Draft:Vitas (laboratory)

Vitas (Laboratory) – English translation Vitas AS (1) is a Norwegian contract laboratory founded in January 1994 by Professors Rune Blomhoff (2) and Christian A. Drevon. (3) Vitas was one of the first companies (Ltd) to commercialize science in direct collaboration with the University of Oslo (UiO), partly because of the increased focus on commercializing research-based knowledge. Another reason was that many doctors wanted to analyze fat-soluble vitamins in the blood of patients with neurological and gastrointestinal diseases. (4) Today, Vitas focuses on biomarker analyses in biological samples and pharmaceutical quality control. History The need for analyses of vitamins and fatty acids, researched by Rune Blomhoff and Christian A. Drevon, grew significantly, necessitating the commercialization of knowledge about and analyses of fat- and water-soluble vitamins, (4) as well as different types of fatty acids. From the beginning, analytical chemist Thomas E. Gundersen (5) played a key role in the development and automation of these analyses. Since 2002, he has been the managing director of Vitas AS. For 5-6 years, Vitas AS had an agreement with the University of Oslo. Since 1999, Vitas AS has been located in the Oslo Science Park and has expanded its range of instruments to include 40 chromatographs (gas and liquid), 45 robots, and a workforce of 30 employees. The company’s scientific foundation is evident through its collaborations with numerous academic institutions and its large number of published scientific articles. (6) Main areas Concerning pharmaceutical quality control, Vitas AS conducts Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-certified analyses, including method development, validation, and stability testing for pharmaceuticals and food products. The second main area is biomarker analyses in biological samples. A wide range of fat- and water-soluble molecules, along with various proteins and heavy metals, are measured in plasma/serum/blood, cells, and tissues. (7) DBS (Dried Blood Spot) Technology DBS is a simple and practical method where a few drops of blood form a fingertip are collected on a filter card and dried. The samples remain stable as long as they are dry and transported in an envelope; the filter can be treated with antioxidants or other stabilizing substances to preserve the analytes. The samples can be mailed without refrigeration or special conditions, making them ideal for large-scale screening and public health projects. The sampling process is minimally invasive and can be performed by the end user without medical personnel. (8) Vitas AS has developed its DBS technology (9) for international clients and receives hundreds of thousands of samples annually from more than 50 countries. (10) Numerous biomarkers (several hundred analytes have been validated) are analyzed from DBS samples, and new ones are continually being developed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vitas developed a DBS test for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 (11) virus and was selected to conduct national COVID-19 screening in Norway with support from the Research Council of Norway. (12) The test kit later became available in Norwegian pharmacies, enabling self-sampling during the pandemic. (13) International projects Participation in several EU projects under FP7 and Horizon 2020 has been crucial for Vitas' international expansion. Examples of EU-funded projects in which Vitas has played a significant role in blood analyses include Food4Me, (15,16,17) FoodBall, (18,19) NutriTech, (20,21,22) EPIC-CVD/Interact, (23,24,25,26,27) Qualify, (28,29) and Lifebrain. (30,31) Vitas AS, originating from an academic environment, has grown into a major player in the analysis of biological DBS samples, processing hundreds of thousands of samples annually. (32) Vitas AS has also been mentioned in the media regarding the measurement of cholesterol-raising fats cafestol and kahweol (33) and as a leading expert in Dried Blood Spots (DBS) analyses. In 2024, more than 430,000 DBS samples were analyzed. (1) References 1. a b "Vitas Analytical Services." Vitas AS. January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025. 2. "Blomhoff R, updated publications in PubMed." National Library of Medicine. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024. 3. "Drevon CA, updated publication list in PubMed." National Library of Medicine. November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024. 4. a b Blohoff R, Drevon CA (February 10, 1995). "Fat-soluble vitamins in clinical practice." Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. Retrieved January 22, 2025. 5. Gundersen T.E. "Updated publication list in PubMed." National Library of Medicine. Retrieved November 7, 2024. 6. "Publications." Retrieved November 7, 2024. 7. Norheim F, Chella Krishnan K, Bjellaas T, Vergnes L, Pan C, Parks BW, Meng Y, Lang J, Ward JA, Reue K, Mehrabian M, Gundersen TE, Péterfy M, Dalen KT, Drevon CA, Hui ST, Lusis AJ, Seldin MM (January 15, 2021). "Genetic regulation of liver lipids in a mouse model of insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis" (17(1):e9684 ed.). Mol Syst Biol. January 2021. doi:10.15252/msb.20209684. Retrieved November 20, 2024. 8. Holen T, Norheim F, Gundersen TE, Mitry P, Linseisen J, Iversen PO, Drevon CA (April 16, 2016). "Biomarkers for nutrient intake with focus on alternative sampling techniques." (11:12 ed.). Genes Nutr. doi:10.1186/s12263-016-0527-1. Retrieved November 20, 2024. 9. Thomas E. Gundersen (May 10, 2022). "Dried blood spots (DBS)." Vitas AS. