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Physical properties of cells, such as, size, shape and deformability have recently generated a lot of interest as potential biomarkers for different diseases. For example, infection by the malarial parasites makes the infected red blood cells (RBCs) stiffer. Normally biconcave and deformable RBCs change their shapes and become stiffer in sickle cell anemia, thereby leading to blockage of blood flow. My research group uses microfluidic technology to probe physical properties of cells to diagnose different blood-related disorders. In this talk I will briefly discuss two of our ongoing projects. The first project deals with developing a microfluidic device to measure elastic properties of single red blood cells. The second part of the talk will touch upon a microfluidic and mobile microscopy platform to detect sickle cell disease at the point of care and what we learnt from testing this device in the field. The final goal of both these projects is to develop portable and affordable microfluidic devices to bring disease diagnostics from the hospitals to the patient’s bedside.
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