Ion Mobility Lipoprotein Analysis

Measurement of plasma levels of lipoprotein particles, particularly low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and their particle size subfractions, can provide assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk beyond that provided by standard lipid profiles. Ion mobility is a novel technology that directly measures concentration of lipoprotein particles as a function of particle diameter across the entire spectrum of plasma lipoproteins, from small high-density lipoproteins to larger very-low-density lipoproteins. This technique is based on counting individual lipoprotein particles generated by electrospray and separated by size across a differential voltage gradient. In several clinical studies, lipoprotein particle subfraction levels determined by ion mobility have been associated with CVD events as well as measures of atherosclerotic burden. The findings have corroborated studies using other methods that point to the CVD risk associated with increased levels of small LDL particles and other features of the atherogenic dyslipidemia that is characteristic of individuals with abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hence, ion mobility has the potential to enhance CVD risk assessment, to detect residual risk for patients who are being treated with lipid-lowering therapies, and to further dissect the complex role of lipoproteins in the pathogenesis of CVD.