Inertial Microfluidics-based Platform for Portable Platelet Apheresis

Hemorrhage remains a largely unsolved problem and a leading cause of preventable deaths in both civilian and military arenas. Component blood therapy constituting of equal ratios of pRBCs, fresh frozen plasma and platelets have been shown to decrease mortality in hemorrhage patients. Platelet units are currently unavailable at forward operating military treatment facilities due to their short shelf life. Collection of platelets from volunteer donors for just-in-time use is a possible alternative to overcome this shortcoming. However, current platelet apheresis instruments are bulky and power-hungry making them unsuitable for field-use. The proposed effort aims to develop a portable platelet apheresis system based on inertial microfluidics to separate platelets from whole blood. In Phase I, we successfully demonstrated proof of concept of critical technology elements using blood samples followed by preliminary high throughput and ruggedization experiments. In Phase II, the technology will be further matured by integration with COTS components for stand-alone operation. The developed system will be man-portable, power-friendly, and ruggedized making it suitable for use in forward deployed settings. A multi-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and physicians with experience in hematology, microfluidics, product development, MIL-STD-810G testing and regulatory requirements has been assembled for development of the platelet apheresis system.