SBIR Phase I: A Wireless Portable Fully Electronic Hematology Analyzer for Complete Blood Count Analysis

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop a new device for conducting blood tests at home or in smaller clinical settings. The platform will be fully electronic, portable, low-cost, and using advanced artificial intelligence techniques. This proposed analyzer provides information normally obtained from costly high-end commercial equipment at much lower cost, enabling new diagnosis and monitoring for many different conditions. Additionally, the ultra-compact modules developed here will be applicable to a broad range of assays beyond complete blood count analysis.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to build and characterize an ultra-compact all-electronic cytometer with a fully plastic cartridge capable of quantifying the key cellular components in a complete blood cell count (CBC) test including: red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets, hemoglobin (hgb) concentration, and hematocrit levels. An impedance cytometer will be developed in conjunction with machine learning to discriminate between RBCs, WBCs, and platelets, while estimating hgb and hematocrit levels with less than 15 ul of blood. The primary goal is to engineer a cartridge that can work with the reader while being manufacturable in high volume with ultra-low cost. The research will involve fabrication and testing an integrated microfluidic biosensor, developing data-driven software for accurate classification of blood cell types using impedance cytometry data, building ultra-compact pocket-sized hardware and a smartphone application, and finally benchmarking and testing of prototype accuracy against a standard.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.