Capitainer’s microsampling technology was used to revolutionize COVID-19 serology testing during the pandemic, by allowing accurate, at-home sampling that could be used with various analytical platforms.

Let’s take a closer look at the breadth of applications and the potential impact our cutting-edge technology offers within clinical diagnostics, epidemiological studies, and academic research

Published data supports that antibodies are stable for several weeks at room temperature in dried blood spot (DBS) format. Our quantitative qDBS system makes at home sampling easy and accurate and enables also antibody titer measurements..

Different ELISA setups, the Luminex platform for multivariate analysis and functionality with Roche cobas system has been shown in scientific publications. In addition, proteomic profiling has been performed with the Olink platform. Below are some highlights on how Capitainer has been used by others to facilitate Covid-19 laboratory analysis.

Capitainer®B has been used with thousands of inhabitants in the Swedish region Västerbotten after it was announced that the region switched from traditional venous blood draws to an at home sampling solution. Being a sparsely populated region, where many inhabitants have a long distance to the phlebotomist, sampling at home offered improved medical service to the inhabitants. The application proved the usability of Capitainer sampling in broad usage for everyone. The data from this implementation was later published in Eurosurveillande.

One of the main findings was the increased accessibility to diagnostics outside the main cities in the region where testing frequency increased with over 500% with at home sampling. “Importantly, we show that at-home testing in combination with sensitive methodology reduces geographical inequalities for access to healthcare in rural regions. This, in the end, provides less biased data to inform public health policy” the researchers conclude in their paper.

To learn more about this implementation, read our blog post on the topic here.

In the spring of 2021 The Public Health Agency of Sweden performed a nationwide population study on antibodies towards Covid-19. According to participants, self-sampling with Capitainer was expressed as the preferred sampling method, compared to venous blood draws from a phlebotomist

A clear majority preferred sampling at home. Samples were analyses at the laboratory Xerum AB and at arrival to the lab > 95% were correctly sampled. The full study report in Swedish can be read here. We have translated the 4 stated reasons why home sampling with Capitainer was chosen is this study:

1. In this study, blood sampling is not considered necessary care and we wanted to avoid that the study burdened the regional care.
2. The participants were distributed over the full geagraphical area of Sweden which complicated the implementation of sampling performed by health care professionals. Some participants also had a geographical distance to their care facility.
3. Sampling at home is preferable to the study from a contagion perspective
   since potentially infected participants did not have to leave their homes to get to a care facility.
4. Other types of self-sampling (nose, throat and saliva for PCR testing) at home is a method that in its practical simplicity invites participation and has worked well in our other surveys.

In addition, the report finally states that “The study was conducted successfully and provided a picture of the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the population during weeks 17-18, 2021. The methodology as used worked well and can be applied in similar future antibody follow-ups”

Capitainer samples are compatible with analysis on the Luminex platform. Get inspired on how you can perform a multiparameter study using the multiplex technique from Luminex together with home sampling with Capitainer in the paper “Multianalyte serology in home-sampled blood enables an unbiased assessment of the immune response against SARS-CoV-2”

Proteomic profiling using multiplexing techniques from Olink is feasible using Capitainer home sampling approach. Ahead of print, you can read the outcome of the study “Precise blood proteome profiling in an undiagnosed population with COVID-19” to learn more on how Capitainer can be used in proteomics research.

Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S immunoassay (Roche Diagnostics) is used in the publication “Use of Quantitative Dried Blood Spots to Evaluate the Post-Vaccination Level of Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2” to prove the concept of population-wide analysis of COVID-19 from blood specimens collected outside a hospital setting. Due to the larger sample volume required on most standard chemistry analyzers, especially with regard to the dead volume, there will always be a dilution factor to account for in this laboratory setup.