Reconfigurable acquisition system with integrated optics for a portable flow cytometer

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Point-of-care diagnostics are crucial for disease detection in resource-limited settings and for public health surveillance.
• Existing diagnostic instruments are often large, expensive, and not suitable for field deployment.
• There is a need for portable, cost-effective instruments for rapid, on-site analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact, modular, and customizable flow cytometer for point-of-care diagnostic applications.
• To demonstrate the instrument's capability in detecting Centers for Disease Control (CDC) category B biothreat agents.
• To validate the performance of the developed instrument against a commercial benchtop flow cytometer.

Main Methods:

• Designed and constructed a portable flow cytometer using three interchangeable modules.
• Incorporated two-color excitation, three-color fluorescence, and light scattering detection with capillary-based flow.
• Developed a bead-based assay for detecting specific biothreat agents (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella).

Main Results:

• Successfully developed a compact, modular flow cytometer prototype.
• Demonstrated proof-of-concept using a 6-plex bead assay for biothreat agent detection.
• Achieved comparable results to a commercially available benchtop flow cytometer, validating the instrument's performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed modular flow cytometer offers a portable and cost-effective solution for point-of-care diagnostics.
• The instrument's design is adaptable for various applications, including biothreat agent detection and CD4 counting.
• This technology has the potential to significantly improve disease surveillance and diagnostics in diverse settings.