Abstract

Whole Blood Microfluidics

Ian Papautsky, Professor of Bioengineering, Co-Director, NSF Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics, University of Illinois at Chicago

Microfluidic devices based on inertial microfluidics have attracted considerable attention for applications in blood fractionation and liquid biopsy due to their label-free nature. However, these devices can be complex, deliver limited throughput, and rely on sample dilution, making them challenging to deploy as routinely used tools. We are developing platforms capable of label-free separation from unmodified whole blood to rapidly fractionate blood cells or screen rare cell populations, for downstream analysis or drug screening.