2021 · Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences · paywalled
A simplified method for bortezomib determination using dried blood spots in combination with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Guo et al.
The finding, in our words
A validated LC-MS/MS method for bortezomib in dried blood spots demonstrated linearity from 0.2 to 20.0 ng/mL and addressed haematocrit effects, supporting therapeutic drug monitoring for oncology patients via decentralised microsampling.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In AML and CLL, 91% of VAMS venetoclax results fell within 20% of plasma after individualised haematocrit correction; in home sampling, 18 of 21 patients self-sampled independently and 76% of returned samples were analysable, which shows home microsampling is workable, though the authors ask for multicentre validation.
Levens et al., Clinical Pharmacokinetics (paywalled) · source ↗
A review of 39 studies found that dried blood spot and volumetric absorptive microsampling show promising results for therapeutic drug monitoring of oral targeted anticancer drugs. The authors state that external validation remains crucial to confirm reliability, citing haematocrit effects and sample stability as key challenges.
Meertens et al., Biomedical Chromatography · source ↗
A 2025 review maps 28 microsampling devices, from dried spots and volumetric absorptive tips to upper-arm liquid capillary collectors, and names what a laboratory must control before their results are used: the haematocrit effect in non-volumetric dried samples, interstitial fluid from finger milking, volume, haemolysis and transport stability. Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic ask for the same two things, a device the patient can use safely and a sample fit for the test.
This narrative review evaluates microsampling devices for therapeutic drug monitoring, concluding that techniques such as volumetric absorptive microsampling and dried blood spots offer reliable, less invasive alternatives to venous sampling when paired with high-sensitivity mass spectrometry, which supports implementation in routine clinical practice.
Microsampling reduces sample volume, invasiveness, logistics and biohazard risk while improving stability and enabling at-home self-sampling, yet clinical adoption remains slow and requires standardisation and harmonisation to realise its patient-centric and decentralised potential.
Thangavelu et al., Analytical science advances · source ↗