During the last decade the analysis of neurobiochemical markers for brain damage has attracted increasing attention in a variety of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders. These markers are expected to provide insight into the pathophysiological pathways of brain damage, independent of clinical evaluation and other diagnostic procedures, thereby making them useful tools for diagnosis, monitoring or prognosis of brain damaged patients.

Brain damage is divided into two main groups

Acute damage: cerebral complications in association with extracorporeal circulation, head injury, global anoxia following cardiac arrest, perinatal asphyxia and stroke.

Degenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

A lack of reliable biochemical markers has hampered efforts to understand the mechanisms behind the complications resulting from these disorders. Neurological examinations and neuropsychological testing, together with various imaging techniques, are common methods for assessing cerebral injury. However, these methods are expensive and time-consuming.
In recent years much interest has been focused on the S-100B protein, now recognized as a useful marker for brain damage.

The value of S-100 in head injury, cardiac arrest and stroke has been demonstrated in a very large number of publications. The Diasorin S-100 test was the first commercially available S-100B test and it has been extensively clinically documented for use in brain damage. With the S-100 assay, Diasorin is present today in the CNS field with two in vitro diagnostic techniques: LIAISON® and ELISA. Both tests can be used in serum and CSF.

S-100 Protein Protein S-100B is highly specific for glial cells and has very high sensitivity for brain damage. Clinical studies show immediate release after brain injury into the blood. S100 is also a useful marker for monitoring brain damage and detecting secondary neurological injuries.

Diasorin S100 measures the B-subunit of protein S-100 as defined by the three monoclonal antibodies SMNST12, SMST25 and SMSK28.