Accurate, Accelerated and Affordable Kit to Predict Sickle Cell Disease Using Microfluidics and Cell Phone-based Imaging Systems

Debjani Paul, Ninad Mehendale and Ammar Jagirdar from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in India will develop a simple system to detect sickle cell disease for use by untrained individuals in tribal populations in India in order to reduce infant mortality rates. Current diagnostics require expensive equipment and trained personnel, and are often inaccessible to the rural populations most in need. They will produce a microfluidic chip that can preserve a sample of blood in the deoxygenated environment required to maintain its characteristic sickle-shape, which can then be detected by a modified mobile phone camera and automated software that they will also develop. The system will be tested for sensitivity and specificity using blood from patients with sickle cell disease. This grant was selected through India's IKP Knowledge Park and their IKP-GCE program.