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BACKGROUND: Nonadherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during handling and processing of whole blood is one of the most frequent causes affecting the quality of serum and plasma. Yet, the quality of blood samples is of the utmost importance for reliable, conclusive research findings, valid diagnostics, and appropriate therapeutic decisions.
METHODS: UHPLC-MS-driven nontargeted metabolomics was applied to identify biomarkers that reflected time to processing of blood samples, and a targeted UHPLC-MS analysis was used to quantify and validate these biomarkers.
RESULTS: We found that (4E,14Z)-sphingadienine-C181-phosphate (S1P-d18:2) was suitable for the reliable assessment of the pronounced changes in the quality of serum and plasma caused by errors in the phase between collection and centrifugation of whole blood samples. We rigorously validated S1P-d18:2, which included the use of practicality tests on >1400 randomly selected serum and plasma samples that were originally collected during single- and multicenter trials and then stored in 11 biobanks in 3 countries. Neither life-threatening disease states nor strenuous metabolic challenges (i.e., highintensity exercise) affected the concentration of S1Pd18:2. Cutoffvalues for sample assessment were defined (plasma, <0.085 ^g/mL; serum, <0.154 ^g/mL).
CONCLUSIONS: Unbiased valid monitoring to check for adherence to SOP-dictated time for processing to plasma or serum and/or time to storage ofwhole blood at 4 °C is now feasible. This novel quality assessment step could enable scientists to uncover common preanalytical errors, allowing for identification of serum and plasma samples that should be excluded from certain investigations. It should also allow control of samples before long-term storage in biobanks.
©2018 American Association for Clinical Chemistry
Blood samples are one of the most frequently used materials in medical research and practice. Conclusions with wide-reaching consequences are drawn from investigations involving serum and plasma. Consequently, the quality of blood samples is of the utmost importance for valid diagnostics and appropriate therapeutic decisions, as well as for reliable, conclusive research findings. Indications of good-quality samples can be based on whether blood samples are collected and handled in a reproducible manner following standard operating procedures (SOPs)13 (1). However, even highly standardized pro cesses are not infallible, and random and systematic errors (e.g., inaccuracies during blood collection or handling, delays during blood transportation, interruptions in the cold chain) may occur. These errors greatly affect the quality of...