With its low cost and potential for automated manufacturing the proposed Microfluidic Multichannel Flow Cytometer, in specialized versions can be used for the monitoring of CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts in AIDS patient care in underserved populations, blood cell counting in neonates using a drop of heel-prick blood (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), in-field blood tests of military personnel, and of research and testing laboratories that cannot afford, or do not have access to, a cytometry facility. A major advantage is that it processes a single drop of whole blood automatically inside the chip allowing it to be used in low-resource settings. The potential market for such a device is large. Many of these customers are identifiable personally by the investigators, and the product can be advertised in cell biology journals and scientific instrument catalogues.
Sample preservation, especially blood cell samples, on ISS has been a long-standing problem, and a cytometer that can process fresh samples on orbit will solve many problems, especially in space immunology, where knowledge is critical to future space exploration. The immune system of crew members, compromised by weeks of low gravity, renders them more susceptible to acute radiation effects of a solar proton storm. Post-irradiation blood cell counts of irradiated humans has always been vital to their appropriate medical care. Thus a (very compact) blood cytometer will also be critical to future deep space exploration missions. Therefore, infusion into NASA mission needs and projects constitutes providing this technology for (1) cell and immunology research aboard the ISS and ISS National Lab, (2) medical monitoring of ISS crew members via the Human Research Program (HRP), and (3) medical monitoring of deep-space exploration crews, especially following a solar proton storm.
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