Analytical validation of a dried blood microsampling method to measure androstenedione, 17α‑hydroxyprogesterone, and 11‑ketotestosterone for congenital adrenal hyperplasia monitoring
De Baets et al.
The finding, in our words
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was successfully validated for measuring androstenedione, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, and 11-ketotestosterone in dried blood samples collected via volumetric absorptive microsampling. The dried samples remained stable at room temperature for up to a week and after postal transit, and plasma concentrations could be reliably estimated from the microsamples when adjusting for haematocrit.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The study validated an LC-MS/MS method for eight antiepileptic drugs and two metabolites in dried blood spot and VAMS formats, with satisfactory analytical performance and stability, and was the first to include the oxcarbazepine metabolite DHCB. In 80 paired patient samples, microsampling concentrations showed promising correlation with plasma, supporting decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring of antiepileptic treatment.
Cobo-Golpe et al., Journal of analytical toxicology · 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.
The study validated a VAMS-based LC-MS/MS method for measuring sirolimus levels, showing it was clinically equivalent to the standard whole blood method and suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring in paediatric transplant patients, supporting the use of decentralised microsampling for this purpose.
Kocur et al., Pharmacological reports : PR · source ↗
A study of 50 paediatric renal transplant recipients found that a validated VAMS LC-MS/MS method for tacrolimus showed high correlation with the reference method over 0.5–60 ng/mL, with minimal haematocrit effect.
In lung and renal transplant recipients, VAMS sampling with LC-MS/MS quantification of mycophenolic acid and tacrolimus showed good linearity and accuracy, and with a haematocrit-adjusted conversion formula achieved clinical agreement in most samples; tacrolimus did not require haematocrit correction. The approach is virtually painless and enables richer sampling for more accurate drug exposure estimates, supporting decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring.
Juan et al., Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences : a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques · source ↗