Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is one of the areas that is rapidly growing for improved healthcare. Several areas have been identified where TDM will play a crucial role in the future of precision medicine.
About TDM
Therapeutic drug monitoring is essential for managing patients on drugs with narrow therapeutic windows. Accurate monitoring ensures that drug levels effectively treat the condition without causing adverse effects. TDM is particularly important for medications used in chronic diseases, such as anti-seizure drugs, immunosuppressants, and antibiotics, where maintaining appropriate drug levels is crucial for treatment success. Analytical methods for measuring drug concentrations in human blood/serum provide an essential research tool that is quickly implementable in clinical routine operations to enhance patient care.
Targeted analysis in TDM
We utilize high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) using Orbitrap technology coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) to develop and determine the concentrations of therapeutics in body fluids. These methods provide high sensitivity and specificity, allowing for precisely determining drug levels in plasma, serum, or other biological fluids. Quantification is achieved using internal standards and calibration curves, ensuring accuracy across a wide range of drug concentrations.
Platform strengths
Using internal standards and high-resolution techniques enables precise quantification of therapeutic drugs, ensuring that therapeutic windows are maintained. The laboratory operates within the framework of the Akademiska laboratory and shares important IT infrastructure, which enables us to deliver results on patient samples as decision support in, for example, clinical trials. The ability to simultaneously analyze multiple drugs and their metabolites enhances the utility of assays for comprehensive therapeutic management. Additionally, integrating untargeted data collection can facilitate identifying novel drug interactions or unexpected metabolite profiles, providing deeper insights into patient-specific therapeutic effects and needs.