Automated Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Analysis System for LC-MS

Paul Abu-Rabie, GlaxoSmithKline, Bioanalytical Science and Development, UK

Drug development requires the screening of numerous blood samples to determine the bioavailability, clearance, and safety margins of a pharmaceutical substance in the body.

The surge in interest in DBS techniques for supporting pharmaceutical exposure studies is due to the many advantages it offers over conventional plasma sampling.

Dried Blood Spot (DBS) analysis offers significant advantages over traditional liquid sampling techniques: it is less invasive, and requires smaller samples which can be stored for a longer period, often at ambient temperatures, and present less risk of infection. However, the preparation, storage and management of large numbers of DBS samples for diagnostic TLC analysis presents a formidable challenge to researchers.

By facilitating the automated extraction of DBS cards, the CAMAG DBS-MS500 makes it easy to screen many blood samples automatically and reliably within a short period. As compared with conventional time-consuming manual collection and analysis of blood or plasma samples, it greatly simplifies the blood collection process and reduces costs and risks, making it a highly efficient sample preparation instrument for LC-MS / MS (Mass Spectrometry) analysis.