Current approaches to determine molecular signatures of health often rely on samples taken by venous blood draws at health care centers. In a study published in Communications medicine, researchers from KTH, Karolinska Institute, and the University of Gothenburg instead used a home sampling device to collect dried blood spots from the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team mailed out the quantitative devices to random donors and used their capillary blood samples to learn how the SARS-CoV-2 virus affected those who did not require hospitalization. Categorizing the participants by their serology profiles, the team measured > 250 proteins, confirming many found in clinical studies to inform about infections with the virus.

The study suggests combining population-based self-sampling with advanced proteomics methodologies offers new avenues to monitor human health and diseases.

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