Thus the ability for the patient to collect their own blood samples in their own home and send these at ambient temperature to a laboratory would enable 'remote' and timely monitoring of chronic disease. The investigators have recently completed an Arthritis Research UK funded clinical study that demonstrated that a number of clinically relevant proteins related to flares (i.e.?) were reliably collected, stored for less than three months and extracted from dried blood spots (n=20 arthritis patients). The paper cards used to collect blood droplets were pre-treated to stabilise proteins and minimise haemolysis contamination (caused by bursting and breakdown of red blood cells). Our results across 20 arthritis patients revealed that 90% recovery rates can be achieved from dried blood spot sample (DBSS) stored at room temperature for 3 month (relative to a matched -20'C frozen plasma sample). The inflammation marker proteins included C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor alpha and Immunoglobulin G. Without pre-treatment of the DBSS paper, only 53% of these proteins are recovered.