Sarah E. Du, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University, has received a $166,935 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a smartphone-connected test, for people with sickle cell disease, that monitors the activity of red blood cells. The development project is expected to run for two years.

"A major challenge in the management of sickle cell disease is the tremendous pain that patients endure from chronic and acute pain episodes called pain crisis," Du said in a statement. "Unfortunately, these pain episodes are unpredictable and patients never know when or where these episodes will take place."

Sickle cell disease, a blood disorder, distorts someone's red blood cells from a disc shape into a crescent moon or "sickle" shape. When someone has sickle cell disease, the misshapen red blood cells become hard and sticky making it difficult for them to move, and instead of flowing freely through the person's blood vessels, the cells eventually block the flow and break apart. This results in a number of problems including severe chronic pain, stroke, organ damage, spleen dysfunction, and heart failure.

Du's technology combines microfluidics with mobile technologies, in this case a smartphone, to develop a disposable testing platform that works similarly to how a glucometer works for people who have diabetes. The system will monitor the activity of red blood cells and provide the patient with potential risk indicator of a pain crisis as well as data on whether they are hydrated and have sufficient oxygen. Using this data, patients will be able to take the appropriate steps for early intervention. Patients could also eventually use this data to receive feedback or prescription medications from health care providers.

"We will only need to use a very small drop of blood from a finger stick that will then be loaded into a microscale channel that is biochemically modified," said Du. "Then, the embedded microprobes inside the channel together with the microprocessor will transmit the signals of blood cells to a patient's cellphone revealing the results of their blood test."

When this project is completed, Du plans on collaborating with other health partners to collect longitudinal cell sickling data from patients, which will be compared with patients' clinical outcomes in order to create criteria for prediction of pain crises.