Flow-Stabilized Microfluidic Sensing of Thermally Induced Changes in Red Blood Cell Aggregation During Closed-Loop Circulation.
- 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, 10, Chosundae 1-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is a sensitive indicator of hemorheological alterations, but conventional methods generally rely on intermittent or end-point measurements. This study presents a flow-stabilized closed-loop microfluidic platform for continuous measurement of the RBC aggregation index (AI) during controlled circulation and thermal exposure. The system integrates a peristaltic pump, hydraulic flow stabilizer (FS), microfluidic aggregation sensor, and thermal mixer to suppress flow pulsation and RBC sedimentation. The FS increases the characteristic flow-response time by approximately 17.6-fold, markedly attenuating pump-induced fluctuations. Under stabilized conditions, flow rates in the main channel and test chamber remain highly linear with the imposed flow rate, while stable AI measurements are maintained for at least 30 min. The platform also resolves dextran-dependent changes in RBC aggregation during continuous circulation. During thermal exposure from 25 to 47 °C, main-channel image intensity (Imc) and AI remain nearly constant up to 43 °C, whereas exposure at ≥45 °C causes a progressive increase in Imc and a marked decrease in AI. These results demonstrate continuous detection of thermally induced changes in RBC aggregation at a fixed measurement temperature of 25 °C without interrupting circulation and provide a versatile framework for investigating progressive changes in aggregation behavior under controlled and reproducible in vitro conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{kang2026flowstabilized,
title = {{Flow-Stabilized Microfluidic Sensing of Thermally Induced Changes in Red Blood Cell Aggregation During Closed-Loop Circulation.}},
author = {Yang Jun Kang},
journal = {Biosensors},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/bios16100575},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930122},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Flow-Stabilized Microfluidic Sensing of Thermally Induced Changes in Red Blood Cell Aggregation During Closed-Loop Circulation.
AU - Yang Jun Kang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Biosensors
DO - 10.3390/bios16100575
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930122
AB - Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is a sensitive indicator of hemorheological alterations, but conventional methods generally rely on intermittent or end-point measurements. This study presents a flow-stabilized closed-loop microfluidic platform for continuous measurement of the RBC aggregation index (AI) during controlled circulation and thermal exposure. The system integrates a peristaltic pump, hydraulic flow stabilizer (FS), microfluidic aggregation sensor, and thermal mixer to suppress flow pulsation and RBC sedimentation. The FS increases the characteristic flow-response time by approximately 17.6-fold, markedly attenuating pump-induced fluctuations. Under stabilized conditions, flow rates in the main channel and test chamber remain highly linear with the imposed flow rate, while stable AI measurements are maintained for at least 30 min. The platform also resolves dextran-dependent changes in RBC aggregation during continuous circulation. During thermal exposure from 25 to 47 °C, main-channel image intensity (Imc) and AI remain nearly constant up to 43 °C, whereas exposure at ≥45 °C causes a progressive increase in Imc and a marked decrease in AI. These results demonstrate continuous detection of thermally induced changes in RBC aggregation at a fixed measurement temperature of 25 °C without interrupting circulation and provide a versatile framework for investigating progressive changes in aggregation behavior under controlled and reproducible in vitro conditions.
SN - 2079-6374
ER -