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Researchers say they have developed a new system for studying the resilience of red blood cells (RBCs).
The team’s microfluidic system allowed them to look at how RBCs spring back into shape after deforming to pass through a narrow channel.
The researchers believe their findings could aid the diagnosis and treatment of blood-related diseases such as septic shock and malaria.
Hiroaki Ito, PhD, of Osaka University in Suita, Japan, and his colleagues detailed these findings in Scientific Reports.
To study RBCs, the researchers built a “catch-load-launch” microfluidic platform.
The setup included a microchannel in which a single RBC could be held in place for any desired length of time. The RBC was ultimately launched into a wider section using a robotic pump, which simulates the transition from a capillary into a larger vessel.
“The cell was precisely localized in the microchannel by the combination of pressure control and real-time visual feedback,” explained study author Makoto Kaneko, of Osaka University.
“This let us ‘catch’ an erythrocyte in front of the constriction, ‘load’ it inside for a desired time, and quickly ‘launch’ it from the constriction to monitor the shape recovery over time.”
The researchers found that, as the time the RBC was held in the constricted region was increased—from 5 seconds all the way to 5 minutes—the time it took the cell to recover its normal shape also increased.
For very short constriction times, the cells bounced back within 1/10 of a second. But it took approximately 10 seconds for cells to recover if they were held in the narrow segment longer than about 3 minutes.
The researchers also used their “catch-load-launch” system to study septic shock. This condition can occur when bacteria invade the bloodstream and release endotoxins.
Patients with septic shock may suffer from reduced circulation inside the narrow blood vessels as RBCs become too stiff. The same problem can be caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
The researchers exposed RBCs to endotoxin from the bacteria Salmonella minnesota and found the RBCs became stiffer and less resilient.
“There is a great deal of evidence that relates certain diseases, including sepsis and malaria, to a decrease in the deformability of red blood cells,” Dr Ito said.
“Such a stiffening can lead to a disturbance in microcirculation, and our ‘catch-load-launch’ platform has the potential to be applied to the mechanical diagnosis of these diseased blood cells.” 
Researchers say they have developed a new system for studying the resilience of red blood cells (RBCs).
The team’s microfluidic system allowed them to look at how RBCs spring back into shape after deforming to pass through a narrow channel.
The researchers believe their findings could aid the diagnosis and treatment of blood-related diseases such as septic shock and malaria.
Hiroaki Ito, PhD, of Osaka University in Suita, Japan, and his colleagues detailed these findings in Scientific Reports.
To study RBCs, the researchers built a “catch-load-launch” microfluidic platform.
The setup included a microchannel in which a single RBC could be held in place for any desired length of time. The RBC was ultimately launched into a wider section using a robotic pump, which simulates the transition from a capillary into a larger vessel.
“The cell was precisely localized in the microchannel by the combination of pressure control and real-time visual feedback,” explained study author Makoto Kaneko, of Osaka University.
“This let us ‘catch’ an erythrocyte in front of the constriction, ‘load’ it inside for a desired time, and quickly ‘launch’ it from the constriction to monitor the shape recovery over time.”
The researchers found that, as the time the RBC was held in the constricted region was increased—from 5 seconds all the way to 5 minutes—the time it took the cell to recover its normal shape also increased.
For very short constriction times, the cells bounced back within 1/10 of a second. But it took approximately 10 seconds for cells to recover if they were held in the narrow segment longer than about 3 minutes.
The researchers also used their “catch-load-launch” system to study septic shock. This condition can occur when bacteria invade the bloodstream and release endotoxins.
Patients with septic shock may suffer from reduced circulation inside the narrow blood vessels as RBCs become too stiff. The same problem can be caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
The researchers exposed RBCs to endotoxin from the bacteria Salmonella minnesota and found the RBCs became stiffer and less resilient.
“There is a great deal of evidence that relates certain diseases, including sepsis and malaria, to a decrease in the deformability of red blood cells,” Dr Ito said.
“Such a stiffening can lead to a disturbance in microcirculation, and our ‘catch-load-launch’ platform has the potential to be applied to the mechanical diagnosis of these diseased blood cells.”
Researchers say they have developed a new system for studying the resilience of red blood cells (RBCs).
The team’s microfluidic system allowed them to look at how RBCs spring back into shape after deforming to pass through a narrow channel.
The researchers believe their findings could aid the diagnosis and treatment of blood-related diseases such as septic shock and malaria.
Hiroaki Ito, PhD, of Osaka University in Suita, Japan, and his colleagues detailed these findings in Scientific Reports.
To study RBCs, the researchers built a “catch-load-launch” microfluidic platform.
The setup included a microchannel in which a single RBC could be held in place for any desired length of time. The RBC was ultimately launched into a wider section using a robotic pump, which simulates the transition from a capillary into a larger vessel.
“The cell was precisely localized in the microchannel by the combination of pressure control and real-time visual feedback,” explained study author Makoto Kaneko, of Osaka University.
“This let us ‘catch’ an erythrocyte in front of the constriction, ‘load’ it inside for a desired time, and quickly ‘launch’ it from the constriction to monitor the shape recovery over time.”
The researchers found that, as the time the RBC was held in the constricted region was increased—from 5 seconds all the way to 5 minutes—the time it took the cell to recover its normal shape also increased.
For very short constriction times, the cells bounced back within 1/10 of a second. But it took approximately 10 seconds for cells to recover if they were held in the narrow segment longer than about 3 minutes.
The researchers also used their “catch-load-launch” system to study septic shock. This condition can occur when bacteria invade the bloodstream and release endotoxins.
Patients with septic shock may suffer from reduced circulation inside the narrow blood vessels as RBCs become too stiff. The same problem can be caused by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
The researchers exposed RBCs to endotoxin from the bacteria Salmonella minnesota and found the RBCs became stiffer and less resilient.
“There is a great deal of evidence that relates certain diseases, including sepsis and malaria, to a decrease in the deformability of red blood cells,” Dr Ito said.
“Such a stiffening can lead to a disturbance in microcirculation, and our ‘catch-load-launch’ platform has the potential to be applied to the mechanical diagnosis of these diseased blood cells.”