2025 · Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS · open access
Simplified Analysis of Native Steroid Esters in Dried Blood Spots by LC-MS<sup>3</sup>
Thomas et al.
The finding, in our words
The study developed a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method to detect 17 steroidal esters in dried blood spots, achieving sub-ng/mL sensitivity and demonstrating applicability to authentic post-administration samples using both cellulose cards and TASSO devices.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The analysis indicates that dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling enable minimally invasive monitoring of prohibited substances, with volumetric absorptive microsampling offering improved quantitative reliability over traditional dried spots.
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 ↗
This study compared four dried blood spot devices for glucocorticoid detection, finding that the Mitra VAMS device offered the best combination of analytical recovery and user usability, whilst the HemaXis DB10 showed the least bias compared to whole blood.
Chen et al., Analytica chimica acta (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.