Limited agreement of cytokines and CRP through patient-centric microsampling compared to venipuncture in healthy adults.

Abstract

Aim: This low-interventional study assessed the agreement of the paper DBS and Tasso-M20, two dried blood patient-centric sampling (PCS) devices used to measure C-reactive protein (CRP) and cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10, IL-2, IL-6, and IFN-γ) and compared the results to venous plasma samples in the general adult population.

Materials and methods: Levels of cytokines and CRP were measured with an assay for venous plasma, adapted for use with dried blood from PCS. Study participants also provided their preferences for blood sampling through a device usability questionnaire.

Results: Correlations were observed for some of the selected cytokines measured with dried blood PCS devices compared to venous plasma. However, results were not always consistently and reliably measured. A subset of the cytokines could also not be detected in venous plasma. Overall, participants reported a preference for using PCS devices over venipuncture, on their own at home.

Conclusion: PCS shows promise for a better patient experience; however, our results highlight that further study of cytokines and CRP using PCS is needed before it can be used in place of venipuncture. Future studies should consider measurement of analytes in specific patient populations, whole blood matrix PCS, and potentially more sensitive assays.