Aravind Padmanabhan

Enabling Technologies for a Personal Flow Cytometer (Part I)

The paper reports on three key technologies that have enabled the development of a wearable flow cytometer: flow sensing and control based on low-power MEMS-based sensors/actuators; microfluidic processing based on miniaturized disposable plastic cartridges; and optical detection based on arrays of solid-state lasers/detectors and integrated micro-optics. This instrument can provide early detection of viral and bacterial infections based on quick (30 seconds) measurement of lymphocyte and neutrophil counts [1]. Personnel with little or no medical training can use this low-cost, low-maintenance instrument in doctor’s offices, homes, and public/private-sector facilities. Multiparameter scattering-based or fluorescence-based cytometers can be developed based on this technology for clinical, industrial and military applications.

Enabling Technologies for a Personal Flow Cytometer, Part II: Integrated Analysis Cartridges

A novel microcytometry system that monitors leukocyte populations to assess human pathogen exposure is being jointly developed by Micronics and Honeywell. The system contains both an instrument and a disposable card that contains complex microfluidic circuits for blood sample acquisition, reagent storage, erythrocyte lysis, cytometry, and waste storage. This talk discusses the subsystems that provide these functions and shows experimental results qualitatively describing hydrodynamic focusing and leukocyte populations.