Droplet-Based Microrheometer for Real-Time Viscosity Monitoring of Blood Coagulation

  Fully automated, droplet-based microfluidic rheometer system that can monitor and analyze a variety of rheological properties of relevance to the blood coagulation process.

Value Proposition

The [Droplet-Based Microrheometer for Real-Time Viscosity Monitoring of Blood Coagulation] is an automated, microfluidic rheometer system for easy and quick measurement of blood or plasma viscosities in order to continuously monitor blood rheology and viscoelastic properties to include diagnosis of coagulation abnormalities in patients.

Abnormalities in blood rheology and coagulation are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the field of trauma care, for example, uncontrollable bleeding caused by coagulopathy (i.e., coagulation abnormalities) is a major cause of preventable death. Many of these deaths can be prevented through early diagnosis and treatment of coagulopathy, but existing tests suffer from low sensitivity and poor reproducibility across laboratories, and have failed to become standardized for acute care. Existing tests are also unable monitor any changes in the blood before the clots form, such as innate viscosity and its dynamic changes.

The Droplet-Based Microrheometer for Real-Time Viscosity Monitoring of Blood Coagulation can uniquely cover these gaps, diagnosing and monitoring changes in blood rheology in near-real-time.

Competitive Advantage

Delivers visibility into blood rheology that existing tests cannot
Automated, easy to administer and read
Can also monitor a host of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases associated with inflammation, including sepsis, diabetes, infections, autoimmune diseases, hypertension and many others.

Unique Features

Micro-volume sampling of whole blood (1 μl)
On-chip electrodes sense the differences in dielectric constants once a blood or plasma droplet is passed by, multiple times per second
Chip signals are sent to a computer for droplet calculations where user can input settings for greater accuracy
Device can be calibrated and optimized to improve sensitivity and robustness by altering device geometry, channel size, feeding pressures of oil and blood, and oil viscosities.

Emerging Products have high confidence for commercial viability and will be ready to license in 1-2 years

Principal Investigators
Mark Burns
Yunzi Li
Kevin Ward, MD

Licensing Manager
Drew Bennett

Intellectual Property
Invention Disclosure # 6695`
Patent Granted: US10845284

Solution Sheet
Download Solution Sheet (PDF)

MARKET OPPORTUNITY
Approximately 4.5 million patients are transfused with nearly 21 million blood components each year in the U.S. alone. Studies indicate that reductions in red blood cell (RBC) deformability or the use of older blood is associated with increased risk of post-operative complications and negative outcomes. Over 12 million patients visit the emergency room every year because of chest pain, cerebrovascular disease, sepsis, and sickle cell disease. Each of these transfusion and emergency room patients could benefit from plasma and whole blood viscosity monitoring, coagulation monitoring, or RBC deformability measurements.

Please contact the Licensing Manager, Drew Bennett, for more information.