Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
A Microfluidic Chip for ICPMS Sample Introduction
Published on: March 5, 2015
Accurate weighing and dilution-assisted plasma microsampling (AWADA-PM): an easy-to-implement and rugged strategy
Fumin Li1, Douglas M Fast, Stephen A Ploch
1Covance Laboratories, Inc., Bioanalytical Chemistry, 3301 Kinsman Boulevard, Madison, WI 53704, USA.
Background:
Liquid microsampling can realize ethical benefits through reduced animal usage. It inherently deals with a minute amount of sample; for example, <30 µl of plasma, which is generally insufficient for multiple analyses.
Results:
We report accurate weighing and dilution-assisted plasma microsampling (AWADA-PM) that substantially increases sample sizes (e.g., by tenfold). Plasma samples are harvested from blood samples (~70 µl) in capillaries. The plasma samples are weighed with a calibrated balance. The weights are converted to volumes using a standard plasma density of 1.025 g/cm(3). Diluent is added with a calibrated pipette to the harvested plasma to achieve a tenfold dilution.
Conclusion:
The proof-of-concept for AWADA-PM was successfully demonstrated for the quantitation of acetaminophen in rat plasma (K2EDTA) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry employing water and blank rat plasma as diluents. The results clearly demonstrate that the AWADA-PM strategy is an easy-to-implement and reliable microsampling technology that has potential for full regulatory compliance.
