RBC Oxygen Affinity Testing With Plate Spectrophotometer Throughput

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing oxygen affinity testing systems for red blood cells are expensive, low-throughput, and require opaque calculations, posing a barrier to widespread adoption.

Innovation Solution

A transparent, low-cost, high-throughput system and method using a plate-reading spectrophotometer (PRS) with integrated oxygen and temperature probes, and custom well plates or modified standard plates, to measure light absorbance and oxygen levels in liquid RBC samples, employing data processing to determine oxygen binding affinity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a dual wavelength spectrophotometer is used for oxygen affinity testing, then measurement precision is improved, but device cost and analysis time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoxygen affinity measurement accuracyVSAvoidsystem cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the oxygen affinity measurement into multiple independent wavelength measurements (e.g., 540nm and 580nm) that can be performed sequentially or in parallel using a standard spectrophotometer, rather than requiring a single complex dual-wavelength instrument. This segmentation allows the use of simpler, more affordable equipment while maintaining measurement precision through computational analysis of the spectral data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/optical complexity of a dedicated dual-wavelength spectrophotometer with a standard spectrophotometer combined with computational algorithms. Instead of having specialized hardware for each wavelength measurement, the system uses a general-purpose spectrophotometer and processes the data through software calculations to derive oxygen affinity parameters, thereby reducing device cost while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If standard oxygen affinity testing is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to low throughput

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvep50 calculation accuracyVSAvoidsample processing throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary spectral data collection at multiple wavelengths and time points before final p50 calculation. By gathering comprehensive spectral information in advance across multiple samples simultaneously, the system enables rapid computational analysis and reduces the time required per sample, thereby increasing overall throughput while maintaining precision through thorough data collection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from single-point measurement to multi-dimensional data collection by measuring absorbance at multiple wavelengths and time points simultaneously for multiple samples. This dimensional expansion allows parallel processing of multiple samples and enables sophisticated curve fitting algorithms to extract accurate p50 values, thereby improving both productivity and measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Measurement precision

If traditional oxygen affinity systems are used, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to opaque calculations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoxygen binding affinity accuracyVSAvoiduser understanding of p50 calculations

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that provide real-time or near-real-time p50 calculations and interpretations to the user during the measurement process. By continuously displaying intermediate results, oxygen saturation curves, and final p50 values with clear explanations, the system makes the previously opaque calculations transparent and easy to understand, while maintaining measurement precision through rigorous computational methods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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 rapid, reliable determination of oxygen binding affinity for hemoglobin, providing accurate p50 calculations and overcoming the limitations of traditional systems, suitable for blood banks and potential applications in artificial blood substitutes.

Implementation Method 1

measuring light absorbance by RBC samples in a liquid suspension

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight absorbance: Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 2

sensing, via at least one probe, oxygen level of the RBC sample

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOxygen sensing:

Data Source

PatentUS20260049999A1Systems and methods for assessing oxygen binding in native red blood cell suspensions

Publication Date: 2026.02.19 THE GENEVA FOUND

AI summary

The disclosure relates to a system and method for assessing red blood cell oxygen affinity involving spectrophotometric oxygen dissociation assay (SODA).