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Hepcidin: an interesting journey from bench to bedside and beyond

The term translational research is used to describe the application of discoveries made in the research laboratory to medical diagnosis and treatment. The ongoing story of the understanding of hepcidin is a good example of this process.

A couple of decades ago no one knew of the existence of the small peptide hepcidin, but in 2001 US scientists reported its discovery in the urine of healthy humans. After its discovery, international research interest in hepcidin grew year on year as its pivotal role in body iron regulation became clear.

Confirmation that hepcidin was involved in one way or another in the pathogenesis of iron-related disease (eg iron deficiency anaemia, anaemia of inflammation, thalassaemia, haemochromatosis) soon suggested that measurement of hepcidin could have clinical value. Development of the first enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for hepcidin facilitated measurement of serum hepcidin in the routine clinical laboratory, enabling translational hepcidin research. One early example describes a translational hepcidin study designed to assess the ability of a hepcidin ELISA to identify the cause of anaemia among the critically ill.1

            Hepcidin, a 25 amino acid (cysteine-rich) peptide, is the principal iron regulatory hormone. It is derived from a much larger (84 amino acid) peptide, called preprohepcidin, synthesised in hepatocytes. By two-stage enzymatic cleavage in the cytosol of hepatocytes, preprohepcidin is converted first to the prohormone prohepcidin and then to the biologically active hormone hepcidin, which is exported from hepatocytes to circulate in blood plasma. It is readily filtered at the glomerulus and excreted in urine.

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Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

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