INDUSTRY MATTERS
Addressing Punch Conservation
with Digital Microfluidics
By Candice Brannen, PhD, senior director of laboratory products, Baebies
As public health newborn screening
(NBS) programs expand to test for more
conditions, we’ve heard that there is
growing concern that the standard
volume of dried blood spots (DBSs)
collected from each newborn may not
be sufficient to perform all screening
tests. The current standard newborn
card contains five DBSs. In order to
accommodate additional tests, NBS
programs can change the standard
practice for collection of more blood spots
or require new tests to utilize technology
that conserves existing sample volume.
Changing the standard practice may not
be a good option. By requiring collection
of additional blood spots, the risk of
inadequate and unsatisfactory samples
may increase. The increased risk may
be avoided by adopting technology that
enables more tests to be performed from
the current standard 3.2 mm punch of a
DBS.
Digital microfluidics fluorometry
(DMF) technology enables the precise
manipulation of discrete droplets and can
support multiple assay formats including
enzymatic biochemical reactions,
immunoassays, and molecular analyses.
This technology is uniquely positioned to
address this issue of punch conservation.
To perform tests from a standard 3.2mm
DBS punch, 100 uL of solution is added
to extract assay analytes into solution.
Since each DMF assay only requires 0.1
uL of DBS extract, nearly 1,000 discrete
reactions could be performed using
the DBS extract from one punch. In
addition, standard cartridges can be
readily modified to accept more samples
or more assays per cartridge. With DMF,
the miniaturized assay format conserves
sample usage, reduces reagent costs and
minimizes the installation footprint.
14
LAB MATTERS Spring 2019
Baebies team member Jon Washburn (right) training newborn screening staff on SEEKER ® in Qatar
Baebies’ DMF technology is protected by more than a hundred patents and is
utilized by SEEKER ® , the first FDA-cleared test for lysosomal storage disorders
(LSDs)–Pompe, MPS I, Gaucher, and Fabry. SEEKER ® is currently used for LSD
NBS in six US states and in Qatar. Since DMF technology supports a variety
of assay formats, Baebies is actively expanding our assay pipeline in order to
offer more tests.
Sample volume doesn’t have to limit
the expansion of NBS. DMF technology,
while not the only solution, is a great
start. Baebies looks forward to continued
partnerships with public health NBS
programs to provide testing as we carry
out our mission—to save lives and make
lives better for children everywhere.
Baebies is a gold level sustaining member of
APHL. n
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org