Certification of visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) certified reference material by amino acid-based and sulfur-based liquid chromatography isotope dilution mass spectrometry

As an emerging neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become a leading cause of dementia in older adults. Visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) is an increasingly used biomarker for AD besides the widely accepted Aβ 1-40 , Aβ 1-42 , and tau. However, significant variations exist in the commercial immuno-based assays for VILIP-1 quantification, underlining the necessity to establish a traceability chain. Certified reference materials (CRMs) located at the top of the traceability chain are traceability sources for relevant matrix standard materials. In this work, VILIP-1 solution CRM with a certified value and uncertainty of 39.82±1.52 μg·g −1 was developed and certified using amino acid-based isotope dilution mass spectrometry (AA-ID-MS) and sulfur-based isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS). Certified values from both strategies showed great consistency, with traceability to SI units. Moreover, the candidate VILIP-1 CRM shows excellent homogeneity and can be stable for at least 7 days at −20°C and 12 months at −70°C. The VILIP-1 CRM developed can be used in value assignment to secondary calibrators and clinical matrix CRMs, showing prospects in early diagnosis and disease monitoring for AD. Graphical abstract