Future Directions

As a clinical research and development lab, there are additional projects being validated for applications in tandem with the current services. The urine assay is currently being modified for use on dried blood spots, which would test for the same panel of 136 drug analytes and provide a more detailed report for clinicians. The ability to collect a very small amount of blood to produce qualitative and quantitative drug analyses would be beneficial for logistic reasons and for a more comprehensive look at patient health. Some of the advantages of testing dried blood spots versus urine include: (1) quick sample collection involving a simple finger prick where the clinician never releases possession of the sample, (2) adulteration is less likely and kits could be sent home for collection, and (3) concentrations are quantitative (and not dependent on matrix concentrations such as urine) and could be used for pharmacokinetic analysis, therapeutic drug monitoring, and dosing recommendation.

The development of this method, like the urine assay method, requires the validation of calibrators and quality controls and the comparison of results to ensure reproducibility. Changing specific parts of the extraction process such as the evaporation, centrifuging, or amount of solvent added could drastically change the results produced. The analysis of dried blood comes with its own unique set of challenges, especially with the number of analytes included in the assay. Drug analytes and metabolites will have different properties in urine and blood, and each assay has specific difficulties to troubleshoot before applying it to patient samples.