Round robin test on quantification of amyloid-β 1–42 in cerebrospinal fluid by mass spectrometry

Abstract Introduction Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid-β 1–42 (Aβ 42 ) is an important biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, both in diagnostics and to monitor disease-modifying therapies. However, there is a great need for standardization of methods used for quantification. To overcome problems associated with immunoassays, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has emerged as a critical orthogonal alternative. Methods We compared results for CSF Aβ 42 quantification in a round robin study performed in four laboratories using similar sample preparation methods and LC-MS instrumentation. Results The LC-MS results showed excellent correlation between laboratories ( r 2 >0.98), high analytical precision, and good correlation with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ( r 2 >0.85). The use of a common reference sample further decreased interlaboratory variation. Discussion Our results indicate that LC-MS is suitable for absolute quantification of Aβ 42 in CSF and highlight the importance of developing a certified reference material.