VAMS-Based Blood Capillary Sampling for Mass Spectrometry-Based Human Metabolomics Studies

Abstract

Volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) is a recently developed sample collection method that enables single-drop blood collection in a minimally invasive manner. Blood biomolecules can then be extracted and processed for analysis using several analytical platforms. The integration of VAMS with conventional mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics approaches is an attractive solution for human studies representing a less-invasive procedure compared to phlebotomy with the additional potential for remote sample collection. However, as we recently demonstrated, VAMS samples require long-term storage at −80 °C. This study investigated the stability of VAMS samples during short-term storage and compared the metabolome obtained from capillary blood collected from the fingertip to those of plasma and venous blood from 22 healthy volunteers. Our results suggest that the blood metabolome collected by VAMS samples is stable at room temperature only for up to 6 h requiring subsequent storage at −80 °C to avoid significant changes in the metabolome. We also demonstrated that capillary blood provides better coverage of the metabolome compared to plasma enabling the analysis of several intracellular metabolites presented in red blood cells. Finally, this work demonstrates that with the appropriate pre-analytical protocol capillary blood can be successfully used for untargeted metabolomics studies.

A Multiomics Assessment of Preoperative Exercise in Pancreatic Cancer Survivors Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Case Series

“…To increase enrollment, future investigations can be expanded through the advent of high-quality supervised telehealth exercise oncology programs [ 44 , 45 ], which were developed to overcome geographic accessibility issues in this population. The integrated utilization of remote dried blood sampling for mass spectrometry-based workflows [ 46 , 47 , 48 ], which are amenable to monitoring molecular responses to exercise [ 21 , 22 ], will enable the continued investigation of the findings presented in this study. The combination of these platforms improves access to supervised and omics-guided exercise training for cancer patients, thereby expanding both the data-driven resolution of this therapeutic intervention and diversifying the population of patients who may benefit from targeted exercise therapy.…”

Hematocrit Determination using a Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling Technique in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

“…[27][28][29] VAMS technique, therefore, enables remote hematocrit monitoring without visiting healthcare facility, which can be especially burdensome for the elderly and the neonates. 9,30) The determination of hematocrit by measuring potassium concentrations appears to be useful in various research settings such as clinical pharmacokinetic studies using VAMS technique in which C b needs to be converted to C p . 11) The C b measured in a VAMS sample is convertible to C p by using the corresponding hematocrit value because the blood-to-plasma concentration ratio (i.e., C b /C p ) of a drug depends on hematocrit.…”

Revolutionizing Blood Collection: Innovations, Applications, and the Potential of Microsampling Technologies for Monitoring Metabolites and Lipids

“…In contrast, samples stored at room temperature showed a significant change in their composition. In addition, metabolome stability was also affected by the time of drying: at room temperature, rapid degradation of some metabolites was observed within 48 h. According to these findings, a longer drying step has a significant impact on the sample concentration [ 49 , 50 ]. Short-term stability for VAMS was evaluated for samples stored at room temperature and 4 °C.…”