Amino-Terminal Propeptide of C-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proCNP) levels in Healthy Children

Robert Olney,Principal Investigator

Funding: Quest Diagnostics, Inc. and Nemours Research Programs

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an autocrine regulator of longitudinal growth. An amino-terminal propeptide (NT-proCNP) of CNP has recently been found and levels of NT-proCNP correlate remarkably well with growth velocity in lambs. This is a study of NT-proCNP levels in normal children to demonstrate that this peptide is a biomarker of normal growth and to define it’s reference range. Growth may be the single most important index of a child’s health, yet we have no means of measuring it at a single point in time. The determination of growth velocity is an important parameter in the evaluation of both normal children and children with chronic diseases. A biomarker of growth will allow clinicians to evaluate growth velocity at a single time point, dramatically reducing the time needed to properly evaluate and initiate therapy in patients presenting with short stature or to evaluate children at risk for growth impairment due to chronic disease. Growth is a barometer of childhood health and many diseases first present with a slow down of growth. NT-proCNP, viewed in the light of a validated reference range, may ultimately prove to be a screening tool to assess the general health of a child.