The bioanalyst deals with complex biological samples containing the analyte alongside a diverse range of chemicals that can have an adverse impact on the accurate and precise quantification of the analyte. As such, a wide range of techniques are applied to extract the analyte from its matrix. These include:
*Protein precipitation
*Liquid–liquid extraction
*Solid phase extraction
Bioanalytical laboratories often deal with large numbers of samples, for example resulting from clinical trials. As such, automated sample preparation methods and liquid-handling robots are commonly employed to increase efficiency and reduce costs.