At-home blood collection and stabilization in high temperature climates using homeRNA

Abstract

Expanding whole blood sample collection for transcriptome analysis beyond traditional phlebotomy clinics will open new frontiers for remote immune research and telemedicine. Determining the stability of RNA in blood samples exposed to high ambient temperatures (>30°C) is necessary for deploying home-sampling in settings with elevated temperatures (e.g., studying physiological response to natural disasters that occur in warm locations or in the summer). Recently, we have developed homeRNA, a technology that allows for self-blood sampling and RNA stabilization remotely. homeRNA consists of a lancet-based blood collection device, the Tasso-SST™ which collects up to 0.5 ml of blood from the upper arm, and a custom-built stabilization transfer tube containing RNAlater™. In this study, we investigated the robustness of our homeRNA kit in high temperature settings via two small pilot studies in Doha, Qatar (no. participants = 8), and the Western and South Central USA during the summer of 2021, which included a heatwave of unusually high temperatures in some locations (no. participants = 11). Samples collected from participants in Doha were subjected to rapid external temperature fluctuations from being moved to and from air-conditioned areas and extreme heat environments (up to 41°C external temperature during brief temperature spikes). In the USA pilot study, regions varied in outdoor temperature highs (between 25°C and 43.4°C). All samples that returned a RNA integrity number (RIN) value from the Doha, Qatar group had a RIN ≥7.0, a typical integrity threshold for downstream transcriptomics analysis. RIN values for the Western and South Central USA samples (n = 12 samples) ranged from 6.9–8.7 with 9 out of 12 samples reporting RINs ≥7.0. Overall, our pilot data suggest that homeRNA can be used in some regions that experience elevated temperatures, opening up new geographical frontiers in disseminated transcriptome analysis for applications critical to telemedicine, global health, and expanded clinical research. Further studies, including our ongoing work in Qatar, USA, and Thailand, will continue to test the robustness of homeRNA.

homeRNA self-blood collection enables high-frequency temporal profiling of pre-symptomatic host immune kinetics to respiratory viral infection: a prospective cohort study

“…1 ). Our team developed a home blood collection kit ( home RNA) that enables self-sampling and stabilization of liquid capillary blood (14, 15) and demonstrated its capability of capturing host response to SARS-CoV-2 in non-hospitalized adults in addition to distinguishing differential infection response between previously vaccinated and unvaccinated adults (16). Here, we leveraged home RNA to profile, at high temporal resolution, the pre-symptomatic host immunity to natural ARVIs in exposed close contacts (CCs) ( Fig.…”

“…A rapid dissemination of self-collection kits to recently exposed individuals across a wide geographic area (decentralized sampling) coupled with frequent self-collections at pre-scheduled infection timepoints and immediate on-site stabilization of the transcriptome is integral to conducting population-wide longitudinal mechanistic studies aimed at profiling detailed host immune kinetics during early and highly dynamic stages of natural infections ( Figure 1 ). Our team developed home RNA that enables self-collection and stabilization of blood 17,18 ; we recently demonstrated its capability of capturing SARS-CoV-2 infection signatures in non-hospitalized adults and discriminating distinct infection response between previously vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals 19 . Here, we leveraged home RNA to profile, at high temporal resolution, the pre-symptomatic immune kinetics during natural ARIs in recently exposed adults recruited across the United States.…”