2024 · Journal of separation science · open access
Advancements in clinical approaches, analytical methods, and smart sampling for LC-MS-based protein determination from dried matrix spots
Reubsaet & Halvorsen
The finding, in our words
The review summarises 2017–2023 advances in measuring proteins from dried matrix spots by LC-MS, including blood, urine and other fluids. It describes ‘smart sampling’ that embeds cell separation, digestion and antibody capture into the collection step, which streamlines decentralised proteomic workflows.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This review finds that dried microsampling has matured from simple blood spots into diverse devices capable of therapeutic drug monitoring, multiplex biomarker profiling, and multi-omics, with integrated smart sampling and dried immunoassays now ready for field use. The main barriers to clinical translation remain standardisation, automation, and demonstrating full analytical equivalence to venous sampling across protein applications.
Halvorsen et al., Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications (paywalled) · source ↗
This review establishes that microsampling across blood, saliva, urine and stool matrices offers validated workflows and regulatory recognition for human biomonitoring comparable to conventional methods. It finds that these decentralised approaches enhance participant acceptability and enable screening in remote or low-resource settings.
Microsampling enables less invasive, patient-centric self-collection of capillary blood for remote monitoring of metabolites and lipids, overcoming conventional venipuncture constraints. Recent device innovations address dried blood spot limitations, particularly haematocrit and volume variations, expanding decentralised applications in population health, drug discovery and multi-omics research.
This systematic review of 67 studies involving 34,739 kidney disease patients found dried blood microsampling was mainly used for immunosuppressant therapeutic drug monitoring and kidney function assessment. The approach offered cost savings, was preferred by patients for home self-collection, and provides a patient-centric opportunity to upscale longitudinal sampling and reduce participation bias in decentralised kidney disease research.
Lamond et al., Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · source ↗
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.