Volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) coupled with high-resolution, accurate-mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry as a simplified alternative to dried blood spot (DBS) analysis for therapeutic drug monitoring of cardiovascular drugs

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.

A Review of Blood-Based Microsampling Devices for Patient-Centered Application in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring — Huhn & Scherf-Clavel, Therapeutic drug monitoring (paywalled) · source ↗

• vams
• volumetric
• acceptability
• neoteryx-mitra
• blood
• dbs
• tdm
• self-collection
• haematocrit
• dried
• capillary
• validation

The study validated an LC-MS/MS method for eight antiepileptic drugs and two metabolites in dried blood spot and VAMS formats, with satisfactory analytical performance and stability, and was the first to include the oxcarbazepine metabolite DHCB. In 80 paired patient samples, microsampling concentrations showed promising correlation with plasma, supporting decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring of antiepileptic treatment.

Development and application of an LC-MS/MS method for 8 antiepileptic drugs and 2 metabolites using microsampling techniques (DBS and VAMS) — Cobo-Golpe et al., Journal of analytical toxicology · source ↗

• blood
• dried
• vams
• dbs
• neoteryx-mitra
• validation
• venous-agreement
• tdm
• haematocrit

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.

Comparison of conventional dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling for tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid determination — Paniagua-González et al., Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• dried
• capillary
• vams
• dbs
• neoteryx-mitra
• self-collection
• validation
• venous-agreement
• tdm
• immunosuppressants
• economics
• haematocrit

This review summarises liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry assays using dried blood spots and volumetric absorptive microsampling for quantifying antimicrobial drugs in children, highlighting that VAMS reduces haematocrit bias and offers a viable alternative to traditional plasma sampling for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Microsampling Assays for Pharmacokinetic Analysis and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antimicrobial Drugs in Children: A Critical Review — Moorthy et al., Therapeutic drug monitoring (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• dried
• vams
• dbs
• neoteryx-mitra
• validation
• pediatric
• tdm
• antimicrobials
• haematocrit

A VAMS-LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for measuring four antibiotics in 10 microlitres of human blood, showing that VAMS provided accurate quantification unaffected by haematocrit, unlike dried blood spots. The method was applied to paediatric patient samples, supporting its use for therapeutic drug monitoring in children.

Volumetric adsorptive microsampling-liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay for the simultaneous quantification of four antibiotics in human blood: Method development, validation and comparison with dried blood spot — Barco et al., Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis (paywalled) · source ↗

• blood
• dried
• vams
• dbs
• neoteryx-mitra
• validation
• pediatric
• tdm
• antimicrobials
• haematocrit