Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Quantification of the Immunosuppressant Tacrolimus on Dried Blood Spots Using LC-MS/MS
Published on: November 8, 2015
Dried blood spot methods in therapeutic drug monitoring: methods, assays, and pitfalls
Peter M Edelbroek1, Jacques van der Heijden, Leo M L Stolk
1SEIN, Epilepsy Institute, Heemstede, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
This article reviews dried blood spot (DBS) sampling in therapeutic drug monitoring. The DBS method involves applying whole blood obtained via a fingerprick to a sampling paper. After drying and transportation, the blood spot is extracted and analyzed in the laboratory. Assays of many medicines in DBS have already been reported in the literature and are reviewed here. The technique involved in and factors that may influence the accuracy and reproducibility of DBS methods are also discussed. DBS sampling ultimately seems to be a useful technique for therapeutic drug monitoring that could have many advantages in comparison with conventional venous sampling. However, its benefits must be weighed against the degree of potential errors introduced via the sampling method; there is evidently a need for more standardization, quality assurance, basic research, and assay development.
Related Concept Videos
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Drug Analysis Methods
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Affecting Factors
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Overview and Classification
Drug Concentrations: Measurements
Plasma —...
Measurement of Bioavailability: Pharmacodynamic Methods
Protein-Drug Binding: Determination Methods
Indirect methods involve isolating the bound drug from its free form in biological samples such as blood, serum, or plasma. These techniques aim to measure the percentage of drugs bound to proteins. Equilibrium dialysis is a commonly used method where the free drug concentration at equilibrium is measured by separating the bound...

