Shipping conditions may impact the reliability of at-home microsampling devices

Targeted proteomics offers high precision, reproducibility and multiplexing capabilities for quantifying proteins in complex biological samples, making the technology into a powerful tool for biomarker discovery and clinical diagnostics. When combined with at-home microsampling, this approach has the potential to transform population-level screening, longitudinal studies and decentralized healthcare. One of the main advantages of this combined approach is that samples can be collected offsite and then transported and stored as dried blood spots (DBS). Currently, innovative volumetric microfluidic devices have also enabled DBS microsampling of consistently precise volumes. However, the reliability of the molecular data obtained with this mode of sampling still needs to be investigated and validated. In this study, 72 de-identified blood samples from two individuals were collected using DBS microsampling device Capitainer®B and analyzed using targeted mass spectrometry and quantitative recombinant protein standards (qRePS). DBS were subjected to three simulated shipping environmental conditions and stored into two different types of containers. The results suggest that shipping conditions and storage have an impact on protein identification and quantification results, highlighting the need for further research to ensure biomarker reliability for dispersed microsampling.

靶向蛋白质组学（Targeted proteomics）具备高精度、高重现性与多重定量能力，可对复杂生物样品中的蛋白质进行定量分析，使其成为生物标志物发现与临床诊断的强力工具。若与居家微量采样技术联合应用，该方法有望推动人群水平筛查、纵向研究及分散式医疗的变革。
该联合方案的核心优势之一，是可在异地采集样本，并以干血斑（DBS）的形式进行运输与储存。当前，创新型体积微流控装置已可实现采样体积精准一致的干血斑微量采样。不过，此种采样模式所获分子数据的可靠性仍有待研究与验证。
本研究采用Capitainer®B型干血斑微量采样装置，采集了来自2名受试者的72份去标识化血液样本，并通过靶向质谱法与定量重组蛋白标准品（qRePS）完成分析。研究中将干血斑样本置于三种模拟运输环境条件下，并储存在两种不同类型的容器中。结果表明，运输条件与储存方式会对蛋白质鉴定与定量结果产生影响，这凸显了需开展进一步研究以确保分布式微量采样场景下生物标志物数据的可靠性。