MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEM FOR DETERMINATION OFCELL (PLATELET) STIFFNESS

Abstract

Modern mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems are incredible devices, capable of providing patients with a bridge to transplant when they are experiencing heart failure. Some MCS devices are even being explored as destination therapies. However, one common problem in many types of MCS devices is supra-physiological shear stress applied to blood cells when traveling through the device. This unnatural shear stress can cause platelet activation and, subsequently, thrombotic events, which can have disastrous outcomes for the patient. Research is being conducted into drugs which modify the mechanical properties (e.g.elasticity) of blood cells such as platelets, as more elastic platelets are less likely to become activated when exposed to the high shear stresses encountered in MCS devices. These drugs have been termed ‘mechanoceutical’ drugs. Despite their promise, there is not yet a user-friendly, cost-effective, and rapid system to assess the effects of ‘mechanoceutical’ drugs.This thesis is the final report describing the efforts of Engineering Senior Design team 19089 (Microfluidic System for Determination of Cell (Platelet) Stiffness). The goal of this Senior Design project was to design a system capable of performing dielectrophoresis measurements of live cells in a compact, portable, low-cost, and robust format. The system consisted of a custom-built microscope capable of performing dichroic mirror-based epifluorescence microscopy as well as traditional brightfield microscopy, coupled with an electrical subsystem designed to apply the necessary voltage waveformsfor dielectrophoresis to an electrode chip. This system is intended to facilitate more efficient research and discovery of ‘mechanoceutical’ drugs by providing researchers with an easy-to-use, low-cost system that can be used almost anywhere.