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Serum is the fluid and solute component of blood which does not play a role in clotting. It may be defined as blood plasma without the clotting factors, or as blood with all cells and clotting factors removed. Serum includes all proteins not used in blood clotting; all electrolytes, antibodies, antigens, hormones; and any exogenous substances. Serum does not contain white blood cells , red blood cells , platelets, or clotting factors.
The study of serum is serology. Serum is used in numerous diagnostic tests as well as blood typing. Measuring the concentration of various molecules can be useful for many applications, such as determining the therapeutic index of a drug candidate in a clinical trial.
To obtain serum, a blood sample is allowed to clot. The sample is then centrifuged to remove the clot and blood cells, and the resulting liquid supernatant is serum.
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