Unit Conversion: ng/mL to mAU/mL
Direct conversion between ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter) and mAU/mL (milli-arbitrary units per milliliter) is not possible without knowing the specific substance being measured and having a validated conversion factor for that particular analyte.
Why This Conversion Cannot Be Performed
ng/mL is an absolute mass concentration unit that measures the actual weight of a substance per volume (nanograms per milliliter), which is a standardized physical measurement 1.
mAU/mL is a relative unit that represents "milli-arbitrary units per milliliter," where arbitrary units are assay-specific measurements that depend on the particular detection method, antibody characteristics, and calibration standards used 1.
What You Need for Conversion
To convert 29.50 ng/mL to mAU/mL, you must have:
The specific analyte name (e.g., anti-Müllerian hormone, alpha-fetoprotein, or another biomarker) 1, 2.
A validated conversion factor provided by the manufacturer of the specific assay or laboratory test being used 1.
Assay-specific calibration data that establishes the relationship between mass concentration and arbitrary units for that particular test system 2.
Example of Proper Conversion
For anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a standardized conversion exists: AMH data presented as ng/mL can be converted to SI units (pmol/L) using a conversion factor of 7.1429 1.
However, this converts to pmol/L (picomoles per liter), not to arbitrary units 1.
Common Pitfall to Avoid
- Never attempt to use conversion factors from one assay system or analyte for a different substance or test, as arbitrary units are not standardized across different assays and the conversion would be invalid 1, 2.
Contact the laboratory or assay manufacturer that generated your result to obtain the specific conversion factor for your test.