Dried Blood Spots: Concepts, Present Status and Future Perspectives in Bioanalysis

Abstract

Over the past several years dried blood spot (DBS) sampling technique has emerged as a pertinent method in both qualitative and quantitative bioanalysis context. In DBS method, blood sample is directly soaked on to a paper (with or without treatment) and after drying it can be analyzed by modern analytical, immunological or genomic detection systems. Several advantages of DBS technique such as low blood volume requirement, transportation and storage without special treatment, better analytes stability, enhanced clinical cooperation in clinical trials and reduced unforeseeable exposure of biohazard to analysts, make it the most appropriate blood samplingtechnique. This review illustrates the available information on DBS method which may serve as a single window for investigators in the field of bioanalysis. Also, it explores the proficiency and appliance of DBS method in pharmacokinetic (PK), therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), toxicokinetic (TK), metabolomic and disease diagnosis.