Fully integrated point-of-care blood cell count using multi-frame morphology analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Hematology
• Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Background:

• Traditional blood cell count (BCC) analysis often requires laboratory settings and can be time-consuming.
• Existing point-of-care testing (POCT) methods for BCC face limitations in obtaining statistically sufficient cell numbers and accuracy.
• Challenges include difficulty in analyzing sufficient cell counts from stationary images or single-layer arrangements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a fully integrated POCT device for accurate blood cell count analysis using in-flow imaging.
• To overcome limitations of previous POCT methods by enabling higher throughput and improved cell identification.
• To provide a user-friendly and cost-effective tool for field-based blood cell analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a POCT device utilizing in-flow imaging of a small volume (3 μL) of fingertip whole blood.
• Integration of a miniaturized magnetic stirring module for stable cell concentration.
• Employment of multi-frame in-flow imaging with multi-angle morphology analysis for enhanced cell identification.
• Validation using healthy blood samples and clinical patient cases with abnormal blood cell concentrations.

Main Results:

• Achieved high throughput (∼8000 cells/min) and sustained testing for up to 1 hour with stable cell concentration.
• Significantly improved white blood cell (WBC) identification accuracy, with the average precision (AP) increasing from 0.8622 to 0.9934.
• Demonstrated high agreement with commercial clinical equipment, showing fitting degrees greater than 0.98.
• Successfully validated with clinical samples, including those with abnormal red blood cell (RBC), WBC, and platelet (PLT) concentrations.

Conclusions:

• The developed in-flow imaging POCT device offers a significant advancement for blood cell count analysis.
• The device provides user-friendly, cost-effective, and accurate detection of abnormal blood cell morphology and concentration in field settings.
• This technology holds potential for improved diagnostics and monitoring of hematological conditions outside traditional laboratory environments.