title: Red blood cell transport mechanisms in polyester thread-based blood typing devices.
abstract: A recently developed blood typing diagnostic based on a polyester thread substrate has shown great promise for use in medical emergencies and in impoverished regions. The device is easy to use and transport, while also being inexpensive, accurate, and rapid. This study used a fluorescent confocal microscope to delve deeper into how red blood cells were behaving within the polyester thread-based diagnostic at the cellular level, and how plasma separation could be made to visibly occur on the thread, making it possible to identify blood type in a single step. Red blood cells were stained and the plasma phase dyed with fluorescent compounds to enable them to be visualised under the confocal microscope at high magnification. The mechanisms uncovered were in surprising contrast with those found for a similar, paper-based method. Red blood cell aggregates did not flow over each other within the thread substrate as expected, but suffered from a restriction to their flow which resulted in the chromatographic separation of the RBCs from the liquid phase of the blood. It is hoped that these results will lead to the optimisation of the method to enable more accurate and sensitive detection, increasing the range of blood systems that can be detected.
authors.affiliation: Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Azadeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nilghaz
authors.affiliation: Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Ballerini
authors.affiliation: Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Liyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Lizi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia. wei.shen@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters
keywords: Blood typing; Confocal microscopy; Diagnostic; Low-cost; Polyester thread