Gorkin R., Kim T-H., Madou M., Cho Y-K
University of California Irvine, US
Keywords: blood separation, centrifugal, compact disc (CD), microfluidics, plasma purification
Centrifugal microfluidic platforms are emerging as strong candidates for advanced integrated clinical diagnostics for such applications as automated immunoassay processing and nucleic acid analysis, however several implementation challenges limit their widespread use today. Purification of whole blood is one such obstacle, where plasma must be separated from cellular components which inhibit nucleic acid amplification during PCR and limit immunoassay detection. This process must be rapid, efficient, and allow for integration with existing compact disc (CD) based microfluidic systems for downstream processing. Work detailing CD based blood separation can be found in multiple sources; however, optimization of separation speed and efficiencies using proper sample volumes for point-of-care detection has not been shown. In an attempt to clarify this concern, we have focused on a new parameter that affects blood separation; tilt of the micro-chambers with respect to the radius of the CD platform. Our work has shown that the design of channel profiles fundamentally influences the speed of purification of plasma from whole blood. Specifically by varying angle gradients the time of separation can be reliably modified. Through our analysis we offer potential novel designs that for optimal blood separation in centrifugal devices.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2010: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational
Published: June 21, 2010
Pages: 456 - 459
Industry sector: Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Micro & Bio Fluidics, Lab-on-Chip
ISBN: 978-1-4398-3402-2