Rapid blood platelet analysis: linking micro-capillary assays to novel digital microscopy and smartphone technology

血凝块可以让我们从组织损伤中恢复过来。血小板是一种小的血细胞，通过聚集在一起形成凝块来防止出血。它们在心血管疾病中起着至关重要的作用，最明显的是当心脏或大脑血管中形成血块导致心脏病发作或中风时。血小板还在感染和免疫（例如登革热、艾滋病毒、疟疾）以及癌症转移中发挥更广泛的作用。因此，测量血小板数量、活性或对刺激的反应是监测健康和诊断各种急性和慢性疾病的重要工具。该项目将利用现代智能手机中先进的计算和图像处理能力，以及最新的快速原型技术（如3D打印），结合新型微毛细管生物测定技术，开发简单、可靠、低成本的血小板功能监测测试。这将使血小板测量能够在患者附近进行，无需中央实验室处理即可提供快速结果，将血小板检测扩展到目前无法获得运行这些检测所需的专业设备或专业知识的环境（例如发展中国家或英国的初级保健）。作为我们正在进行的项目的一部分，我们开发了一个原理验证原型微毛细管血小板功能分析仪（iCAP）。该项目的目标是通过了解毛细血管内的流体动力学和血小板相互作用来扩展iCAP的效用，并使用低成本的3D打印显微镜开发毛细血管成像。这将扩大iCAP的临床测试范围，并将对其诊断效用和医疗保健系统的吸收至关重要。

Blood clots allow us to recover from tissue injury. Platelets are small blood cells that prevent bleeding by clumping together to form clots. They play a vital role in cardiovascular disease, most obviously when clots form in the blood vessels of the heart or brain causing heart attacks or strokes. Platelets also play a broader role in infection and immunity (e.g. dengue, HIV, malaria), as well as cancer metastasis. Measuring platelet number, activity, or response to stimulation is therefore a vital tool for monitoring health and for diagnosis of various acute and chronic conditions.This project will use advances in computing and image processing power available in modern smart phones, and the latest rapid prototyping techniques such as 3D printing, combined with a novel micro-capillary bioassay to develop simple, reliable, low-cost tests for monitoring platelet function. This will enable platelet measurements to be performed close to the patient, offering rapid results without central lab processing, expanding platelet testing to settings that don't have access to the specialist equipment or expertise currently needed to run these test (e.g. developing countries or primary care in the UK).As part of our on-going program we have developed a proof-of-principle prototype micro-capillary platelet function analyser (iCAP). The goals of this project are to expand the utility of the iCAP by understanding the fluid dynamics and platelet interactions within the capillaries, and to develop the imaging of the capillaries using low-costs 3D printable microscopes. This will widen the range of clinical test that can be performed with the iCAP, and will be vital for its diagnostic utility and uptake by healthcare systems.