Point-of-Care Anaemia Screening: Microfluidic Haemoglobin Testing at IIT Madras

Development of a point-of-care device for simultaneous estimation of haemoglobin & micronutrients from capillary blood using microfluidic technology

Objective

• To design, develop, and clinically validate a portable microfluidic-based PoC device capable of estimating haemoglobin, ferritin (as a marker of iron status), vitamin B12, and folate using less than 50 microlitres of capillary whole blood obtained via finger prick, To design and fabricate a microfluidic cartridge incorporating passive capillary-driven flow and an integrated plasma separation module, To perform detailed fluid dynamic modelling of microscale blood flow within the device and fabricate the optimized design of the cartridge, To integrate optical detection for haemoglobin estimation and electrochemical immunosensors for ferritin, vitamin B12, and folate, To develop a compact handheld reader unit with embedded electronics for signal acquisition, calibration, and data processing, To clinically validate the device against standard laboratory assays in a representative population cohort

Description

• The overall aim of this project is to design, develop, and clinically validate a portable microfluidic-based PoC device capable of estimating haemoglobin, ferritin (as a marker of iron status), vitamin B12, and folate using less than 50 μL of capillary whole blood obtained via finger prick.

Impact

• A validated, minimally invasive, portable PoC device compatible with cloud-based analytics, capable of delivering haemoglobin and micronutrient results within 10-15 minutes, A disposable cartridge using only a few hundred microlitres of sample, with cost expected to remain affordable for large-scale public health use, Intellectual property in microfluidic design and multiplex biosensing, alongside peer-reviewed publications and potential technology transfer opportunities, Significantly strengthened anaemia and micronutrient screening programs across India, with early detection at the primary care level enabling timely supplementation and reducing maternal and neonatal complications, Deployment in primary health centres, antenatal clinics, mobile medical units, and rural outreach camps, Indigenous development of microfluidic diagnostic technology and interdisciplinary collaboration between biomedical engineers, clinicians, and public health experts, Approximately 40,000 individuals screened annually during pilot deployment, with direct beneficiaries expected to exceed one lakh over three years