Tecan webinar shares insights on salivary cortisol, from collection to confidence

Accurate salivary cortisol assessment depends on precise timing, strong participant compliance, and proper sample handling, especially when conducted outside controlled laboratory settings. However, real-world studies and clinical applications often face challenges such as non-adherence, inaccurate self-reporting, and logistical constraints that can compromise data quality.

On Tuesday, April 28, Tecan is hosting an expert-led webinar to provide practical, scalable strategies to ensure reliable cortisol results across research, clinical and applied settings. The focus is on improving data integrity while maintaining feasibility in field-based and large-cohort environments.

The webinar covers:

1. Foundations of reliable cortisol assessment

• Critical timing windows for diurnal and CAR sampling
• Common sources of error
• Impact of non-adherence on assay validity

2. Digital tools and workflow innovations

• Objective sampling-time verification (e.g., barcode systems, app-based tracking)
• Automated reminders and protocol support
• Integration of contextual data from wearables and sleep trackers

3. From sample to assay

• Tube preparation, labeling and tracking
• Storage, transport, and pre-analytical variability
• Ensuring compatibility with high-sensitivity cortisol immunoassays

The session will include practical insights from large-scale field applications, Tecan solutions, and concludes with a live Q&A to address participant-specific challenges.

Learn more about the webinar speakers below.

Prof. Nicolas Rohleder, Professor of Health Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Nicolas Rohleder is Professor of Health Psychology at FAU, Germany. His research examines how psychological stress affects biological systems and health, with a long-standing focus on biomarkers of stress, including endocrine and inflammatory markers measured in saliva and other non-invasive samples. Current work increasingly integrates sensor technologies and digital tools to improve the measurement of stress and behavior in everyday environments.

Dr. Maria Meier, University of Konstanz and the University of Ulm

Maria Meier is a postdoctoral researcher and open science advocate at the University of Konstanz and the University of Ulm, Germany. She studies how metabolic factors such as glucose and insulin influence stress regulation and which pathways link traumatic experiences to an increased risk for stress-related and metabolic disorders. Her work combines laboratory experiments and studies in trauma-exposed populations, integrating endocrine, inflammatory, epigenetic, and functional neuroimaging measures.

Dr. Luca Abel, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Luca Abel is a doctoral researcher at the Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE) at FAU, Germany. His research focuses on contactless stress detection on the basis of e.g. body posture and movements or speech using machine learning.

Dr. Robert Richer, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Robert Richer is a postdoctoral researcher and research group leader of the 'Digital Health – PsychoSense' group at the Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE) at FAU, Germany. His research focuses on digital biomarkers, wearable sensing, and machine learning methods to objectively assess biopsychological processes such as stress in everyday life. His work integrates engineering and psychological science, with an emphasis on developing open-source tools and standardized data formats to advance reproducible digital health and psychophysiological research.