The results from the conducted experiments show that the issues of DBS in regulated bioanalysis are real and that the technology will need improvements to be ready for use as a general tool for regulated bioanalysis.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of stability-related aspects of quantitative bioanalysis and recommends science-based best practices, covering small and large molecules as well as chromatographic and ligand-binding assays. It addresses general aspects, such as the use of reference values, transferability and treatment of failing stability results, and also focuses on specific types of stability assessment: bench-top, freeze/thaw and long-term frozen stability, stock stability, extract stability, stability in whole blood, tissue and urine, and stability of endogenous analytes, in special matrix types and in incurred samples.

The 2015 9th Workshop on Recent Issues in Bioanalysis (9th WRIB) took place in Miami, Florida with participation of over 600 professionals from pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, contract research organizations and regulatory agencies worldwide. It is once again a 5-day week long event - a full immersion bioanalytical week - specifically designed to facilitate sharing, reviewing, discussing and agreeing on approaches to address the most current issues of interest in bioanalysis. The topics covered included both small and large molecules, and involved LCMS, hybrid LBA/LCMS, LBA approaches including the focus on biomarkers and immunogenicity. This 2015 White Paper encompasses recommendations that emerged from the extensive discussions held during the workshop, and is aimed to provide the bioanalytical community with key information and practical solutions on topics and issues addressed, in an effort to advance scientific excellence, improve quality and deliver better regulatory compliance. Due to its length, the 2015 edition of this comprehensive White Paper has been divided into three parts. Part 1 covers the recommendations for small molecule bioanalysis using LCMS. Part 2 (hybrid LBA/LCMS and regulatory agencies' inputs) and Part 3 (large molecule bioanalysis using LBA, biomarkers and immunogenicity) will also be published in volume 7 of Bioanalysis, issues 23 and 24, respectively.

The results demonstrate that sample inhomogeneity is a significant hurdle to the use of dried blood spots for regulated bioanalysis that should be investigated further in the method establishment phase if the whole spot is not sampled.

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