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A Microfluidic Technique to Probe Cell Deformability

A Microfluidic Technique to Probe Cell Deformability

Published on: September 3, 2014

Red Blood Cell Deformation in a Microfluidic Sudden Expansion at Supraphysiological Strain Rates.

Hannah P Palahnuk¹, Nicolas A Tobin², Keefe B Manning³

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.

Biophysical Journal

|July 11, 2026

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Red blood cell deformability in complex microfluidic flows was studied. RBCs showed varied deformation and orientation, influenced by viscosity and flow dynamics, offering insights for medical devices.

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Fluid Dynamics
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

Red blood cell (RBC) deformability is crucial for oxygen transport.
Previous studies focused on canonical flows, limiting understanding of RBC behavior in complex hemodynamics.
Complex flows are prevalent in medical devices and cardiovascular pathologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate RBC deformation and orientation in a microfluidic sudden expansion under varying viscosity and flow rates.
To develop an in vitro framework for studying RBCs in complex, pseudo-3D flow conditions.
To analyze the impact of shear, rotational, and extensional flow components on RBC behavior.

Main Methods:

Utilized a microfluidic sudden expansion device with two viscosity conditions (2.05, 4.17 cP) and three flow rates (100, 200, 400 μL/min).

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Developed an image post-processing workflow to generate 2D contour maps of RBC deformation and orientation.

Analyzed supraphysiological velocity gradients (3,000 - 200,000 s⁻¹) to capture complex flow dynamics.

Main Results:

RBCs generally maintained an ellipsoidal shape, adopting a teardrop shape during transitions.
Peak deformation index (DI) reached 0.53 (4.17 cP) and 0.33 (2.05 cP).
DI varied significantly based on flow dominance (extension vs. compression) and viscosity, with higher variability observed in compressive and mixed flows.

Conclusions:

RBC deformation and orientation exhibit high spatial variability in complex flows due to heterogeneous velocity gradients.
The study provides novel insights into RBC behavior in off-centered sudden expansion regions, relevant for medical device design and understanding pathologies.
Findings highlight the importance of considering complex flow dynamics for accurate RBC behavior modeling.