What is Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPE)?

Serum Protein Electrophoresis, or SPE, is a kind of blood test. But how is it different from other blood tests? Let’s take a look.

What is Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPE)?

Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPE) is a blood test that is conducted to measure the levels of albumin and globulins in your plasma.

Your plasma is mostly water while the rest is a variety of proteins that carry out different vital processes such as facilitating blood clotting, the disposal of waste products, and fighting infections. Two of those proteins are albumins and globulins.

The test is conducted by, first, collecting your blood sample via venipuncture. Then, the blood sample is put on a small laboratory plate, where it is subjected to electricity. The electricity breaks down the molecules in the blood, separating them based on their qualities.

After some time, the blood sample is put into a special machine that measures the individual levels of the separated proteins.

Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPE): Why?

SPE, otherwise called SPEP, is usually conducted by a health professional to diagnose a disease.

Several diseases, particularly those which are rare, like immune diseases, are caused by low levels of one or more plasma proteins.

When a patient comes to a health professional with symptoms that resemble those of such a disease, the health professional conducts an SPE to confirm the diagnosis.

There are more than 7000 rare diseases. More are being discovered every day. The diagnosis of rare diseases itself has been a tremendous challenge, let alone treating them.

And therefore, innovations like SPE are of massive help to the community.

Learn more about plasma. Visit www.iplasma.life