Dried Blood Spot Sampling - A New Approach for Whole Blood Analysis

Dried blood spot sampling (DBS) and analysis is a relatively simple process involving the collection of a very small sample of blood from either a finger, heel, or tail prick. This blood is then spotted on a filter paper and allowed to dry at room temperature for up to 2 h. The advantages of using DBS instead of plasma include using smaller blood volumes, less sample processing, improved sample stability in some cases, and samples do not need to be stored or shipped at low temperatures. Decreasing the size of blood samples collected offers substantial benefits for bioanalysis including reducing the use of animals in pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies and less invasive sampling with specific benefits for particular patient groups including the elderly, very young and critically ill. A particular advantage of this technology is that polymer monoliths can be easily functionalized using a range of approaches.