In the Gentian Customer Story series we present how some of our valuable customers incorporate our assays in both clinical and laboratory settings to improve diagnostic efficiency.
Inflammation plays a central role in a wide range of canine diseases, from acute emergencies to chronic immune-mediated disorders. This customer story highlights how the University of Bern successfully implements and validates Gentian’s Canine CRP assay to support rapid and reliable clinical decision-making across diverse diagnostic settings.
The Gentian Canine CRP (cCRP) assay has been in routine use for several years by the laboratory of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
Within their diagnostic workflow, cCRP is included in selected biochemical profiles and panels, while also remaining available as a standalone test upon clinician request. Independent testing is frequently performed for emergency admissions and critically ill dogs, as well as for monitoring inflammatory and immune-mediated conditions such as polyarthritis.
By integrating cCRP across both routine and urgent care settings, the laboratory enables rapid, reliable assessment of inflammatory status in their canine patients.
In the laboratory at the University of Bern the Gentian cCRP assay was initially implemented on the Roche Cobas c501 analyser using a validated application note provided by Gentian, with the set-up being a positive experience. When the laboratory recently transferred the assay to the new Roche Cobas c303 analyser a need for a dedicated application for the new platform arose.
In close collaboration with the laboratory, Gentian’s application specialists visited the site to establish optimal parameters and perform a full validation. This work led to the creation of a new application note, ensuring seamless transfer of the assay to the Cobas c303 analyser in the laboratory.
“As a university hospital, we try to choose assays that have been independently validated in peer-reviewed articles, so Gentian was a candidate. Previously, we had been using a different assay that was based on anti-human CRP antibodies but validated for dogs. However, the controls were often out of range, and cross-reactivity to canine CRP can vary from batch to batch using polyclonal anti-human antibodies. However, the Gentian assay is based on canine-specific antibodies, which I like because it should mean less batch-to-batch variability.”
Dr. med. vet. Dipl. ACVIM Judith Howard
Today, the cCRP assay is fully operational on the Cobas c303 analyser in the laboratory in Bern, while the validated application note is available to other veterinary laboratories using the same platform by reaching out to Gentian.
The Gentian Canine CRP immunoassay, available since 2013, is a Particle-Enhanced Turbidimetric Immunoassay (PETIA) designed to deliver reliable and consistent results. Utilising canine-specific antibodies, the assay ensures exceptional specificity for canine CRP. Its instrument-independent design has been rigorously validated across a broad range of clinical analysers, making it a versatile and dependable choice for veterinary diagnostics.
This versatile tool is essential for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory conditions, evaluating treatment efficacy, and managing chronic diseases in canine patients.1,2
The assay is tailored specifically for canine CRP, ensuring precise and reproducible results across a wide measurement range, making it suitable for a variety of clinical cases. Fully automated for use on clinical chemistry analysers, it integrates seamlessly into standard laboratory workflows. With rapid turnaround times, the Gentian Canine CRP Assay supports timely and informed clinical decisions.
Explore Canine CRP in your clinical practice and laboratory - fill out the form or send an email to marketing@gentian.com for more information about the product and prices.