2026 · Journal of pharmacological and toxicological methods · paywalled
Detection capabilities of a single dried blood spot for recombinant erythropoietin micro-dose testing in sport
Requena-Tutusaus et al.
The finding, in our words
A single dried blood spot collected with a Tasso-M20 device detected micro-dosed recombinant erythropoietin for 72-96 hours, meeting WADA sensitivity requirements and showing six-month stability at ambient and frozen temperatures. The findings support capillary blood spots as a viable complement to urine in anti-doping programmes.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
A validated two-step LC-MS/MS protocol can identify 91 prohibited doping agents from a single dried blood spot collected on either cellulose cards or volumetric absorptive microsampling devices. This demonstrates robust multi-analyte screening from capillary blood, supporting decentralised anti-doping programmes where venous sampling is impractical.
The authors validated a mass spectrometry method that simultaneously detects fifteen anabolic steroid esters and approximately eighty-five other prohibited substances from a single dried blood spot. Using a Tasso-M20 device, they detected testosterone undecanoate in authentic samples after oral administration, meeting World Anti-Doping Agency requirements. This reduces sample volume and simplifies workflows for decentralised anti-doping screening.
Sakellariou et al., Drug testing and analysis (paywalled) · source ↗
The authors found that a single microdose of recombinant EPO was detectable up to 72 hours using ITP and CP methods, though the Tasso microsampling device showed lower sensitivity than Mitra and Capitainer. Additionally, isotope ratio mass spectrometry successfully detected testosterone micro-dosing in all analysed samples, supported by serum testosterone levels.
Heiland et al., Drug testing and analysis · 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.
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 ↗