Deterministic Dydrodynamics: Taking Blood Apart

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 103; no. 40; pp. 14779 - 14784
• Main Authors: Davis, John A., Inglis, David W., Morton, Keith J., Lawrence, David A., Huang, Lotien R., Chou, Stephen Y., Sturm, James C., Austin, Robert H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 03-10-2006
• Subjects: Blood; Blood cells; Blood plasma; Cytometry; Dynamic range; Flow velocity; Granulocytes; Hydrodynamics; Lymphocytes; Platelets
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490

We show the fractionation of whole blood components and isolation of blood plasma with no dilution by using a continuousflow deterministic array that separates blood components by their hydrodynamic size, independent of their mass. We use the technology we developed of deterministic arrays which separate white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets from blood plasma at flow velocities of 1,000 μm/sec and volume rates up to 1 μl/min. We verified by flow cytometry that an array using focused injection removed 100% of the lymphocytes and monocytes from the main red blood cell and platelet stream. Using a second design, we demonstrated the separation of blood plasma from the blood cells (white, red, and platelets) with virtually no dilution of the plasma and no cellular contamination of the plasma.