Simplified Miniature Blood Sampler and Preserver for Toxicant Exposure Monitoring

Our service members deployed worldwide are at risk of exposures to local environmental and industrial toxicants which can potentially result in long-term adverse health effects. Understanding the impact of these exposures is critical for improved force protection and safeguarding individual soldier health. Capturing and classifying exposure data is essential for developing and implementing risk mitigation strategies. A longitudinal set of biosamples collected over a service member’s career is a rational strategy to generate an archival medical record which could serve to document exposures and health effects both during and after service. Dried blood spots (DBS) on filter papers represent an effective medium for collection and storage of blood samples in the clinical setting, but cannot be effectively translated to field conditions due to logistical challenges of collection, storage, transporation and ensuring sample stability under hot and humid conditions. Lynntech proposes to develop an innovative specimen collection and storage platform which will circumvent these limitations of DBS for exposure tracking, but still utilize the basic DBS technology for blood collection, preservation and transportation. Lynntech’s envisioned product will enable effective specimen collection and preservation in the field while also streamlining processing workflow to reduce current logistical hindrances.