Determining Beta-hCG Levels in Patients Through Alternative Sample Types

This study is to determine if there is any quantifiable correlation between serum beta hCG and dried blood spot (DBS) beta hCG levels. This data will be used to develop a less invasive collection method to determine quantitative hCG levels.

Completed

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Key information

Conditions

Pregnancy Related Abortion

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky

Tacoma, Washington, 98405, United States

About this study

A cohort of 40 individuals at various stages of pregnancy or medical abortion will be recruited for the study. Each participant will provide biospecimens that include the following: serum, saliva, urine, and dried blood spot (DBS). These samples will be collected and stored at the clinic under appropriate storage conditions until they can be shipped, under dry ice, to the testing lab. Once samples arrive at the lab, serum samples will be thawed and prepared to run on an ECL analyzer to determine reference beta hCG values in mIU/mL for each participant.

Samples will be run as they are received by the lab. The initial 10-12 samples will be used to evaluate study feasiblility and determine if there is one sample type that performs better than the others. The other matched sample types will be processed and run on the ECL analyzer. The values for beta hCG mIU/mL of the other sample types will then be compared to the matched serum to determine if there are any consistent correlations.

In the first 10-12 samples, if one sample type is shown to perform better than the others, the study will shift focus towards prioritizing the analysis of that particular sample type in regards to correlation with serum. If more than one sample type is shown to perform well, then those sample types will be equally prioritized. If no sample type shows any correlation, the study will end.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Are at least 18 years old
Have not taken antibiotics in the last 21 days
Are here for services related to a current or recent pregnancy
Agree to provide all required samples
Have not previously participated in this study

Exclusion criteria

Are under18 years old
Have taken antibiotics in the last 21 days
Are not here for services related to a current or recent pregnancy
Disagree or unable to provide all required samples
Have previously participated in this study

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Correlation of matched serum and DBS samples for detection of beta hCG levels using an ECL analyzer.

Time frame: 2-24 hours

It was determine that serum and DBS samples show a consistent correlation. DBS beta hCG levels can be converted to reflect those of serum beta hCG. By utilization of a dilution factor, DBS beta hCG levels matched that of serum beta hCG levels with an average accuracy of 94.8%.

Serum samples were run on an analyzer to obtain reference values in mIU/mL. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples, that were matched for both time of collection and patient, were extracted with an elution buffer coupled with agitation. This eluate was run on the same analyzer as the serum samples and the resulting beta hCG levels in mIU/mL were corrected with a dilution factor and compared to the serum reference values.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Simple HealthKit

Industry

Collaborators

Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'I, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky

Registry information

Official study title

Determination of Quantitative Beta-hCG Levels in Patients Through Alternative and Less Invasive Sample Types

Important dates

Study start: 2022
Primary completion: 2023
Study completion: 2023
First posted: Dec 20, 2023
Registry last updated: Dec 20, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed