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A new microfluidic device could improve testing for anemia, according to researchers.
The team said the device can detect the level of hemoglobin in a whole blood sample using optical absorbance.
The device is portable, requires only a few drops of blood for analysis, and eliminates the need for chemical preparations.
In addition, researchers believe the device could be integrated with other microfluidic approaches to blood analysis.
The researchers described their device in AIP Advances.
The team noted that blood analyzers currently on the market measure hemoglobin via hemolysis. This requires hands-on expertise to prepare and run a sample, limiting the ability to monitor anemia in many parts of the world.
“The most exciting aspect to this analyzer is that it uses whole blood and does not require the additional steps and reagents to prepare a sample,” said study author Nathan Sniadecki, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle.
“You just run blood into the channel, and that’s it,” added Nikita Taparia, a doctoral candidate in Sniadecki’s lab. “It can be used anywhere.”
The analyzer takes advantage of the optical properties of blood, such as absorption and scattering, to measure hemoglobin concentration. Anemic blood transmits more light than normal blood, so the severity of anemia can be measured as a ratio of transmitted to original light intensity.
To simulate anemia, the researchers diluted blood samples with a buffer solution. The blood analyzer was effective at predicting cases of moderate to severe anemia, defined as less than 10 g/dL of hemoglobin in a sample. The analyzer did not produce any false-negative results.
The optical density of samples did not increase linearly, so a higher concentration of hemoglobin defines the upper limit of detection for the device.
The researchers said the device could be integrated with other microfluidic devices to analyze whole blood samples in parallel to diagnose anemia and other underlying factors that could contribute to the condition.
The team said such an integrated diagnostic tool would “aid the global health community in their continued surveillance of anemia and its etiology in high-risk subpopulations.” 
A new microfluidic device could improve testing for anemia, according to researchers.
The team said the device can detect the level of hemoglobin in a whole blood sample using optical absorbance.
The device is portable, requires only a few drops of blood for analysis, and eliminates the need for chemical preparations.
In addition, researchers believe the device could be integrated with other microfluidic approaches to blood analysis.
The researchers described their device in AIP Advances.
The team noted that blood analyzers currently on the market measure hemoglobin via hemolysis. This requires hands-on expertise to prepare and run a sample, limiting the ability to monitor anemia in many parts of the world.
“The most exciting aspect to this analyzer is that it uses whole blood and does not require the additional steps and reagents to prepare a sample,” said study author Nathan Sniadecki, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle.
“You just run blood into the channel, and that’s it,” added Nikita Taparia, a doctoral candidate in Sniadecki’s lab. “It can be used anywhere.”
The analyzer takes advantage of the optical properties of blood, such as absorption and scattering, to measure hemoglobin concentration. Anemic blood transmits more light than normal blood, so the severity of anemia can be measured as a ratio of transmitted to original light intensity.
To simulate anemia, the researchers diluted blood samples with a buffer solution. The blood analyzer was effective at predicting cases of moderate to severe anemia, defined as less than 10 g/dL of hemoglobin in a sample. The analyzer did not produce any false-negative results.
The optical density of samples did not increase linearly, so a higher concentration of hemoglobin defines the upper limit of detection for the device.
The researchers said the device could be integrated with other microfluidic devices to analyze whole blood samples in parallel to diagnose anemia and other underlying factors that could contribute to the condition.
The team said such an integrated diagnostic tool would “aid the global health community in their continued surveillance of anemia and its etiology in high-risk subpopulations.”
A new microfluidic device could improve testing for anemia, according to researchers.
The team said the device can detect the level of hemoglobin in a whole blood sample using optical absorbance.
The device is portable, requires only a few drops of blood for analysis, and eliminates the need for chemical preparations.
In addition, researchers believe the device could be integrated with other microfluidic approaches to blood analysis.
The researchers described their device in AIP Advances.
The team noted that blood analyzers currently on the market measure hemoglobin via hemolysis. This requires hands-on expertise to prepare and run a sample, limiting the ability to monitor anemia in many parts of the world.
“The most exciting aspect to this analyzer is that it uses whole blood and does not require the additional steps and reagents to prepare a sample,” said study author Nathan Sniadecki, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle.
“You just run blood into the channel, and that’s it,” added Nikita Taparia, a doctoral candidate in Sniadecki’s lab. “It can be used anywhere.”
The analyzer takes advantage of the optical properties of blood, such as absorption and scattering, to measure hemoglobin concentration. Anemic blood transmits more light than normal blood, so the severity of anemia can be measured as a ratio of transmitted to original light intensity.
To simulate anemia, the researchers diluted blood samples with a buffer solution. The blood analyzer was effective at predicting cases of moderate to severe anemia, defined as less than 10 g/dL of hemoglobin in a sample. The analyzer did not produce any false-negative results.
The optical density of samples did not increase linearly, so a higher concentration of hemoglobin defines the upper limit of detection for the device.
The researchers said the device could be integrated with other microfluidic devices to analyze whole blood samples in parallel to diagnose anemia and other underlying factors that could contribute to the condition.
The team said such an integrated diagnostic tool would “aid the global health community in their continued surveillance of anemia and its etiology in high-risk subpopulations.”