Validation of toxic metal measurement in dried blood spots.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Validation of laboratory measurement of toxic metals in dried blood spots derived from venous whole blood samples.
IRAS ID
311956
Contact name
Seif Shaheen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Data are lacking on levels of exposure to toxic metals such as lead and cadmium in the general population in the UK, and whether such exposure is affecting health. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is keen to obtain contemporary data on toxic metal exposure, so we are preparing a grant application to the Medical Research Council (MRC) to investigate this important public health issue epidemiologically. We will apply for funding to measure toxic metal concentrations in stored samples from four English cohort studies and relate these measurements to the health of cohort participants. Samples will include conventional venous samples and dried blood spots (DBS). As only a few studies have measured toxic metals in DBS we need to obtain further evidence that such measurements will be reliable and accurate. In this pilot project we will compare toxic metal measurements in conventional venous blood samples with measurements in DBS obtained from the same venous samples. Confirmation that we can obtain accurate measurements in DBS will strengthen the grant application to the MRC, and our published results will be of interest to other researchers.
We will obtain a random selection of suitable blood samples from 50 adult individuals (patients from general practice) which are destined to be discarded following routine clinical testing in the Chemical Pathology department of the Royal London Hospital. Samples will be pseudonymised, with no link to any patient information. In the UKHSA laboratory we will first measure toxic metal concentrations in the original venous samples, then transfer small volumes of these samples to produce two types of DBS. We will then measure toxic metal concentrations in these DBS and compare results with those in the original samples to determine the accuracy and reliability of DBS measurements. This pilot work will be funded from UKHSA core funds.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0095
Date of REC Opinion
19 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion