title: Three-part differential of unlabeled leukocytes with a compact lens-free imaging flow cytometer.
abstract: A compelling clinical need exists for inexpensive, portable haematology analyzers that can be utilized at the point-of-care in emergency settings or in resource-limited settings. Development of a label-free, microfluidic blood analysis platform is the first step towards such a miniaturized, cost-effective system. Here we assemble a compact lens-free in-line holographic microscope and employ it to image blood cells flowing in a microfluidic chip, using a high-speed camera and stroboscopic illumination. Numerical reconstruction of the captured holograms allows classification of unlabeled leukocytes into three main subtypes: lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes. A scale-space recognition analysis to evaluate cellular size and internal complexity is also developed and used to build a 3-part leukocyte differential. The lens-free image-based classification is compared to the 3-part white blood cell differential generated by using a conventional analyzer on the same blood sample and is found to be in good agreement with it.
authors.affiliation: IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. dries.vercruysse@imec.be.
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vercruysse
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dusa
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vanmeerbeeck
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Wijs
authors.forename: Chengxun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dimiter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prodanov
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peumans
authors.forename: Liesbet
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lagae
mesh_terms: D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation