Transportation
There are currently many methods for the transportation of human biological specimens. For blood, specimens can be shipped as: 1) frozen plasma or frozen serum on dry ice; 2) dry blood spots (DBS) consisting of drops of blood dried onto a piece of filter paper at ambient temperatures; or 3) whole blood, serum, or plasma at ambient temperatures or refrigerated with overnight delivery. The use of DBS is a well-established whole-blood collection method that offers several advantages over current specimen collection and transportation requirements.

For delicate biomarkers such as nucleic acids, hormones, cardiac enzymes, and other proteins, the gold standard for shipping and storage has been frozen separated plasma or serum. However, because frozen specimens can contain viable infectious agents, there are significant cost and logistical issues. For example, safely shipping frozen specimens requires extensive safety checks, safe packaging, and paperwork. The use of DBS is an attractive option because shipping is safer (since the drying process inactivates infectious agents), more convenient, less costly, and does not require blood separation or freezing at the time the specimen is collected. However, there are some drawbacks, including the lower absolute amount of blood that can be shipped per spot (50 ยต/L) and the questionable quality and viability of the specimens. In addition, recent studies have shown impaired recovery of nucleic acids from DBS when the paper is exposed to temperature and humidity.



Comparison of Shipping Costs Between
ViveSTTM and Frozen Plasma
ViveST Frozen Plasma
1 Sample $25-75 $170-231
10 Sample $79-130 (7.90-13.00 each) $195-256 ($19.50-25.60 each)
20 Sample $134-189 ($6.70-9.45 each) $245-266 ($12.25-13.30 each)

"Cost Effectiveness of International Shipment of Dried Plasma for HIV Resistance Testing." Lloyd et al., Poster, 5th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogens, Treatment and Prevention, Cape Town, Africa, July 2009.

Comparison of Materials and Labor Costs Between
ViveST and DBS (Dried Blood Spots)
DBS ViveST
Transport $8.99 $0.58
Recovery $80.75 $21.25
Subtotal Labor Costs $89.74 $21.83

Transport $1.39 $6.94
Recovery $22.42 $0.00
Subtotal Labor Costs $23.81 $6.94

Total Costs $113.54 $28.78

Data on file.

ViveST combines the benefits of DBS, convenient and economical shipping, and the quality of frozen plasma or frozen serum. The result is a high-quality, cost-effective, safe way to transport biological specimens, ideal for cutting costs, improving quality, enhancing access to healthcare in resource-limited countries (replacing DBS), and significantly reducing the expenses and hassles associated with shipping frozen plasma in industrialized and developing nations.

Potential applications for the ViveST device are:

Reference Documents:

2009 UN Model Regulations on Transport of Dangerous Goods : Download

2009-2010 WHO Guidance on Regulations for Transport of Infectious Substances : Download