Analytical evaluation of the Capillarys 2 Flex piercing for routine haemoglobinopathies diagnosis.

To evaluate the analytical performance of a new capillary electrophoresis instrument, the Capillarys 2 Flex piercing (Sebia, France), allowing the separation and quantitative estimation of the different haemoglobin fractions from whole blood, in capped primary tube.The analytical precision for the determination of HbA2 and HbF percentages was satisfactory and within the range of previously published results for HPLC methods. The correlation between Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing and Bio-Rad Variant II HPLC system showed a linear correlation for HbA2, HbF and HbS measurements, and the analysis interpretation was the same whatever the method used. Conversely to HPLC method, the capillary's electrophoresis technology allowed HbE and Hb Lepore fraction separation from HbA2. We showed that the Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing is suitable for haemoglobinopathies diagnosis and screening and offers an excellent alternative to HPLC techniques as a first-line method or for confirmatory analysis.