Working with traditional wet blood specimens has always raised safety concerns and posed logistical challenges. Blood sample storage and cold chain shipping require navigating an increasingly complicated maze of regulatory issues. It's no wonder that dried blood spotting has emerged in the last few decades as a preferable alternative in many cases.

For decades, Dried Blood Spot (DBS) cards have served as a useful alternative to painful venipuncutre, cold chain shipping and storage, and other hassles of wet blood collection. However, they have come with their own problems that have sandbagged their widespread adoption.

Capillary blood sampling is becoming a common way to minimize the amount of blood drawn from a patient. The 10 or 20 microliters can be used to look for anemia, check blood sugar or even to evaluate thyroid function. The procedure is easier and less painful than traditional venipuncture which draws blood from a vein.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies investigate the absorption and movement of drugs within the body. Since children absorb and process drugs differently than adults do, PK studies have to be done on children to determine safe and effective doses.

In days gone by, the doctor was considered a deity of sorts. Nurses and technicians stood at attention when this Olympian individual walked into a room. Most patients understood that they would be wise to follow the doctor's orders with precision and without question. That was doctor-centered medicine.

James Rudge has served as our Global Microsampling Specialist since January of 2015. Prior to joining Neoteryx, Dr. Rudge worked for Phenomenex for 14 years and is a co-inventor of the Mitra Microsampling Device and the Volumetric Absorptive Matrix Sampling (VAMS™) technology. 

This conversation is an excerpt from the e-book Exploring Microsampling by Bioanalysis Zone. In it, James explains the workings and applications of Mitra VAMS technology, and makes some predictions for the next 5-10 years of microsampling.