The Cytotracker: Point-of-use Complete Blood Count

Industry Project

The objective of this proposal is to build and characterize an ultra-compact all-electronic cytometer capable of quantifying key cellular components in a complete blood cell count (CBC) including: red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets, hemoglobin (hgb) concentration, and hematocrit levels. We propose development of an analyzer that is at least one order of magnitude lower in cost than the state of the art analyzers and requires only 5 µl of blood. While RBCs, WBCs, and platelets can be measured electrically, a primary issue hindering impedance cytometry from providing accurate cell counts is the wide signal variation observed due to device-to-device variation, drift due to temperature fluctuations, and off-axis cell translocation in microfluidic channels. Hgb and hematocrit are typically measured based on optical scattering, thus making difficult the realization of a fully electronic platform that can measure the five key parameters mentioned above. Because the combined use of electronics and optics in a single cytometry platform makes miniaturization to a pocket-sized platform difficult, an innovative approach is proposed to improving accuracy of impedance cytometers to measuring the five key parameters above, without requiring additional optics, enabling realization of a pocket-sized platform. We propose use of a multi-frequency impedance cytometer (MFIC) embedded with multiple sensors to enable adaptive self-calibration in conjunction with machine learning to discriminate between RBCs, WBCs, platelets, while estimating hgb and hematocrit levels with less than 5 µl of blood.

To develop this product, the following objectives are proposed: Objective 1) Integrated microfluidic biosensor fabrication and testing. Objective 2) Developing datadriven software for accurate classification of blood cell types, hemoglobin, and hematocrit using impedance cytometry data. Objective 3) Ultra-compact pocket-sized hardware and smartphone application development. Objective 4) Benchmarking and testing of device accuracy against Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved predicate device. The result of this project will be a working prototype of the proposed analyzer.

The intellectual merits are as following: 1) Engineering an all-electronic data-driven bio-sensing platform capable of label-free cell classification. 2) The development of a portable wireless instrument that harnesses machine-learning to accurately classify cells and display results rapidly. 3) The development of ultra-compact modules, which can be applied to a broad range of assays beyond complete blood count analysis. This project will lay the groundwork for development of a commercial product that can improve access to healthcare not only for astronauts in space but also broader society. We will develop an analyzer that is i) at least one order of magnitude lower in cost than the state of the art analyzers, ii) easily wearable/portable (pocket-sized) and lightweight, iii) rapid (provides results within minutes), and iv) easy-to-use and requires only a finger prick of blood. The accessible cost and portability of the proposed inexpensive lightweight user-friendly cytometer to perform automated CBC without the need for professional intervention has a multitude of applications that can significantly impact primary care practice in the United States and globally.

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