SPME in clinical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological research – how far are we from daily practice?

Growing threats in modern medicine, e.g., antibiotic resistance, along with urgent need for rapid diagnostic techniques and introduction of new drugs, induced intensive clinical and basic research. Model in vitro experiments with bacteria cultures and human cell lines, ex vivo experiments with tissues and in vivo animal or human study put more light into mechanism of cellular processes and biomarkers discovery. Particular aims may require unique approaches to the specific conditions. Solid Phase Microextraction proved to be a very versatile technique for collection and preparation of medically important samples. The review compiles the most recent reports applying SPME in the clinical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical studies. Current achievements but also limitations in development of novel SPME assays and their application in biomedical research and drug discovery are discussed. Existing challenges and further perspectives are outlined for studies on human metabolome and its application in clinical practice and pharmaceutical or biotechnological industry.