A SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE METHOD FOR IMMUOPHENOTYPING USING A MICROFLUIDIC CHIP SAMPLE PREPARATION WITH IMAGE CYTOMETRY

摘要

The enumeration of cells in fluids by flow cytometry includes a simple system for CD4 and CD8 counting in point-of-care HIV staging within resource poor countries. No sample preparation is required with the sample added directly to a chip containing dried reagents by capillary flow. A large area image cytometer consisting of an LED module is used to excite the fluorochromes PerCP and APC labeled targets and a monochrome CCD camera with a combination of two macro lenses captures images of 40 square milimeters of blood (approximately 1 microliter). CD4 and CD8-T-lymphocyte counts correlate well with those obtained by flow cytometry. The cytometer system described in the present invention provides an affordable and easy-to-use technique for use in remote locations. The novel device, methods and system disclosed herein largely overcome limitations of cost, size and complexity of the instruments for wider usage.