Bioimpedance single cell sensing of low and high density sickle erythrocytes using microfluidics

Abstract

In this paper, sickled red blood cells of different densities from distinct Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients were analyzed, using a microfluidic device based on bioimpedance sensing. Complementary to our previous work (Xu et al., 2020) demonstrating the capacity of our microfluidic device to discriminate between normal and pathological red blood cells, we investigated the microcirculatory properties of red blood cells (RBCs) in sickle cell disease based on their density. RBCs were separated using a triple density Percoll fractionation in low density (LD), dense (D) and high density (HD) RBCs. Single cell transiting through microfluidic constrictions was electrically recorded. Gaussian distributions, adjusted to the histograms of transit time (TT), as well as in phase blockade amplitude (IP BA) and phase shift (PS) of the electrical signal, were analyzed for the three RBC subpopulations. A specific electrical signature was achieved for each RBC subpopulation, with decreased TT, BA and PS for increasing densities. This approach provides a promising tool to monitor the effect of therapeutical strategies in sickle cell disease and other red cell disorders.