Development of measurement technology for glycated hemoglobin

Hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) is a glycated hemoglobin characterized by non-enzymatic binding of glucose to the N-terminal valine residue on the β-chain of the hemoglobin A, is widely utilized as a golden biomarker for diabetes mellitus management because it provides valuable information for long-term glycemic control and assessment of patient risk for chronic complications. In 2010 the American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggested a cut-off value of 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) HbA1c to diagnose diabetes. The rapid development of measurement technology has led to the application of kits based on different principles to detect HbA1c. This review summarizes the common HbA1c methods including high performance liquid chromatography, immunoassay, enzymatic, and electrophoresis, and briefly introduces the development of measurement technology for HbA1c.(Chin J Lab Med, 2018, 41: 808-811) Key words: Hemoglobin A, glycosylated; Clinical laboratory techniques; Clinical chemistry tests