Fibrous Substrate Blood Collection With Controlled Volume Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for collecting bodily fluids, particularly blood, onto substrates like paper suffer from inconsistencies in blood volume transfer, contamination, and difficulty in handling and preparation for transportation, especially in remote or underserved areas.
Innovation Solution
A single integrated device that collects bodily fluids, such as blood, directly onto a fibrous substrate within a cartridge, allowing for controlled volume deposition and drying, facilitating easy transportation and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blood is transferred onto paper substrates using conventional methods, then the sample can be stabilized and transported, but the blood volume transfer is inconsistent and contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a controlled intermediary structure (the substrate with defined absorption zones and microfluidic channels) between the blood collection device and the paper matrix. This intermediary mediates the blood transfer process by guiding blood flow through controlled pathways and limiting absorption to specific zones, thereby preventing uncontrolled wicking and contamination while ensuring consistent volume transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is designed with non-uniform local properties, including hydrophilic zones with specific absorption capacities and hydrophobic barriers in other areas. This local quality differentiation ensures that blood is absorbed only in designated regions with precise volume control, preventing spread to unwanted areas and eliminating contamination risks associated with uncontrolled wicking.
2Quantity of substance
If blood is allowed to wick into the paper substrate, then the sample is absorbed, but the blood spreads into unpredictable shapes and volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate incorporates regions with different wettability properties - hydrophilic zones that actively absorb blood and hydrophobic zones that repel it. This creates well-defined absorption boundaries that control the shape and volume of blood deposits, ensuring precise and reproducible sample quantities without unpredictable spreading.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is segmented into multiple functional zones: an absorption zone for capturing blood, a transition zone for controlled wicking, and a barrier zone with hydrophobic properties that stops further spread. This segmentation confines blood to specific regions, ensuring precise volume control and predictable deposition patterns.
3Ease of operation
If the blood sample is handled in liquid form, then it can be transferred, but contamination may occur until the blood is actually dry
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is pre-designed with controlled absorption pathways and drying zones that facilitate rapid evaporation. The hydrophilic regions draw blood into capillary structures that maximize surface area exposure to air, accelerating the drying process. This preliminary structural preparation ensures quick transition from liquid to dry state, minimizing contamination risk during handling and transport.
4Productivity
If conventional blood collection systems are used, then blood can be collected, but transfer onto substrates results in inconsistencies in precision
Solution Approach 1:
The controlled substrate structure acts as an intermediary that receives blood from the collection device and imposes geometric constraints on the transfer. The defined absorption zones and microfluidic channels ensure that blood volume is precisely determined by the substrate's physical properties rather than variable manual handling, improving both efficiency and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate's physical parameters (hydrophilicity, pore size, thickness, surface area) are optimized to control blood absorption kinetics and final volume. By carefully selecting and tuning these parameters, the system achieves precise and reproducible blood volume transfer while maintaining high collection efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise and contamination-free transfer of bodily fluids onto substrates, ensuring consistent sample quality for remote analysis, suitable for use by untrained personnel.
Implementation Method 1
Paper and fiber substrates have been utilized extensively to stabilize blood-based analytes
Implementation Method 2
the drying of blood onto the matrices, and the ability to transport the samples safely
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to devices, systems and methods for the collection of bodily fluids. The collector can make use of microfluidic networks connected to collection sites on the skin of a subject to gather and shuttle blood into a removable cartridge. The collected fluid is supplied to substrate for drying, storage and transport.