I-Corps: Disposable Microflow Cytometer for Point-of-Care and Mobile Testing

该I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力来自于缺乏诊断/预后流式细胞术平台，这些平台足够小且移动的，可以在护理点使用。该技术采用了流式细胞仪公认的诊断能力，准确性和市场接受度，并将其置于实时测试可以影响决策的地方。从长远来看，这样的平台可能既挽救生命又具有成本效益，因为它可以实现快速分类或早期诊断。患者以及从事新药和蛋白质工程发现的临床医生和研究人员可能会从这项技术中受益匪浅。此外，便携式平台可以为新的专业诊断测试铺平道路，这些测试可以在医生办公室、移动的环境中甚至在救灾场景中进行。I-Corps项目将进一步开发便携式一次性细胞仪平台。该技术监测微流控芯片上磁性标记细胞的轨迹，并使用计算建模来估计其膜抗原表达。这种基于射弹的细胞仪技术减轻了传感器的样品鉴别负担，从而可以选择最佳的传感模式进行系统集成和数据采集。集成的一次性电子流式细胞仪与Coulter计数器一样简单，同时测量靶表面抗原或其他无法直接进行电子分析的生物标志物。此外，该技术将样品操作阶段嵌入细胞计数过程，为未处理样品的直接表达谱分析开辟了道路。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project arises from the lack of diagnostic/prognostic flow cytometry platforms that are small and mobile enough to be employed at the point-of-care. The technology takes the recognized diagnostics capability, accuracy, and market acceptance of flow cytometry and places it where real-time testing can impact decision making. Such a platform can potentially be both lifesaving and cost-effective in the long run due to enabling rapid triage or early diagnosis. Patients as well as clinicians and researchers working on the discovery of new drugs and protein engineering would potentially significantly benefit from this technology. Furthermore, a portable platform can pave the way for new specialized diagnostic tests that can be performed at a doctor's office, in mobile settings, or even in disaster-relief scenarios.This I-Corps project will further develop a portable and disposable cytometry platform. The technology monitors the trajectories of magnetically labeled cells on a microfluidic chip and uses computational modeling to estimate their membrane antigen expression. This projectile-based cytometry technique takes the burden of sample discrimination off the sensor, making it possible to choose an optimal sensing modality for system integration and data acquisition. The integrated yet disposable electrical flow cytometer works as simply as a Coulter counter while measuring the target surface antigen or other biomarkers that otherwise could not directly be analyzed electrically. Furthermore, the technology embeds the sample manipulation stage into the cytometry process, opening a path for direct expression profiling from unprocessed samples.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.