PROCAM Study: risk prediction for myocardial infarction using microfluidic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractionation is independent of HDL cholesterol

Background: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions are among the new emerging risk factors for atherosclerosis. In particular, HDL 2b has been shown to be linked to cardiovascular risk. This study uses a novel microfluidics-based method to establish HDL 2b clinical utility using samples from the Prospective Cardiovascular Muenster (PROCAM) Study. Methods: Method performance was established by measuring accuracy, precision, linearity and inter-site precision. Serum samples from 503 individuals collected in the context of the PROCAM study were analyzed by electrophoresis on a microfluidics system. Of these, 251 were male survivors of myocardial infarction (cases), while 252 individuals were matched healthy controls. HDL cholesterol, HDL 2b concentration and HDL 2b percentage were analyzed. Results: This novel method showed satisfactory assay performance with an inter-site coefficient of variance of