Progress on Microfluidic Blood Cell Counting Techniques

Abstract

Accurately and efficiently detecting the quantity of blood cells is crucial in routine blood examination, as abnormal high or low numbers of blood cells are associated with the occurrence of various disorders. Due to inherent drawbacks, traditional blood cell analysis equipment cannot meet the demands of modern primary healthcare, particularly in terms of point-of-care testing. In recent years, the development of point-of-care testing blood cell counting equipment has been accelerated, thanks to the rapid advancement of microfluidic technology and the expanding research on blood cell counting using microfluidic chips. In this paper, we reviewed three blood cell counting methods based on microfluidic chips, electrical impedance, light scattering, and microscopic imaging, as well as the recent development and achievements in blood cell counting using microfluidic chips.