Next-generation red cell analysers for blood-banking, transfusion medicine, and haematological diagnosis

Tissue O2 delivery is essential for life and rate-limiting for activities.

Its maintenance is paramount in medical conditions ranging from critical care to anaemia, and a common corrective intervention is blood transfusion, drawing an annual demand of >20 units/1000 people.

Blood tests are routinely performed (2/capita/year in Europe) to measure surrogates of O2-carrying capacity, such as haemoglobin content, driving a global market worth 10B.

However, current diagnostics cannot measure the speed of O2 release from red blood cells (RBCs), a parameter as important in determining tissue oxygenation as O2-carrying capacity and particularly labile in haematological disease and blood storage.

To address this unmet need, we developed single-cell oxygen saturation imaging, a method for tracking O2 release from individual RBCs.

We demonstrated how O2-unloading depends critically on the shape and metabolic state of RBCs, providing a gauge of the bloods physiological quality. Notably, our method described slower O2 unloading in spherocytic anaemias and in banked blood units.

To verify significance, we showed how impaired O2 release from stored RBCs reduces oxygenation and respiration in perfused human kidneys.

End-users of our technology are blood-banks (quality control, recipient-donor matching, guiding improvements in materials and methods) and clinicians (novel haematological traits, transfusion, transplant medicine). However, further data are required to re-affirm the medical utility and market for our novel parameter.

Teaming with engineers and industry, this project will design and assemble three benchtop prototypes of our device for proof-of-concept testing in a blood bank (UKs NHSBT), intensive care (Great Ormond St Hospital), and haematological research (Peru). Positive experience will make a compelling case for measuring O2-handling.

Our ambition is to produce a next-generation haematology analyser as a spin-out, or for acquisition by a major commercial partner.