An Acoustofluidic Device for Biocompatible Platelet Separation

Project Summary The ability to perform platelet separation with a high throughputhigh recovery ratehigh purityand high platelet integrity is extremely important in many biomedical research studies and therapeutic applicationssuch as platelet transfusionsCentrifugation is currently thegold standardlaboratory technique used to obtain platelets from whole bloodHoweverthis current approach for platelet separation often sacrifices the integrity of the platelets and disturbs them from their resting stateIt has been reported that centrifugation processes significantly activate plateletsalter their morphologyreduce their membrane integrityand affect platelet functionsThese drawbacks limit the usefulness of the resulting platelet samples in many biomedical studies and clinical applicationsresulting in many unmet needsOur objective is to address these unmet needs by developing an acoustofluidici ethe fusion of acoustics and fluid mechanicsbasedplatelet separation method that can maintain platelets in their resting state and preserve their properties and functionsWhen compared to conventional platelet separation techniquesour proposed acoustofluidic approach has already demonstrated a significantly lower level of activationa higher platelet morphology scoreand better membrane integrityIn Phase I of this SBIR projectwe will demonstrate the feasibility and utility of this acoustofluidic platelet separation deviceWith unprecedented capabilities for maintaining platelet integrityour acoustofluidic device will not only become a more compact and affordable replacement to the existing platelet separation approachesbut also fulfill many unmet needs in both fundamental biomedical research and therapeutics Project Narrative The proposed project is to develop tools that can effectively isolate platelets from human blood without affecting the properties and functions of blood componentsIt addresses many unmet needs in the field and has the potential to transform both fundamental biomedical research and therapeuticse gplatelet transfusion