Harrick Plasma → News & Research → Research →
Blood plasma separation is a vital process for the detection of biomarkers which can indicate diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Centrifuges, the most commonly used method of separation, requires large amounts of time and blood. Additionally, these methods must occur in specialized laboratories. In contrast, microfluidic-based methods can quickly process small sample volumes using an easily portable device.
Current microfluidic-based blood plasma separation methods face several challenges. When analyzing fast flowing blood samples in a microfluidic device, red blood cells often leak from the blood cell channel into the plasma channel. This contamination reduces the separation efficiency of the microfluidic device. Additionally, fast flowing blood cells are prone to hemolysis, or rupture. Slow flowing blood samples are also problematic. Slower flow rates reduce the process throughput and hinder the use of these devices in point-of-care (POC) situations.
To solve these issues, Zhang et. al developed a novel microfluidic device for blood plasma separation. During the fabrication process, Zhang used Harrick Plasma’s High-Power Plasma Cleaner to bond a patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer to a glass slide. The completed microfluidic device consists of two circular channels connected by crossflow channels. Both the circular channels and the crossflow channels have gradient width. After the whole blood sample enters the device, it travels along the first circular channel. Red blood cells (RBCs) remain trapped in the first circular channel, while plasma drains to the second channel via the crossflow features. Unlike other similar devices, Zhang’s device produced a separation efficiency of over 97% across a wide range of flow rates (1.67 – 33.33 µL/min) without causing significant hemolysis (10-76 mg/dL). This microfluidic device is a promising tool for point-of care applications that need rapid blood plasma separation.
References
[1] Zhang, H., Anoop, K., Huang, C., Sadr, R., Gupte, R., Dai, J., & Han, A. (2022). “A circular gradient-width crossflow microfluidic platform for high-efficiency blood plasma separation”. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2021.131180
[2] Zhang, H., Anoop, K., Huang, C., Sadr, R., Gupte, R., Dai, J., & Han, A. (2022). Supplemental Information for “A circular gradient-width crossflow microfluidic platform for high-efficiency blood plasma separation”. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2021.131180