Use case: Determine insulin concentration in mouse convulsion

Caused by high blood sugar level, leg cramps are a common side effect of diabetes. This effect can be countered by administering insulin, which lowers the blood sugar level. As a too high dose of insulin can also cause leg cramps, it is crucial to find the correct concentration.

Note: This use case uses the setup described in Finney, David J. 1978. Statistical method in biological assay, 3rd edition. London: Charles Griffin and Company Ltd., page 387.

Introduction

For this use case, you work with an assay document with one Standard and one Test sample. Both samples are set up with one replicate. The absolute potency is defined by a stock solution of 20 IU/ml.

The dilution sequences of both samples are defined manually.

  • The Standard sample with values 3.4, 5.2, 7, 8.5, 10.5, 13, 18, 21, 28.

  • The Test sample with values 6.5, 10, 14, 21.5, 29.

Steps

Setting up an assay to determine insulin concentration comprises the following steps:
Figure 1. Steps for setting up an assay to determine insulin concentration

You start by creating a new Dichotomous assay document. In the next steps, you use the Content editor to set up the preparation schemes and the assay elements for your samples, followed by the setup of the test system. In step five, you use the By Sequence editor to enter your observation data. As the last step, you calculate the reportable values for your assay.

Results

Once calculated, you can access the document dashboard to view key document attributes, a graphical summary of the calculation results, and a representation of the plate layout you used for the assay.

To open the dashboard of a document, on the action bar, select Dashboard. For details on how to work with the dashboard, see the Dashboard topic.

Figure 2. Dashboard of a Dichotomous assay document
Tip: To add units to your plots, in the Content editor, go to Setup > Observation data > Column: Sequence step, and add a Concentration unit element from the Creatable elements pane.

Reporting

Create reports to download and share your assay results. PDF reports contain the data available on the dashboard, enriched with details like the database that holds the document, and detailed calculation results for each assay element. Use CSV reports to export your assay data for further processing.

To generate a report for a document, on the action bar, select Report. For details on how to work with reports, see the Create reports topic.