Evidence based.
Medically proven.
Early detection - safe treatment
Osteolabs is the ideal companion for the therapy of osteoporosis. The procedure provides exact measured values for determining bone density. Changes can be recorded and evaluated objectively and scientifically. Used at regular intervals, you as the treating physician receive an overview of all relevant values in the context of osteoporosis therapy. Since the procedure measures values in blood and/or urine, it does not require any radiation exposure.
The test is that simple:
The calcium isotope composition is determined in blood and urine. We only need 2ml fasting serum, taken in the morning, and 10ml first morning urine (acidified). Simply order the test set with the following form by e-mail or fax. Of course, you can also order your sets by telephone.
Thanks to osteolabs, physicians identify even the smallest changes in the bone structure
The laboratory test complements the previous DXA diagnostic procedure (X-ray). There is no further radiation exposure for patients. After a short time (days to weeks), the effectiveness of the therapy can be measured. There is no significant additional work in the physician's office, as blood and urine are taken in the laboratory. The test is unique worldwide, scientifically sound and medically confirmed.
Advantages compared to DXA bone density measurement
Calcium isotope markers (CIM) are the key to new possibilities in osteoporosis therapy
The Osteolabs laboratory test measures calcium turnover. This method was developed in a 17-week study by NASA (J. Skulan et al 2007). Based on this, the clinical studies OSTEOGEO (100 postmenopausal women) and "Peak Bone" (30 healthy premenopausal women) were carried out in cooperation with the Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital in Kiel, the GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Eisenhauer and Osteolabs GmbH in Kiel and the company CRC Kiel.
With a sensitivity of 100 %, all previously detected cases of osteoporosis were identified as expected by means of calcium isotope markers (CIM). Furthermore, thanks to the procedure, additional diseased women (specificity 55 %) could be identified. This can be explained by the detection of calcium loss at an earlier stage and the detection of the entire skeleton. The result of this research is a world first, as it is possible to diagnose osteoporosis at an early stage, e.g. at the onset of postmenopause, a time advantage for sufferers of up to 25 years!
Calcium (Ca++) occurs in food in isotopes of different weights, e.g. 42Ca or 44Ca. Isotopes react chemically in the same way, but are of different weights. Calcium isotopes are stable and not radioactive. Light Ca isotopes undergo chemical reactions faster than heavy ones and accumulate at the end of the process (in bones in humans). Because light Ca isotopes react more quickly, light Ca isotopes (42Ca) are predominantly incorporated during bone formation.
If more light Ca isotopes are incorporated in the bone, more heavy Ca isotopes (44Ca) remain in the blood/urine. This can be measured with our new method. When bone substance is broken down (e.g. osteoporosis), the reverse happens. More light Ca isotopes are released from the bone into the blood/urine. This can also be measured. The following graph shows the differences in the calcium isotope marker (CIM) in different materials in healthy people and people with osteoporosis.
Ca isotope values in blood and serum are plotted with their corresponding mean values for diet, faeces and calculated mean value for bone. There is no statistical difference in Ca isotope levels between the two groups with respect to diet (p = 0.3) or faeces (p = 0.6). However, women suffering from DXA-diagnosed osteoporosis showed significantly lower δ44/42Ca (serum) (p = 0.001) and δ44/42Ca (urine) (p = 0.004) values than women without osteoporosis.
The 42Ca/44Ca (δ44/42Ca) ratio can be used to conclude whether bone is built up or broken down. The measurement reflects calcium build-up/loss, which can be converted into grams/day. We will add the algorithm here shortly.
Maximum transparency thanks to studies and publications
2020: Naturally Occurring Stable Calcium Isotope Ratios in Body Compartments Provide a Novel Biomarker of Bone Mineral Balance in Children and Young Adults.
2020: Early effects of androgen deprivation on bone and mineral homeostasis in adult men: a prospective cohort study.
2019: Bone Reports Calcium isotope ratios in blood and urine: A new biomarker for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.
2016: Biological fractionation of stable Ca isotopes in Göttingen minipigs as a physiological model for Ca homeostasis in humans. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gieh20.
2010: Bone 46 (2010) 889: A pilot study on the use of natural calcium isotope (44Ca/40Ca) fractionation in urine as a proxy for the human body calcium balance.
osteolabs in practice - case study of a Kiel gynaecologist
Gynaecologist Bettina Wihlfahrt from Kiel has been using the osteolabs test procedure for some time. She reports here on a real case from her everyday practice. The patient agreed to the description of her case. The first test according to osteolabs took place on 31.3.2017. The first figure shows the results after evaluation of the blood (CID blood = -1.23). The broken orange line shows the CID threshold for osteoporosis. At the physician's discretion, the patient was given Estramon Conti 30/95 from 21.08.2018 (green dot, labelled "Intervention").
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At the physician's discretion, the patient was administered Estramon Conti 30/95 from 21.08.2018, see green dot, labelled "Intervention".
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Results after evaluation of blood (CIDBlood= -0.25) after medication.
In both graphs, the value from 31.03.2017 is at the bottom left, indicating severe osteoporosis corresponding to a DXA-T value of well below -2.5. Gynaecologist Bettina Wihlfahrt intervened with the patient from 21.08.2018 with a hormone treatment using Estramon Conti 30/95 and used another finding parameter of the OsteoTest | med from osteolabs: elemental calcium. This is additionally measured in the urine with the OsteoTest | med.
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After initiating the therapy, the elemental Ca level in the urine becomes similar to the average for postmenopausal women. This means that less Ca is excreted than before the start of therapy and more Ca remains in the patient's body, which can be used again to build up the bones.
With the OsteoTest | med from osteolabs, gynaecologist Wihlfahrt was able to visualise that her patient's CID values had already risen to the age-appropriate mean value of healthy postmenopausal women eight days after intervention. The test from 29.08.2018 shows the significantly higher CID blood levels (by about -0.9 and CID urine levels by 0.1). The changes in calcium absorption after the medical intervention can be traced in the patient's urine calcium concentration. After the start of treatment on 21.08.2018, the urine calcium concentration almost halved from initially about 170 mg/l to about 90 mg/l. This is due to the reduced Ca absorption caused by the medication.
The gynaecologist had all the samples taken in her own practice laboratory by her medical assistants and received the corresponding findings from the Kiel laboratory of Dr. Krause & colleagues. The osteoporosis test by osteolabs confirmed the success of the treatment:
The medication administered has demonstrably led to a significant improvement in calcium absorption in the bones.
Mrs Wihlfahrt's opinion:
"My patient was able to return to her old job. For me, the patient is always in the foreground, even when choosing the measurement method. In this case, the test from osteolabs offered good possibilities before and during the therapy: I was able to assess which therapy was the right one for my patient after a very short time. And I was able to control the medication well, for the benefit of my patient."
Procedure
Order free sampling set
Collect urine & blood sample from patient
Sending the samples to the osteolabs
Get result report from the lab
