Hemagglutination Assay via Optical Density Characterization in 3D Microtrap Chips

Biosensors (Basel). 2023 Jul 14;13(7):733. doi: 10.3390/bios13070733.

Abstract

Hemagglutination assay has been used for blood typing and detecting viruses, thus applicable for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Therefore, the development of microfluidic devices for fast detection of hemagglutination is on-demand for point-of-care diagnosis. Here, we present a way to detect hemagglutination in 3D microfluidic devices via optical absorbance (optical density, OD) characterization. 3D printing is a powerful way to build microfluidic structures for diagnostic devices. However, mixing liquid in microfluidic chips is difficult due to laminar flow, which hampers practical applications such as antigen-antibody mixing. To overcome the issue, we fabricated 3D microfluidic chips with embedded microchannel and microwell structures to induce hemagglutination between red blood cells (RBCs) and antibodies. We named it a 3D microtrap chip. We also established an automated measurement system which is an integral part of diagnostic devices. To do this, we developed a novel way to identify RBC agglutination and non-agglutination via the OD difference. By adapting a 3D-printed aperture to the microtrap chip, we obtained a pure absorbance signal from the microchannels by eliminating the background brightness of the microtrap chip. By investigating the underlying optical physics, we provide a 3D device platform for detecting hemagglutination.

Keywords: 3D microtrap chip; 3D printed aperture; hemagglutination; optical density (OD).

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Erythrocytes
  • Hemagglutination*
  • Humans
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Microfluidics