A low-cost, mass-producible point-of-care platform for diagnosing hemoglobin disorders

Abstract

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetically inherited hemoglobin disorder, which can be fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated. Geographically, the most SCD-prevalent regions have the lowest gross domestic product (GDP) and are therefore unable to implement costly, centralized SCD screening programs. In these regions, the early mortality is 50%–90% among children born with sickle cell anemia [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), who passed a resolution naming SCD as a global public health problem in 2006 [2], 70% of these early mortality could be prevented by implementing low-cost SCD screening followed by cost-effective treatments [3]. To address this need, we developed HemeChip, a mass-producible, low-cost, microchip version of electrophoresis, able to detect and quantify hemoglobin type(s) from whole blood at the point of care (POC). The process is fast (<10 minutes), efficient, and can be performed by minimally trained personnel.