carbon-13

C13-Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc- Université Catholique de Louvain refers to a Carbon-13 (13C) labeled diagnostic tracer used in a functional ureogenesis test developed by the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc. Carbon-13 is a stable, non-radioactive isotope of carbon. In this diagnostic application, a 13C-labeled substrate—typically sodium acetate—is administered orally to subjects. The tracer enters the metabolic pathways of the urea cycle, where it is incorporated into urea. By measuring the appearance of 13C-labeled urea in the blood or the elimination of labeled byproducts, clinicians can quantitatively assess the in vivo functional capacity of the urea cycle. This test is primarily investigated as a tool for diagnosing and monitoring patients with urea cycle disorders (UCDs), providing a dynamic measure of metabolic flux that traditional static ammonia or amino acid measurements may not capture.

Other names

Carbon-13Carbon13Carbon 1313C-labeled tracer[13C]sodium acetateC13-labeled substrateC-13-labeled substrateC 13-labeled substrate