Deciphering the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs under vascular stenosis by high-speed on-chip optofluidic imaging

Abstract

Vascular stenosis caused by atherosclerosis can lead to platelet activation and aggregation in thrombosis. However, the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs under stenosis is not well understood due to the lack of analytical tools. Here we demonstrate a new method combining optofluidic time-stretch quantitative phase microscopy and a 3D stenosis chip to enable highspeed, high-resolution, label-free imaging of circulating platelet aggregates under atherogenic flow conditions. Interestingly, our findings indicate that the proposed high-speed on-chip optofluidic imaging is a powerful tool for studying platelet biology, antiplatelet drug screening, and developing therapeutic strategies for patients with atherosclerotic diseases.