Clinical applications of capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a new powerful separation technique that often exhibits higher resolution and shorter analysis times than high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or agarose electrophoresis (AE). The separation can be accomplished based on charge as well as on size, hydrophobicity, and stereospecificity. In addition to high resolution, the most significant features of CE are ease of use, low cost of operation, and the speed of the analysis thus suitable for stat work. Examples of the application of CE in the field of clinical diagnosis which are discussed include: therapeutic drug monitoring, proteins (serum, urinary and cerebrospinal fluid), and hemoglobins. This technique can reveal compounds which are not routinely analyzed in the lab thus opening a new area for the clinical investigator.