On-site cell concentration and viability detections using smartphone based field-portable cell counter

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microscopy
• Mobile Health

Background:

• Accurate cell counting and viability assessment are crucial in biological research and clinical diagnostics.
• Existing methods often require bulky, expensive equipment and trained personnel.
• The need for portable, cost-effective cell analysis tools for field applications is growing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a smartphone-based portable cell counter.
• To enable simultaneous differentiation and counting of live and dead cells.
• To provide an accurate and rapid solution for on-site cell analysis.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a smartphone microscope for bright-field image acquisition.
• Development of a smartphone application for automated cell recognition, counting, and analysis.
• Validation against hemocytometer, commercial cell counters, and flow cytometry.

Main Results:

• The smartphone cell counter accurately determines cell concentration and viability within the 10^5 to 10^7 cells/mL range.
• Simultaneous distinction and counting of live and dead cells were achieved, a novel capability for smartphone-based systems.
• The device demonstrated high accuracy comparable to established methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed smartphone-based cell counter is a highly accurate, rapid, and cost-effective tool for on-site cell analysis.
• Its portability, compact design, and long battery life make it suitable for field deployment.
• This technology has the potential to significantly impact point-of-care diagnostics and field research.