The invention is a microfluidic device designed to separate platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) from blood. It uses a single-layer microdevice to exploit biophysical and geometrical effects for efficient separation of plasma with varying platelet concentration, providing high purity PRP and PPP suitable for medical and research applications.
Figure 1. The platelets get separated through the secondary channels forming the Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP).
Platelets play a crucial role in blood clotting and healing. Hence, its need becomes critical, especially in context of diseases like Dengue (in which the platelet count of the platelet falls by a huge amount). Therefore, the separation of platelets becomes very important. Conventional methods for obtaining platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP), such as centrifugation, are time-consuming, complex, and prone to contamination due to multiple manual steps. Existing microdevices for plasma separation are often multilayered and difficult to fabricate.
- High purity: The innovation achieves high purity PRP and PPP with minimal manual intervention due to the inclusion of single-layer microchannel, with simplified design and fabrication.
- Cost-effective and easy fabrication: Single-layer design is simpler and cheaper to produce.
- No external sources required: It operates without needing additional equipment by the peculiar design that involves minimal contamination risk due to reduced manual handling.
The developed prototype includes:
- A microchannel network fabricated in a single layer of PDMS, with a main channel for blood flow and side channels for extracting PPP ad PRP
- Gradual constriction and expansion zones to facilitate the separation process
The developed prototype has been tested at various flow rates. The device effectively separated PPP and PRP with high purity, demonstrating its practical applicability.
3
The innovation provides a reliable source of high purity PPP and PRP for various medical treatments, improving patient outcomes. Its simplified fabrication and operation reduces costs in clinical and research settings.
- Medical diagnostics: Used for preparing PRP and PPP for platelet aggregation studies, tissue regeneration, and other medical applications
- Surgical applications: PPP acts as a fibrin glue for hemostasis and tissue adhesion, reducing postoperative complications
- PRP is used for wound healing and recovery biomedical research: Useful in studying blood components and related physiological processes
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