Hydrodynamic instability in a magnetically driven suspension of paramagnetic red blood cells

Abstract

We investigate the magnetically driven motion in suspensions of paramagnetic particles. Our object is diluted deoxygenated whole blood with paramagnetic red blood cells (RBCs). We use direct observations in a closed vertical Hele-Shaw channel, and a well-defined magnetic force field applied horizontally in the channel plane. At very low cell concentrations, we register single-particle motion mode, track individual cells and determine their hydrodynamic and magnetic characteristics. Above 0.2 volume percent concentration, we observe local swirls and a global transient quasi-periodic vortex structure, intensifying with increasing cell concentration, but surprisingly this does not influence the time and purity of the magnetic extraction of RBCs. Our observations shed light on the behavioral complexity of magnetically driven submagnetic suspensions, an important issue for the emerging microfluidic technology of direct magnetic cell separation and intriguing for the mechanics of particulate soft matter.

Magnetic Nanoparticles: From Design and Synthesis to Real World Applications

“…Simple magnetic isolation of some cells is possible due to their inherent magnetic properties—red blood cells (hemoglobin iron is in a paramagnetic state), magnetotactic bacteria, etc. [ 200 , 201 ].…”

Magnetophoretic and spectral characterization of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin: Chemical versus enzymatic processes

“…The magnetic properties of hemoglobin (Hb) and its derivative forms have been documented since the 1930's [1,2] and the magnetic separation of red blood cells (RBCs) using paramagnetic intracellular Hb is a continued pursuit in biomedical engineering. Many groups are investigating label-free methods to remove RBCs from whole blood by exploiting the diamagnetic properties of white blood cells and the paramagnetic properties of RBCs when the intracellular Hb is converted to the deoxygenated Hb (deoxyHb) or methemoglobin (metHb) state [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Another approach suggests it is possible to fractionate units of packed RBCs to positively separate RBCs with high magnetic susceptibility, containing the most Hb, before a transfusion to reduce the risks of transfusion associated circulatory overload, alloimmunization (particularly common with sickle cell patients) and increase post-transfusion RBC recovery above the 75% threshold for a "successful" transfusion [19][20][21].…”

Magnetophoretic and Spectral Characterization of Oxyhemoglobin to Deoxyhemoglobin: Chemical vs Enzymatic Process

“…The magnetic properties of hemoglobin(Hb) and its derivative forms, have been documented since the 1930's (Pauling & Coryell, 1936;Pauling & Coryell, 1936), and since 2010, there have been at least 92 publications related to the magnetic separation of red blood cells (RBCs) based on their intracellular Hb content. Many groups are investigating label-free methods to remove RBCs from whole blood by exploiting the diamagnetic properties of white blood cells and the paramagnetic properties of RBCs when the Hb is in its deoxy or met form (Furlani 2007;Han & Frazier, 2006;Fattah, Ghosh & Puri, 2016;Moore et al , 2006;Norina, Shalygin & Rastopov, 2000;Wu et al , 2016;Kim, Massoudi, Antaki & Gandini, 2012;Kashevsky, Zholud & Kashevsky, 2015;Nam, Huang, Lim, Lim & Shin, 2013;Kawano & Watarai, 2012;Shen, Hwang, Hahn & Park, 2012;Jung, Choi & Han, 2010;Zborowski et al , 2003;Moore et al , 2018). The magnetic susceptibilities of oxygenated (oxyRBCs), deoxygenated (deoxyRBCs) and methemoglobin-RBCs (metRBCs) were originally predicted (Pauling & Coryell, 1936;Pauling & Coryell, 1936;Zborowski et al , 2003;Spees, Yablonskiy, Oswood & Ackerman, 2001) from theoretical calculations and subsequently validated experimentally, with a slightly greater magnetic susceptibility for metRBCs when compared to deoxyRBCs.…”