Label-free deep-UV microscopy detection and grading of neutropenia using a passive microfluidic device

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Hematology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Neutropenia, a low neutrophil count, increases infection risk, particularly in cancer patients.
• Current methods like complete blood count (CBC) are resource-intensive and time-consuming.
• Accessible and rapid monitoring of neutrophil counts is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, fast, and label-free method for neutropenia detection and grading.
• To utilize deep-ultraviolet (UV) microscopy and microfluidic devices for neutrophil count assessment.
• To provide a low-cost, accessible alternative to traditional hematological analysis.

Main Methods:

• Blood cells were analyzed using deep-UV microscopy within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based passive microfluidic devices.
• The system requires only 1 μL of whole blood for operation.
• Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) were determined and compared with CBC results.

Main Results:

• The deep-UV microscopy and microfluidic system demonstrated high correlation with CBC results for absolute neutrophil counts.
• The system accurately assessed neutropenia in patients with moderate and severe neutropenia, as well as healthy donors.
• The microfluidic devices are potentially low-cost and manufacturable in large quantities.

Conclusions:

• This technique offers a rapid, label-free approach for neutropenia detection and grading.
• The developed system is suitable for low-resource, at-home, or point-of-care settings.
• It lays the foundation for compact, user-friendly UV microscope systems for neutrophil count tracking.