Volumetric absorptive microsampling: its use in COVID-19 research and testing
Rudge
The finding, in our words
This review found that decentralised, patient-centric home microsampling using Mitra devices is an effective alternative for COVID-19 serosurveillance and clinical trials, enabling high-quality self-collection without clinic visits.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The study found very strong correlation between venous blood collection and capillary VAMS using Mitra devices for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies, with samples remaining stable at room temperature for several months. This enables reliable at-home, patient-centric serological testing for large-scale community surveillance and vaccine studies.
Capillary blood collected by fingerstick with the Mitra volumetric absorptive microsampling device showed near identical sensitivity and specificity for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared with venous serum when analysed with the Roche Elecsys assay. This validation enables decentralised, patient-centric serology testing for remote or at-home use and large-scale community seroprevalence studies.
VAMS capillary blood showed strong agreement with venous serum for measuring anti-influenza antibodies and remained stable for three weeks at room temperature. When volunteers performed finger-stick sampling at home, their results were highly consistent with on-site collection by study personnel.
This review found that volumetric microsampling devices, such as Mitra, HemaPEN, HemaXis DB10, and Tasso-M20, overcome haematocrit bias, whilst Telimmune plasma separation cards enable direct plasma collection without centrifugation. These technologies support patient-centric, decentralised sampling, though the authors note that clinical validation remains limited across different drugs and patient populations.
Capillary samples collected using dried blood spots and Mitra microsamplers showed strong agreement with venous plasma for quantifying IgG antibodies against most vaccine-preventable diseases. Sensitivity was high for the majority of pathogens, though the study noted that antibody stability declined at room temperature over time, favouring cold storage for longer durations.