Gyrolab Spin Blog: microsampling

Microsampling is revolutionizing sample collection for preclinical and clinical research and diagnostics. It is enabling significant reductions in animal use and creating new possibilities for at-home, patient-centric sampling that will have a major impact on how clinical trials will be run in the future. A key factor to success is matching microsampling methods with bioanalytical techniques such as immunoassays that enable reliable, sensitive detection of analytes in small volumes of complex matrix.

Analyzing challenging matrices

While many preclinical and clinical studies require analysis of plasma, serum or blood, some involve more challenging matrices, such as vitreous and aqueous humor, tears, synovial fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage. These matrices often have high viscosity, high protein concentration and low analyte concentration. Added to that, the samples are almost invariably very small, expensive and difficult to source. Analytical methods must therefore match the matrix’s complex qualities and also the small volumes available. 

Patently a great idea

Gyros is participating at Informa's 12th Annual Biosimilars conference next week (May 18–20) in Berlin. The conference gives an overview of the current regulatory, scientific and market access perspectives for biosimilars.

Accelerate every phase of your biopharma development

With the SLAS tagline ‘Come Transform Research’, we feel very much at home at this year’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, especially since we have come to launch a brand new system – Gyrolab xPlore, a smaller companion to Gyrolab xP workstation!

Knock-in hMICE upgrade value of preclinical models

George Hu and his colleagues (1) at Pfizer have improved the predictive power of their pharmacokinetic (PK) models by replacing an anti-drug conjugate (ADC) target in mice with the human version, yielding more relevant data from their preclinical study. Their work focused on trophoblast glycoprotein (TPBG), a target of several therapeutic anti-tumor cancer agents currently in the development pipeline. Mice were engineered to express human TPBG. Hu’s group then studied the pharmacokinetics of a clinical-stage anti-TPBG ADC (A1mcMMAF) in wild-type mice and ‘knock-in’ hTPBG mice.

How to save 150 000 rats

AstraZeneca have included microsampling to reduce animal use by 50%. Swetox believe that microsampling, backed by sensitive analytical techniques, is crucial to 3Rs.

How Microsampling Saves Animal Lives

Bioanalysis Zone has run a Spotlight on microsampling, including two presenters who use Gyrolab. Microsampling can save up to 50% animals but there are challenges.

Non-vivo approach complements microsampling and lean sample analysis

The importance of minimizing animal use was highlighted in the

Non-vivo approach complements microsampling and lean sample analysis

The importance of minimizing animal use was highlighted in the Nordic Prize for Alternatives to Animal Experiments 2014, awarded at the Digital Health Days conference, held in late August in Stockholm, to Christel Bergström, Maria Karlgren and Pär Matsson at Uppsala University for their contribution of animal-free methods in drug development. The team has used cell models and computer models to study intestinal drug transport, side effects and drug interactions. Using these screening and predictive methods prior to preclinical testing will aid drug design and identify benefits and risks early on, thus reducing animal testing.