Clinical Validation of Simultaneous Analysis of Tacrolimus, Cyclosporine A, and Creatinine in Dried Blood Spots in Kidney Transplant Patients
Veenhof et al.
The finding, in our words
Dried blood spot sampling demonstrated good agreement with venepuncture for tacrolimus and cyclosporine A, requiring no conversion formula, while creatinine needed a simple conversion factor. The method can replace conventional venous sampling for immunosuppressant monitoring in kidney transplant recipients, enabling home-based self-collection.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This study validated a dried blood spot method for tacrolimus monitoring and demonstrated agreement with venous whole blood measurements in kidney transplant recipients. It also found that dried blood spot analysis of the biomarker CXCL-10 was elevated in patients experiencing rejection or infection, supporting its use for decentralised monitoring.
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 authors observe that self-sampling devices for capillary blood are gaining traction as a patient-preferred alternative to venous collection, with one centre reporting a 15 percent reduction in laboratory test volumes when local collection was offered. They argue that successful integration into total laboratory automation requires addressing cost, transport regulations and sample volume adequacy while ensuring robust device design and seamless workflow compatibility.
Poland & Cobbaert, Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine (paywalled) · source ↗
VAMS microsampling found no significant difference from venous blood for tacrolimus in paediatric patients; samples were stable for 14 days, with average difference between paired at-home samples of 0.12 ± 0.94 ng/mL.
Zhao et al., J. Mass Spectrometry and Advances in the Clinical Lab · source ↗
Clinical validation for tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid monitoring showed that while volumetric absorptive microsampling met analytical criteria after concentration correction, conventional dried blood spots achieved superior adherence to strict clinical criteria, sample quality, and cost efficiency without significant haematocrit bias.
Paniagua-González et al., Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis (paywalled) · source ↗