Listen to the lasers to detect disease in blood cells

[Nipuna]

Blood disorders could be rapidly diagnosed using lasers that detect oddly shaped red blood cells.

Human red blood cells are usually disc-shaped with a central dimple but conditions such as sickle-cell anaemia and malaria alter their shape. Blood cells stored for transfusion also change shape as they age.

Eric Strohm at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, used laser light to heat the protein haemoglobin within red blood cells without affecting the surroundings. This resulted in an ultrasonic pressure wave that can be detected as sound to give information about the cell's size and shape.

The team compared a sample of fresh red blood cells with cells that looked spiky because their energy stores had been depleted. Just 21 cells, and measurements that take a few seconds, were all that was needed for the team to distinguish normal from spiky cells.

Jason Acker of the Canadian Blood Services is interested in seeing if this technology can be used to test the blood the service stores, which he says could enhance the quality of patient transfusions.

Journal reference: Biophysical Journal, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.05.037