RRI scientists develop devices for affordable initial screening of sickle cell disease

Scientists at the Raman Institute (RRI) have developed an affordable electro-rich device that facilitates initial screening of sickle cell disease (SCD).

According to RRI, innovative, cost-effective current-pass microporous devices can quantify whole-cell stiffness with high resolution and high throughput, with special attention to SCD screening.

“This technology has the potential to change the initial diagnosis of blood diseases,” RRI said.

Gautam Soni, S, the soft condensate theme of Bengaluru. Kaushik and A. Mishra developed the device, R. Ross, S. Srivastava and R. Ross, S, from St. Johns Medical College Hospital, Bangalore. Srivastava and CR Ross helped test the device by comparing blood cells from SCD patients with blood cells from healthy donors.

High resolution measurement

“This new technology measures changes in RBC physiology and cell stiffness at high resolution and connects them to potential disease states,” said lead investigator Gautam Soni.

RRI said the researchers were able to create a system that effectively distinguishes SCD from healthy donor RBCs because of their inherent stiffness differences (high accuracy).

“They studied samples of free-fly and narrow flight modes to measure cell volume and stiffness, respectively. They used latrunculin A (actin inhibitor, which reduced cell stiffness) to first quantify the correlation between micropores and cell stiffness flight time.”

Their use of the above method showed that their device allows rapid replacement of mechanical abnormalities in RBC and therefore serves as a preliminary screening device for a variety of blood conditions.

“The portability and cost efficiency of the device will make it an attractive option for large-scale screening, resulting in early detection of SCD in rural and urban areas of the country,” RRI said.

Cell stiffness

It further says that whole cell stiffness can be applied outside of SCD screening, which is an ubiquitous parameter of cell health, such as in areas of tumor cell detection and veterinary blood disease.

“The equipment principle may also be non-medical, for example, in improving the hydrogel materials used in drug delivery systems,” RRI said.