of 95/528 is stable when stored at −20°C. On the basis of the results presented here, the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Biological Standardization established 95/528 as an IS for whole blood folate.


1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (03) ◽  
pp. 697-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
T W Barrowcliffe ◽  
A D Curtis ◽  
D P Thomas

SummaryAn international collaborative study was carried out to establish a replacement for the current (2nd) international standard for Factor VIII: C, concentrate. Twenty-six laboratories took part, of which 17 performed one-stage assays, three performed two-stage assays and six used both methods. The proposed new standard, an intermediate purity concentrate, was assayed against the current standard, against a high-purity concentrate and against an International Reference Plasma, coded 80/511, previously calibrated against fresh normal plasma.Assays of the proposed new standard against the current standard gave a mean potency of 3.89 iu/ampoule, with good agreement between laboratories and between one-stage and two- stage assays. There was also no difference between assay methods in the comparison of high-purity and intermediate purity concentrates. In the comparison of the proposed standard with the plasma reference preparation, the overall mean potency was 4.03 iu/ampoule, but there were substantial differences between laboratories, and the two-stage method gave significantly higher results than the one stage method. Of the technical variables in the one-stage method, only the activation time with one reagent appeared to have any influence on the results of this comparison of concentrate against plasma.Accelerated degradation studies showed that the proposed standard is very stable. With the agreement of the participants, the material, in ampoules coded 80/556, has been established by the World Health Organization as the 3rd International Standard for Factor VIII :C, Concentrate, with an assigned potency of 3.9 iu/ampoule.


2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 1017-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Walker ◽  
Barbara Mulloy ◽  
Trevor Barrowcliffe ◽  
Elaine Gray

SummaryTwenty-four laboratories participated in a collaborative study to calibrate a replacement for the 4th International Standard for Unfractionated Heparin (82/502). Both candidate materials A and B, gave excellent intra- and inter-laboratory variations (majority of mean %gcv <10%) when assayed against the 4th International Standard. No major differences of potency estimates were found between methods, although the USP method generally gave lower potencies than the other methods and candidate B gave a greater variation between methods than A. Overall, this study showed that the differences between the candidates are marginal. Based on its narrower molecular weight profile, higher specific activity and slightly lower inter-method variation, candidate A, 97/578, was proposed and accepted in October, 1998, by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation to be the 5th International Standard for Unfractionated Heparin with an assigned potency of 2031 IU/ampoule.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (07) ◽  
pp. 46-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Dawn Walker ◽  
Alan B. Heath ◽  
Elaine Gray

SummaryEighteen laboratories participated in a collaborative study to calibrate a replacement for the 1st International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate (88/548). Excellent agreement between laboratories, as indicated by mean % gcv of 3.3 and 5.9 for functional and antigenic assays, was observed when the candidate concentrate (96/520) was assayed against the 1st International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate (88/548). The functional potency was found to be 7.9% (p <0.05) lower than the antigenic potency. Based on the results and with the agreement of the participants of this study and the authorisation of the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation of the World Health Organisation, the antithrombin concentrate, coded 96/520, has been established as the 2nd International Standard for Antithrombin, Concentrate, with labelled potencies for both functional (4.7 IU/ampoule) and antigenic (5.1 IU/ampoule) activities.


1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (04) ◽  
pp. 1085-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A D Curtis

SummaryAn international collaborative study involving ten laboratories located in eight different countries was undertaken in order to replace the current International Standard (I.S.) for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Two lyophilised candidate preparations of high purity were assessed in comparison with the current I.S. for t-PA using only a clot lysis assay. One preparation (coded 861670) was purified from a cultured melanoma cell supernatant and was about 98% single chain t-PA while the other preparation (coded 861624) was derived from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells following DNA recombinant procedures and was 75% single chain t-PA.Both candidate preparations of t-PA compared in quite a satisfactory manner with the current I.S. from the viewpoint of the biometrics of parallel line bioassays and both preparations were quite stable for long periods at low temperatures and stable from up to 1 month at temperatures of 20° and 38° C. Both fultil the criteria to serve as a satisfactory Znd International Standard for t-PA. The Fibrinolysis Subcommittee of the International Committee for Thrombosis and Haemostasis recommended the melanoma source t-PA (861670) as the next I.S. in order to maintain continuity with the 1st I.S. which was also a melanomatype preparation. The data from the ten laboratories indicated that each ampoule of the new proposed standard contains 850 international units of t-PA activity by the clot lysis assay. It is planned to present the results of this study to the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization at its next meeting and to request that the preparation of t-PA, coded 861670, be established as the 2ndlnternational Standard for t-PA.


1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (04) ◽  
pp. 424-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Gaffney ◽  
A B Heath ◽  
J W Fenton II

SummarySince 1975 an International Standard for Thrombin of low purity has been used. While this standard was stable and of value for calibrating thrombins of unknown potency the need for a pure a-thrombin standard arose both for accurate calibration and for precise measurement of thrombin inhibitors, notably hirudin. An international collaborative study was undertaken to establish the potency and stability of an ampouled pure a-thrombin preparation. A potency of 97.5 international units (95% confidence limits 86.5-98.5) was established for the new a-thrombin standard (89/ 588) using a clotting-assay procedure. Stability data at various elevated temperatures indicated that the standard could be transported and stored with no significant loss of potency.Ampoules of lyophilised a-thrombin (coded 89/588) have been recommended as an International Standard for a-thrombin with an assigned potency of 100 international units per ampoule by the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Thrombin and its Inhibitors Sub-Committee) in Barcelona, Spain in July 1990 while the Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation and Control of the World Health Organisation will consider its status at its next meeting in Geneva in 1991.


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