Soft Lithography has been pioneered in the past decade as a tool to manipulate cells under well controlled physical and chemical conditions. Despite the vast number of studies applied in various lines of cells, there have been few focusing on the membrane properties of erythrocytes. Here we present a novel and convenient alternative to traditional methods used to obtain physical properties of erythrocytes, and our objective is to establish a standard model for healthy red blood cells and derive clear model for quantification of severity in erythrocyte membrane disorders, with emphasis on Sickle Cell Disease. This device serves a purpose as mimicking the filtering function of the human spleen, where hemolysis occur in old or diseased erythrocytes as they pass through the capillaries of the spleen.
Project end date: 01/29/08