Optofluidic laser speckle decorrelation time analysis for assessing function of blood cells

Abstract

Laser speckle imaging has been widely used for estimation of blood flow in animal models and the clinic applications. In this thesis, laser speckle imaging combined with a microfluidic system to introduce the possibility of a new direction toward the diagnostic application and developed assessment method to enable a simple and rapid assay for evaluating blood cell function. The speckle decorrelation time (SDT) acquired from the laser speckle image correlated with platelet function and RBCs storage duration. The SDT of the blood flowing through a microfluidic channel provides a blood cell aggregation and adhesion. Laser speckle decorrelation time analysis may serve as a convenient means to monitor the function of blood cells. These findings show that the SDT of blood cells has the potential for rapid screening of bleeding disorders, monitoring of antiplatelet therapies, and assessing the quality of stored RBCs with only a small volume of blood.