Alzheimer's Disease blood biomarkers measured through remote capillary sampling correlate with cognition in older adults
Corbett et al.
The finding, in our words
Self-collected capillary blood samples for p-tau217 and GFAP correlated well with venous biomarkers and cognitive measures across 174 participants. Participants reported high usability and acceptability, demonstrating the potential of remote microsampling combined with digital cognitive testing to triage Alzheimer's disease risk outside traditional clinical environments.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
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.
Older adults achieved 98% adherence when self-collecting dried blood spots at home for inflammatory markers, with 97% of samples yielding valid results. Test-retest reliability was good (ICCs 0.70–0.76) and correlation with venous blood was strong (r=0.60–0.99), demonstrating that remote capillary sampling is a feasible and valid method for decentralised assessment of inflammation in older adults.
Reed et al., Brain, behavior, and immunity (paywalled) · source ↗
An IQ Consortium position paper from sponsor scientists positioning patient-centric sampling as the enabling technology for decentralised trials, and stating that a bridging study against conventional sampling “has quickly been established as a regulatory expectation”.
Maass et al., Clinical and Translational Science · source ↗
Patients self-collected upper-arm capillary blood with press-activated devices including TAP II; autoantibody and CRP results agreed with venous at r≥0.98, were rated less painful, and 98.6% got enough blood within two attempts.
Merck describes a digitally enabled, patient-centric trial initiative that combines outpatient PK/PD sampling with digital biomarkers and smart dosing technologies to improve exposure-response understanding and reduce patient burden, while acknowledging adoption challenges.
Dockendorf et al., Clinical and translational science · source ↗