Label-free microfluidic cell sorting and detection for rapid blood analysis

Abstract

This review focuses on recent microfluidic technologies for label-free blood cell separation, detection and coupling with machine learning approaches.

Inertial Separation of Particles Assisted by Symmetrical Sheath Flows in a Straight Microchannel

“…Moreover, the separation of our inertial microfluidic platform is hoped to be further improved by optimizing the microchannel design. It is worth noting that it is the first time that separation of platelets from whole blood by us using inertial microfluidics in a simple straight microchannel is achieved. , Future work will focus on the optimization of channel dimensions and flow rate to increase the separation purity and throughput, aiming to satisfy the needs of real-world applications such as platelet-rich plasma therapy, diagnostic tests, and platelet transfusions …”

Label-free virtual staining of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in microfluidics

“…3 However, their quantification requires on-chip antibody staining, which is laborious and time-consuming. Label-free single-cell analysis based on inherent biophysical changes 10 enables the characterization of neutrophil activation or functions using optical 11 or electrical sensing. 12,13 However, these techniques can only provide insight into intact cells and cannot be used to determine accurate concentrations of NETs present in biological samples.…”

Scalable mesenchymal stem cell enrichment from bone marrow aspirate using deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) microfluidic sorting

“…20,30 Cell sorting using microfluidics often leverages the intrinsic biophysical properties of cells, rendering the techniques label-free. 31 They can be classified into two groups: active and passive methods. Active methods exploit externally applied fields or forces such as acoustophoresis, 32 electrokinetics, 33 and magnetophoresis 34 to enhance separation.…”