Strengthening population health surveillance and epidemics monitoring by microsampling

PI(s)/Head responsible for the resource:

Claudia Fredolini

Host organisation(s):

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Resource description:

Minimally invasive biofluid collections through microsampling devices coupled with molecular analyses has shown the potential to enable large-scale population and epidemiological studies. Patient-centric sampling approach such as dried blood spots (DBS) could have a tremendous impact on the prevention and management of future pandemics facilitating monitoring of disease spread, virulence, incubation period, immunogenicity, impact of new variants and eventually resistance to therapy. Despite the increasing interest in implementing microsampling strategies in research, healthcare and pharma, the field still lacks widespread use of devices with robust and standardised protocols of analysis. The Affinity Proteomics Unit in Stockholm together with Schwenk Lab and Roxhed Lab has workflow implementing DBS collection to measure anti-SARS-Cov-2 antibodies and circulating proteins in the Stockholm population outside the health care setting. Leveraging on the impactful results obtained over the past two years, we now aim to open up the resources creating a population monitoring capability to support researchers, clinicians and the public healthcare sector with advanced protein analysis of microsamples. The capability will be developed in collaboration with Affinity Protemics-Uppsala, Autoimmunity and Serology Profiling Units at Scilifelab, and the Swedish companies Capitainer AB and Munkplast AB. PLP2 fundings will be used to (i) expand the instrumentation and personnel dedicated to the creation of a versatile tool-box of molecular analysis of self-sampled fluids; (ii) testing and implementation of new microsampling devices and alternative body fluids in clinical research; (iii) optimisation of analytical pipelines for faster, more versatile and efficient profiling of microsamples.

Contact information:

Claudia Fredolini
Researcher
Email: claudia.fredolini@scilifelab.se