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An inkjet-printed polysaccharide matrix for on-chip sample preparation in point-of-care cell counting chambers
Xichen Zhang1, Dorothee Wasserberg1, Christian Breukers1
1Medical Cell Biophysics, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente PO Box 217 Enschede 7500 AE The Netherlands m.beck@utwente.nl.
RSC Advances
|May 6, 2022
Summary
We developed a printed microfluidic device for simple, low-cost CD4 counting at the point-of-care. This optimized device accurately monitors HIV patients using whole blood and shows excellent agreement with flow cytometry.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Diagnostics
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics require simple, low-cost, and reliable on-chip sample preparation.
- Microfluidic devices offer potential for integrated sample preparation and analysis.
- Accurate CD4 T-cell counting is crucial for monitoring HIV patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an optimized polysaccharide matrix for fully printed microfluidic CD4 counting chambers.
- To improve reagent stability and cell staining for HIV patient monitoring at POC.
- To enable capillary-driven filling with unprocessed whole blood for ease of use.
Main Methods:
- Inkjet printing of a gellan/trehalose matrix for reagent deposition.
- Development of capillary-filling microfluidic chambers for whole blood analysis.
- Immunofluorescent staining and CD4 T-cell counting using printed devices and flow cytometry for comparison.
Main Results:
- The optimized matrix preserves immunostain viability for over 3 months.
- Controlled antibody release ensures intense, homogeneous immunofluorescent staining within 30 minutes.
- Excellent agreement was observed between CD4 counts from printed chambers and gold-standard flow cytometry for both healthy and HIV-infected individuals.
Conclusions:
- Fully printed microfluidic CD4 counting chambers offer a promising solution for POC HIV monitoring.
- The developed polysaccharide matrix enhances reagent stability and staining efficiency.
- This technology enables reliable CD4 counting with minimal user training, addressing a critical unmet medical need.
