Fluispotter

Wearable Automated PK-PD Profiles In Large Animals

The Fluispotter wearable blood sampling system enables precise, high frequency blood sampling for pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) preclinical studies in large animals, offering stress-free blood collection and enhanced animal welfare.

Key Features

Applications

• Cardiovascular telemetry studies for drug safety.
• Drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies.
• Dose-response and efficacy assessments in PD models.
• Biomarker analysis and therapeutic monitoring in large animal models.

Dried Blood Spot Sampling

Our device spots 10 µL blood samples onto a filter paper strip, collecting up to 50 dried blood spots (DBS) per study for easy processing with standard punchers and analysis via HPLC, LC-MS/MS, or ELISA. The non-heparin anticoagulant ensures consistent dilution without matrix effects, ideal for small molecules, peptides, and biomarkers. Studies confirm DBS equivalence to whole blood, with high accuracy across hematocrit levels: Adhikari, K. B., et al. (2020); Krogh, J., et al. (2023).

The heparin-free system enhances assay compatibility and animal welfare, as shown in Jensen, A. L., et al. (2019) and Velschow, S., et al. (2016). With a no-carry-over design and streamlined workflow, DBS sampling supports diverse compounds. Want to validate your molecules for DBS? Contact us for expert guidance and tools to help validate your molecules in DBS and optimize your preclinical research.

Partnerships

We collaborate with leading organizations to advance preclinical research and enhance the capabilities of the Fluispotter system. Our partners include:

• Boehringer Ingelheim: A major biopharmaceutical company, working together to optimize automated sampling for drug development.
• Merck Inc: A global leader in pharmaceutical research, collaborating to support innovative PK/PD study solutions.
• Medical University of South Carolina: A premier academic health sciences center, testing the Fluispotter in pigs for PK/PD.
• BASI (Bioanalytical Systems, Inc.): A provider of research products and services, partnering to distribute the Fluispotter to the Research community.

These partnerships drive innovation, combining Fluispotter’s advanced technology with the expertise of industry and academic leaders to accelerate drug development and improve research outcomes. We are always open to academic and industry collaborations to explore and expand the use of the Fluispotter technology. For specific details about our collaborative projects, please contact us.

Why Researchers Choose Fluispotter?

For pharmaceutical researchers conducting PK/PD studies in preclinical large animal models, the system offers a stress-free, efficient, and ethical solution. By combining advanced automation, remote capabilities, and animal-centric design, it ensures high-quality data while supporting the well-being of research subjects, ultimately accelerating drug development timelines. Researchers choose Fluispotter because of:

• Better Science: Collecting blood samples in undisturbed animals, eliminates the stress of handling from the sampling procedure.
• More data with less intervention: The automated sampling enables sampling much more frequent sampling than conventional methods, increasing amount of research data and creating high resolution data in the temporal domain without using extra ressources or adding stress.
• Efficiency: Frees up researcher time by automating repetitive sampling tasks, allowing focus on data analysis and study design.
• Scalability: Suitable for large animal models, supporting diverse preclinical programs.
• Regulatory Compliance: Aligns with 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) by minimizing animal stress and optimizing study outcomes.
• Versatility: Adaptable to various study designs, including single-dose, multi-dose, and extended-release PK/PD evaluations.
• Traceability: Provides precise tracking of sample collection times and storage conditions, ensuring researchers can verify when each sample was taken and how it was stored for reliable data integrity.

Technical Specifications

• Runtime: Up to 48 hours of continuous operation.
• Sample Volume: 10 µL per sample, with a capacity of 50 dried blood spot samples.
• Remote Capabilities: Fully remotely controlled and monitored with real-time data feedback.
• Catheter Maintenance: Automated flushing and upkeep for reliable performance.
• Sample Integrity: No-carry-over design with built-in anticoagulant for clean, uncontaminated samples.

Publications

The following peer-reviewed publications and abstracts highlight the performance, safety, and applications of the Fluispotter device in various research settings:

1. Adhikari, K. B., et al. "Fluispotter, a novel automated and wearable device for accurate volume serial dried blood spot sampling." Bioanalysis, vol. 12, no. 10, 2020, pp. 665–681.

   Evaluates the Fluispotter’s sampling performance, demonstrating high accuracy and precision in serial dried blood spot sampling for cortisol analysis across a range of hematocrit values.

2. Krogh, J., et al. "Validation of a novel automated system, Fluispotter®, for serial sampling of dried blood spots." Endocrine Connections, vol. 12, no. 7, 2023, e230087.

   Assesses the safety and performance of Fluispotter in healthy human subjects, confirming reliable cortisol profiles with minimal discomfort, despite some challenges with blood flow clogging.

3. Krogh, J., et al. "Serial sampling of dried blood spots collected by a novel automated body-worn system, Fluispotter®." Endocrine Abstracts, vol. 90, 2023, P90.

   Presented at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE2023), this abstract details Fluispotter’s application in automated serial sampling, highlighting safety and acceptability in human subjects.

4. Ollerenshaw, J.D., et al. "A novel device for serial venous blood sampling in a canine model." Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods, vol. 144, 2022, 107155.

   Demonstrates Fluispotter’s performance in a canine model, showing no stress-related changes in blood chemistry or behavior, suitable for preclinical pharmacology and toxicology studies.

5. Velschow, S., et al. "Technical and animal welfare perspectives of portable automated blood sampling with Fluispotter® in Göttingen Minipigs." Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science, vol. 42, 2016.

   Explores the technical performance and welfare benefits of Fluispotter in Göttingen minipigs, emphasizing its stress-free sampling capabilities. (Note: Full text may not be available; contact the journal for access.)

For a complete and updated list of publications or to get copies of specific papers, please contact us.

🇩🇰 Made in Denmark

Fluispotter is proudly designed, developed, and manufactured in Denmark, a hub of precision engineering and medical technology innovation. Our facility ensures every device meets stringent quality standards, delivering reliable, high-performance solutions for preclinical PK/PD studies. In-house production guarantees exceptional quality control, giving researchers confidence in the accuracy and reproducibility of our automated blood sampling system.

About

Founded by Sten Velschow, a experienced laboratory animal veterinarian and former Lundbeck executive with over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical research, Fluispotter was born from Sten’s frustration with error-prone and inefficient blood sampling methods. As a researcher running animal studies, he saw the stress, inconsistency, and errors caused by manual techniques, compromising animal welfare and data quality. In 2010, he launched the company to develop a device that automates blood sampling to reduce stress and improve data quality. Our team with extensive expertise in design, development and manufacturing of products for the medical and consumer industries, brings this vision to life.