Blood cell diffusion visualization using multiple hydrodynamic flow focusing

This paper reports on the development of a microfluidic platform to study mass transport mechanisms of blood cells and fluid visualization of fluid streamlines on micro-contractions. Micro fabricated contractions can mimic the haemodynamics of pathological vessels to observe thrombi formation independent of chemical pathways 1 . Under these conditions thrombus formation is affected by a number of variables including blood cell stress history, cellular diffusion and cellular interaction. By using a multiple hydrodynamic flow focusing approach, these variables can be explored systematically. This platform will help to study the role of mass transport phenomena in platelet thrombosis at microscale.