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 10. Ole Kristian Hjelstuen. "LinkedIn." LinkedIn. Retrieved January 16, 2025. 11. Anda EE et al. (March 31, 2022). "Seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the adult population during the pre-vaccination period, Norway, winter 2020/21" (31;27(13):2100376 ed.). Euro Surveill. doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.13.2100376. Retrieved November 20, 2024. 12. "VITAS AS - Development of a test for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2." NFR. May 21, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024. 13. Anda EE et al. (March 31, 2022). "Seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the adult population during the pre-vaccination period, Norway, winter 2020/21" (27(13):2100376 ed.). Euro Surveill. doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.13.2100376. Retrieved January 16, 2025. 14. European Commission (November 20, 2021). "Horizon 2020." Retrieved November 29, 2024. 15. Celis-Morales C et al. (April 1, 2017). "Effect of personalized nutrition on health-related behavior change: evidence from the Food4Me European randomized controlled trial." Int J Epidemiol. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 16. Celis-Morales C et al. (January 10, 2015). "Design and baseline characteristics of the Food4Me study: a web-based randomized controlled trial of personalized nutrition in seven European countries" ((1):450 ed.). Genes Nutrition. doi:10.1007/s12263-014-0450-2. Retrieved January 22, 2025. 17. Albani V et al. (April 2016). "Exploring the association of dairy product intake with the fatty acids C15:0 and C17:0 measured from dried blood spots in a multipopulation cohort: Findings from the Food4Me study" (60(4):834-45 ed.). Mol Nutr Food Res. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201500483. Retrieved January 22, 2025. 18. Lorraine Brennan (March 3, 2017). "FOODBALL Project Overview." Joint Program Initiatives. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 19. Brouwer-Brolsma EM et al. (November 2017). "Combining traditional dietary assessment methods with novel metabolomics techniques: present efforts by the Food Biomarker Alliance" (76(4):619-627 ed.). Proc Nutr Soc. doi:10.1017/S0029665117003949. Retrieved January 22, 2025. 20. NutriTech (January 1, 2012). "Application of New Technologies and Methods in Nutrition Research – the Example of Phenotypic Flexibility – NutriTech." ILSI.eu. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 21. Rundle M et al. (September 2023). "Diet-induced Weight Loss and Phenotypic Flexibility Among Healthy Overweight Adults: A Randomized Trial" (PDF) (118(3):591-604 ed.). Am J Clin Nutr. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.07.002. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 22. Fiamoncini J et al. (June 14, 2022). "Plasma Metabolic Signatures of Healthy Overweight Subjects Challenged With an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test." Front Nutr. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 23. "EPIC-CVD: Individualized CVD risk assessment: tailoring targeted and cost-effective approaches to Europe's diverse populations." CORDIS - EU research results. June 18, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2025. 24. Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration/EPIC-CVD/Vitamin D Studies Collaboration, Sofianopoulou E et al. (January 1, 2024). "Estimating dose-response relationships for vitamin D with coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses." Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 25. Sobiecki JG et al. (April 27, 2023). "A nutritional biomarker score of the Mediterranean diet and incident type 2 diabetes: Integrated analysis of data from the MedLey randomized controlled trial and the EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study." PLoS Med. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 26. Zheng J-S et al. (October 16, 2020). "The association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D metabolites and type 2 diabetes in European populations: A meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization analysis." PLoS Med. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 27. Zheng J-S et al. (April 1, 2019). "Association of Plasma Vitamin D Metabolites With Incident Type 2 Diabetes: EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study." J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 28. "Qualify." Quality Information Services and Dietary Advice for Personalized Nutrition in Europe. n.d. Retrieved January 16, 2025. 29. Webb S (February 8, 2016). "Final Report Summary - QUALIFY (Quantify Life – Feed Yourself)." CORDIS - EU research results. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 30. LifeBrain (November 3, 2022). "Healthy minds from 0 to 100 years." Centre for Lifespan Changes of Brain and Cognition. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 31. Wang Y et al. (February 2022). "Associations of circulating C-reactive proteins, APOE ε4, and brain markers for Alzheimer's disease in healthy samples across the lifespan" (100:243-253 ed.). Brain Behav Immun. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2021.12.008. Retrieved January 23, 2025. 32. Thomas E. Gundersen (December 17, 2024). "Two million DBS samples received, analyzed, and reported." Vitas AS. Retrieved January 16, 2025. 33. Une Marvik Hagen (March 14, 2019). "This coffee should be avoided." TV2. Retrieved November 29, 2024. 34. Anne-Marie Korseberg Stokke (September 22, 2023). "How they became world leaders in blood analysis." Forskningsparken. Retrieved November 29, 2024.