A microfluidic flow analyzer with integrated lensed optical fibers
A. Mohan, Preksha Gupta, A. P. Nair, Anil Prabhakar, Taslimarif Saiyed
Abstract
Rapid optical interrogation of flowing cells or particles is a powerful tool in the field of biomedical diagnostics. Determination of size and composition of fast-flowing cells, with diameters in the range of 2–15μm, often require complex open-space optics and expensive high-speed cameras. In this work, a method to overcome these challenges by using a hydrodynamic flow-based microfluidic platform coupled with on-chip integrated fiber optics is reported. The lab-scale portable device developed uses a combination of on-chip lensed and non-lensed optical fibers for precision illumination. The narrow light beam produced by the lensed fiber (f=150μm) enables precise optical analysis with high sensitivity. A planar arrangement of optical fibers at various angles facilitates multi-parametric analysis from a single point of interrogation. As proof of concept, the laboratory-scale portable bench-top prototype is used to measure fluorescence signals from CD4 immunostained cells and human blood samples. The performance of microfluidic flow analyzer is also compared to the conventional Guava® easyCyte 8HT flow cytometer.