A new tool has been introduced that makes collecting oral fluids more accurate and much easier.

The collection tube apparatus will enable saliva analytes to be integrated effectively into the clinical laboratory testing process, precisely and hygienically.

The tool, which was developed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Center for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research (CISBR; Baltimore MD, USA), will improve the ease of oral fluid collection, while maintaining the integrity of the biospecimen.

The new Whole Saliva Collection Device is a small, polypropylene collection tube with an integral adapter that comes individually wrapped in a clean, foil pouch with ready-to-go instructions, and is a universal fit with common cryogenic vials. The planned availability for the device is February 2012. Saliva is full of analytes and biomarkers that create a biological journal of exposure to chemicals and disease, and genetic variability. However, the collection of oral fluid has always proved cumbersome, with scientists depending on swabs or collection cups.

Whole saliva is the gold standard when collecting oral fluid for biological testing. Its collection avoids the localized secretions of specific salivary glands making it a more consistent specimen. Whole Saliva can be easily evaluated for volume collected and for salivary flow rate. Free from being compromised by absorbing materials used with other collection methods, Whole Saliva can be assayed for any salivary analyte of interest.

Douglas A. Granger, PhD, director of CISBR and professor of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health at Johns Hopkins is cofounder of the newly formed commercial company SalivaBio, LLC (Baltimore, MD, USA). Prof. Granger said, "Our studies show that swabs used to collect saliva can retain analytes, cause interference with assays, result in inaccurate estimates of saliva flow rates, and may even produce inaccurate assay results. It's not rocket science; it's a practical solution that will enable saliva analytes to be integrated effectively into basic and clinical studies and consumer applications."

Related Links:
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Center
SalivaBio, LLC