Raffick Bowen
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
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Professional Overview
Honors and Awards
- Resident Teaching Award, Faculty of Pathology (2011)
- Distinguished Abstract, National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (2009)
- Fellowship in Clinical Chemistry, Ontario Ministry of Health (2001-2003)
- Clinical Chemistry Trainee Award, Dade Behring (2003)
- Forgarty Fellowship, NIH (2003-2006)
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Blood collection tubes are much more complex devices than is commonly appreciated by clinical laboratorians. Commercial tubes have multiple components that contribute to the optimal formation of serum or plasma for laboratory analysis.
My research has shown that the silicone surfactant, Silwet L-720, used in blood collection tubes from a major manufacturer interferes with some immunoassays. This surfactant causes desorption of capture antibodies from the solid-phase in some immunoassay reagents.
Since the quality of patient care depends on the quality of all the information that a physician uses in making treatment decisions, blood collection tubes should be manufactured to an extremely high standard like other medical devices.
I am currently testing different types of surfactants on immunoassays. This work will hopefully lead to blood collection tubes with minimum assay interferences and a better understanding of the effects of blood collection tube surfactant on assays, particularly, immunoassays.
Publications
- Identification and Resolution of Immunoassay Interferences Handbook of Diagnostic Endocrinology.
- Elevated vitamin B(12) levels in autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome attributable to elevated haptocorrin in lymphocytes. Clin Biochem. 2012
- Impact of blood collection devices on clinical chemistry assays. Clin Biochem. 2010; (1-2): 4-25
- Tubes and additives for venous and capillary blood collection tubes; approved standard H1-A6 CLSI standard. 2010
- Validation and Verification of Tubes for venous and capillary blood specimen collection; GP34-A CLSI guideline. 2010
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