Joanna Fiddler

Title : Using capillary whole blood to quantitatively measure ferritin: A validation trial of a point-of-care system

Abstract:

Iron deficiency is a public health problem with devastating health, developmental and behavioral effects, often exacerbated due to affordability and access to screening and diagnosis. Using IronScan™ a portable, point-of-care diagnostic system capable of quantitatively measuring ferritin in blood, we validate IronScan™ ferritin measurements using whole blood and serum with a lab-based, regulator-approved analytical device for measuring ferritin in venous serum. Capillary (finger stick) and venous whole blood samples were obtained from 44 male and female volunteers. Venous serum (vSer) ferritin concentrations were measured on Immulite 2000 (gold standard). Capillary whole blood (cWB), venous whole blood (vWB), and vSer ferritin levels were measured by IronScan™. cWB ferritin concentrations from IronScan™ were significantly correlated (R²=0.86) with vSer measured with the FDA-approved Immulite system. The results from the multiple regression analysis indicate 10% of the variability was due to the method of blood collection (venous vs capillary) and 6% was due to the form of blood analysis (whole blood vs serum). The sensitivity of diagnosing iron deficiency using the WHO cutoff of <30 ng/mL is 90% with a specificity of 96%. In conclusion, IronScan™ is a rapid viable option for measuring ferritin as a point-of-care system.

Biography:

Dr. Joanna Fiddler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Nutrition & Packaging Sciences at Clemson University. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Nutritional Sciences and Health & Human Performance (exercise physiology concentration) before pursuing a PhD in Nutritional Sciences investigating iron metabolism at Oklahoma State University. She went on to study the role of B vitamin-gene interactions in mitochondrial de novo thymidylate biosynthesis and the effect of moderate iron deficiency on metabolic pathways that influence work capacity during her postdoctoral training at Cornell University in the labs of Dr. Martha Field and Professor Jere Haas. She joined the faculty at Clemson in 2023. Her work focuses on micronutrient nutrition and metabolism and studying their integration in health and disease.