Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Dec 30;13(1):25.
doi: 10.3390/toxics13010025.

Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling in Toxicology

Bruno Pires  1   2   3 , Gonçalo Catarro  1   2   3 , Sofia Soares  1   2   3 , Joana Gonçalves  1   2   4 , Tiago Rosado  1   2   3   5 , Mário Barroso  6   7 , André R T S Araujo  5   8   9 , Eugenia Gallardo  1   2   3   5
Affiliations
Review

Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling in Toxicology

Bruno Pires et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

Volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) is an emerging technique in clinical and forensic toxicology. It is recognized as a promising alternative to traditional sampling methods, offering an accurate and minimally invasive means of collecting small volumes of biological samples, such as blood, urine, and saliva. Unlike conventional methods, VAMS provides advantages in terms of sample stability, storage, and transportation, as it enables samples to be collected outside laboratory environments without requiring refrigeration. This review explores several VAMS methodologies, with a particular focus on its application for the quantification of drugs and other substances in clinical and forensic toxicology. It compares VAMS to other microsampling techniques, such as dried blood spots (DBSs), highlighting VAMS's superiority in addressing issues related to sample volume consistency and environmental impact. Despite its advantages, VAMS also presents certain limitations, including higher costs and difficulties in detecting underfilled samples. Overall, VAMS stands out as a microsampling technique with the potential to enhance patient compliance and operational efficiency, positioning itself as a viable tool for toxicological analysis in both clinical and forensic contexts.

Keywords: clinical toxicology; forensic toxicology; volumetric absorptive microsampling.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The VAMS device used to sample a biological specimen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
VAMS sampling and procedure representation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Soares S., Rosado T., Barroso M., Gallardo E. Solid Phase-Based Microextraction Techniques in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15:1055. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15041055. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moein M.M., Said R., Bassyouni F., Abdel-Rehim M. Solid Phase Microextraction and Related Techniques for Drugs in Biological Samples. J. Anal. Methods Chem. 2014;2014:921350. doi: 10.1155/2014/921350. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Londhe V., Rajadhyaksha M. Opportunities and Obstacles for Microsampling Techniques in Bioanalysis: Special Focus on DBS and VAMS. J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 2020;182:113102. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113102. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Martins R.O., de Araújo G.L., de Freitas C.S., Silva A.R., Simas R.C., Vaz B.G., Chaves A.R. Miniaturized Sample Preparation Techniques and Ambient Mass Spectrometry as Approaches for Food Residue Analysis. J. Chromatogr. A. 2021;1640:461949. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2021.461949. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kocur A., Pawiński T. Volumetric Absorptive Microsampling in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppressive Drugs—From Sampling and Analytical Issues to Clinical Application. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023;24:681. doi: 10.3390/ijms24010681. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources