iClean® Dried Blood Spot Collection Card

The iClean® Dried Blood Spot Collection Card is a tool used for collecting and preserving dried blood spot samples. The following is a detailed introduction:

I. Design Features

1. Material
   • High – quality filter paper is usually used as the main material. This filter paper has good water – absorption and air – permeability, ensuring that blood can penetrate quickly and evenly and dry. For example, it can absorb a certain amount of blood in a short time and make the components in the blood distribute stably on the filter paper.
2. Coating Treatment (if any)
   • Some iClean® dried blood spot collection cards may have special coating treatments. This coating can prevent the components in the blood from having unnecessary chemical reactions with the filter paper, ensuring the integrity and stability of the samples. For example, the coating may prevent the denaturation of proteins or other chemical changes in the blood, so as to enable accurate analysis of the blood samples later.
3. Anti – contamination Design
   • It has anti – contamination design features. It may include hermetic packaging to prevent being affected by external contaminants such as dust and moisture during transportation and storage. Meanwhile, the material of the collection card itself may have low adsorption, reducing the adsorption of impurities in the environment and ensuring the purity of the collected blood spot samples.

II. Collection Process

1. Blood Collection
   • The collection process is usually simple. A small amount of blood (usually several microliters to dozens of microliters) is collected from the fingertip, heel, or other parts using a sterile lancet. Then, the blood is dropped onto a specific area of the collection card.
2. Blood Spreading and Drying
   • After the blood is dropped onto the collection card, it will spread rapidly under the capillary action of the filter paper, forming circular or approximately circular blood spots. This process is usually quick and can be completed within a few minutes. Subsequently, the blood spots dry naturally at room temperature, forming dried blood spots. The dried blood spots can be stored for a long time.

III. Application Fields

1. Clinical Diagnosis
   • In clinical diagnosis, the iClean® dried blood spot collection card has wide applications. For example, for neonatal disease screening, heel – prick blood is dropped onto the collection card to detect inherited metabolic diseases such as congenital hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria. This collection method is less invasive for neonates, and the collection card is convenient for transportation and storage, enabling the samples to be sent to professional laboratories for testing.
2. Drug Monitoring
   • It can be used for drug monitoring. For example, in the treatment of anti – epileptic drugs, by collecting patients’ dried blood spots, the concentration of drugs in the blood can be analyzed, and then the efficacy of the drugs can be evaluated and the dosage adjusted. This non – invasive (compared with venous blood collection) collection method is more acceptable to patients, especially child patients.
3. Disease Research
   • In disease research, the iClean® dried blood spot collection card also plays an important role. Researchers can collect a large number of dried blood spot samples from patients for analyzing biomarkers related to certain diseases. For example, in the research of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, clues to the occurrence and development of diseases are sought by analyzing specific proteins, metabolites, etc. in the dried blood spots.
4. Forensic Identification
   • In the field of forensic identification, the dried blood spot collection card can be used for collecting and preserving blood samples. For example, a small amount of blood found at a crime scene can be collected with this collection card, and then the identity can be determined or case – related clues can be provided through DNA analysis of the dried blood spots. This collection card is convenient for on – site operation and can ensure the stability of blood samples before subsequent analysis.