Automated dried blood spots standard and QC sample preparation using a robotic liquid handler

Area of Science:

• Bioanalysis
• Pharmacokinetics
• Drug Development

Background:

• Dried blood spot (DBS) bioanalysis involves labor-intensive manual steps like sample preparation and spotting.
• Automation is highly desirable to improve efficiency and reduce time in DBS bioanalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To automate the preparation of standard (STD) and quality control (QC) samples in blood for DBS bioanalysis.
• To evaluate the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of an automated DBS sample preparation process.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a robotic liquid handler for automated preparation of STD and QC samples in blood.
• Employed buspirone as a model compound for DBS bioanalysis.
• Investigated the effect of spotting volume on assay accuracy.

Main Results:

• Successful automation of blood sample preparation and spotting onto DBS cards.
• Demonstrated accurate and consistent automated sample preparation, comparable to manual methods.
• Observed a trend of increasing buspirone concentrations with larger spotting volumes.

Conclusions:

• Automated STD and QC sample preparation significantly enhances efficiency, robustness, and safety in DBS bioanalysis.
• Automation offers a viable solution for high-throughput DBS bioanalysis.
• Further optimization of spotting parameters may be necessary for precise quantification.