Consultancy Services

― Advice in development, validation, setting up Quality and reporting system of new micro sampling assays

IIn 2006 we started developing a Dried Blood Spot (DBS) method in the Maastricht Academic hospital MUMC⁺ for Tacrolimus. [Hoogtanders K van der Heijden J, et al: J. Pharm Biomed Anal: 44 (2006): 658 – 664]. After extensive validation, the method was used for different projects like comparison of venous sampling versus micro-sampling and a large clinical trial for testing a delayed release drug. [Frank Stifft et al: Transplantation 2013;00: 00Y00].  Micro-blood sampling made this study much more costs effective.

In 2013 we founded DBSL, a company specialized in micro sampling. We were the first company in developing a Vitamin D₃ micro sampling assay with the possibility to determine the 3-epi isomer of 25(OH)D3 for measurement in children between 0.5 and 4 years.

Using our  Vitamin D₃  analysis based on micro-blood sampling, we did several projects like Vitamin D₃ assessment of more than a thousand individuals visiting the Nation Wide Radio Action Serious Request 2015  as well  assessment of large numbers of  health care employees participating in  several symposiums.

― Advice in conversion of manual sample preparations to a high throughput for micro-sampling analyses

Clinical laboratories are well equipped to process large  numbers of venous blood samples almost fully automatically. At this stage automation of clinical chemical analyses is often not suitable for micro-sampling Automatization depending on  the method of micro sampling technique will however become feasible in the near future. I have set up micro-sampling methods for LC-MS/MS and immuno-analyzers (HbA1c). Currently  I am working on automatization of  Vitamin assays  using magnetic beads.

― Advice/Guidance in implementation  of  analyses in micro sampling from sample request to validated result report

Although micro-sampling is gaining more and more attention, acceptance is not always there. Clear instructions to the person who has to take the sample is imperative in order to obtain useful blood samples . In DBSL we took care of the entire chain of custody from micro sampling instruction to reporting of validated results.