Korean J Hematol.  2007 Dec;42(4):392-396. 10.5045/kjh.2007.42.4.392.

Development of a New Blood Typing Kit Using the Microfluidics Separation Technique

• Suh IB
• Ryu SW
• Lee Y
• Hur DS
• Chung C
• Chang JK
• Lim CS

• KMID: 2252225
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5045/kjh.2007.42.4.392

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Blood typing is an essential test for transfusion. Generally, blood typing is performed using a slide test, tube test or microcolumn agglutination test. The aims of this study were to develop a new blood typing kit using micromachining, microfluidics and microseparation methods, and to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the new blood typing kit.
METHODS
We designed and manufactured a blood typing microchip using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which contained a microchannel (25~200 micrometer). The blood sample and antisera to be tested were dropped on the microwell for movement and mixing by capillary action. Once agglutination occurred, the microchannel acts as a filter and the blood type was determined by observation by the naked eye. To evaluate the newtyping kit, we tested sensitivity using artificially diluted blood and compared the results of the new typing method with the slide and tube methods using 70 samples.
RESULTS
The new blood typing kit could differentiate a +4~+2 agglutination reaction, but could not detect a +1 agglutination reaction as observed by the naked eye. Among 70 samples, the results of ABO and Rh typing by the new typing method (n=66, > or = +2 agglutination reaction by the column agglutination method) were in accord with the results of the tube and slide methods, but couldnot detect agglutination in all 4 clinical samples, below a +1 agglutination reaction.
CONCLUSION
The new blood typing kit is inadequate for routine use in the clinical laboratory due to low sensitivity, but with further improvement, it can be used economically, conveniently and objectively for blood typing without any special equipment. Moreover, the microfludics and separation method may be broadly applicable in other tests using the hemagglutination method.

Keyword

ABO; Rh; Blood typing; Microfluidics; Microseparation

MeSH Terms

Agglutination
Agglutination Tests
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching*
Capillary Action
Hemagglutination
Immune Sera
Microfluidics*
Microtechnology
Immune Sera

Figure

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  Fig. 1 The basic parts of blood typing microchip.

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  Fig. 2 The schematic diagram and photograph of bood typing microchip.

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  Fig. 3 The blood typing results using Microfluidics-Techniques (A) and the filtering effect of blood typing microchip in +2 agglutination reaction (B).

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