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Transdermal sampling - collecting blood through the skin - is a reliable alternative to taking blood samples from a vein with a needle in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), new research has found.

The study by Oxford researchers is the first to test the acceptability of transdermal sampling in children. Sixty-three per cent of participants preferred this method to a needle, while just seven per cent preferred the needle.

These results, published in the journal , could pave the way for this technique to be used in other settings, such as general paediatrics.

In this study researchers tested the ability to sample C-peptide in children and adults using the transdermal technique. C-peptide measures pancreatic function, a marker of the body's insulin production, a process which is faulty in T1D, requiring lifelong insulin replacement by injection or insulin pump. Measuring C-peptide in T1D is used to understand whether interventions to stop or reverse the disease have worked.

Dr Rachel Besser, a Paediatric Diabetes Consultant at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and researcher at the University of Oxford's Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, led the study.

She said: "The typical method of collecting blood is with a needle, which is a challenge for many young children and restricts testing to the healthcare setting. We wanted to see if using the transdermal method of collecting blood through the skin could be a practical alternative."

The study, which was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), involved 91 participants recruited at OUH: 71 children and adults with T1D, and 20 adult controls.

The study used a Touch Activated Phlebotomy (TAP I) device, which has been developed for painless and minimally invasive blood collection and has been tested successfully in a number of clinical and laboratory settings. But it had not been tested for measuring C-peptide in T1D, nor had it been assessed for acceptability in children.

The TAP I device combines capillary action with the use of 1mm-long solid microneedles and vacuum extraction through the skin.

Dr Besser said: "Participants in the study overwhelmingly preferred the transdermal device to blood sampling with a needle. But perhaps more importantly the method was highly accurate for measuring C-peptide, meaning it would be a reliable and practical alternative for C-peptide sampling,"

"This has major implications; the transdermal collection method has great potential for use in other paediatric settings, and which colleagues at OUH are planning to test."

Pictured: A Touch Activated Phlebotomy (TAP) device, similar to those used in the study (YourBio Health)