About us

Tests are conducted for a variety of purposes:

• Therapeutic monitoring of patient drug levels
• Screening patient plasma and urine for hormones and metabolites that are elevated in disease states
• To investigating the behaviour of new drugs and metabolites in clinical and basic research.

The laboratory also provides analytical support to the Pharmacy Department and Clinical Trials units.

Our services

Testing (NATA ISO15189 accredited chemical pathology) is currently offered for the following:

• Therapeutic drugs in plasma/serum: Mycophenolic acid, Perhexiline, Clozapine
• Biogenic amines - metanephrine, normetanephrine, 3-methoxytyramine, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine in plasma and urine

The laboratory also has experience with the following (past or developmental) analyses:

• Drugs in plasma/serum: Flucloxacilin, Capromorelin, Lignocaine, Verapamil, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Amiodarone, Propranalol, Acetaminophen, Minocyclin, numerous chemotherapy agents and many other therapeutic and investigational drugs
• Metabolites: plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA)
• Hormones/vasoactive agents: Endothelin-1, serotonin, steroids
• GFR measurement by Iohexol clearance. 
• Pharmaceutical formulation/stability studies: N-acetylcysteine, Flucloxacillin, Metaraminol

The tailored development of customised tests for other agents (new and existing) in biological matrices is also offered, as is support for clinical trials, pharmacokinetic studies and basic research.

Methods used include high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscropy (LCMSMS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and radioimmunoassay (RIA).

The laboratory is accredited as a technical unit of Austin Pathology and is closely integrated with the University of Melbourne Department of Medicine.  The laboratory is located on Level 5 of the Lance Townsend Building at Austin Health.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Andrew Ellis

Phone: 03 9496 3220

Email: andrew.ellis@austin.org.au.