Abstract

Lab on a Chip System for Blood Coagulation Measurement using Disposable Optical Sensor

Gökhan Saglam, Project Coordinator, KOÇ University

Millions of patients who suffer from certain conditions receive an anticoagulant therapy and need to measure their coagulation time periodically. Regular blood coagulation measurement is critical to determine the correct dose of warfarin. There are some devices that employ indirect methods based on electro-chemical measurement principle but those have limited accuracy and reliability. We developed a novel fiber optic based lab on chip system that can measure coagulation time using a direct mechanical measurement method. Our platform technology consists of a reader unit and disposible simple cartridge. When the cartridge is inserted in the unit, an electro-coil in the reader unit creates electromagnetic force and vibrates the tip of the optical fiber inside the cartridge. The vibration amplitude and phase are monitored by a lock-in amplifier and post-detection signal processing yields the desired coagulation time measurement. Our measurements for protrombin time were very successful; we measured 11sec (reference 8-12sec) for normal plasma, 26sec (reference 17-28sec) for low abnormal plasma, and 49sec (reference 32.6-48.9 sec) for high abnormal plasma and the repeated experiments gave expected results. Clinical trials using whole blood samples from patients and comparison with clinical lab instruments will be presented for the first time during the conference.