Automated analyses of dried blood spots collected by volumetric microsampling devices
Dvořák & Kubáň
The finding, in our words
The authors developed an automated capillary electrophoresis method for processing hemaPEN volumetric dried blood spots that achieved excellent repeatability (≤7.1% for peak areas) and linearity (R²=0.9993) for creatinine analysis. The method eliminated haematocrit bias across 20-70% ranges, remained stable for 60 days, and delivered a throughput of 12 samples per hour, making it suitable for decentralised blood collection with centralised automated analysis.
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.
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.
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 ↗
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 ↗
The review evaluates microsampling techniques including dried matrix spots, volumetric absorptive microsampling and capillary microsampling for SARS-CoV-2 bioanalytical applications, outlining their respective advantages and disadvantages to guide researchers and clinicians in pandemic-related diagnostics.
Protti et al., Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis · source ↗