Large-volume Plasma Separation CD towards microbial detection in whole blood:

While POC devices are trending down in size, there remains a biological limit on sample size and the corresponding limit-of-detection.  An example of this is Bacillus Anthracis, which is present at 10 copies/mL in infected whole blood.  Only by starting with a 1 mL sample or larger, and only after amplification, can B. Anthracis be detected by electrochemical or fluorescent techniques. Therefore, there is a need for devices capable of processing samples on the order of several mLs. The Madou lab has developed a large-volume plasma separation CD that automates a classical technique to separate plasma from a 2mL whole blood sample.  The ultimate goal of this project is to integrate the Plasma Separation CD, with a real-time PCR CD, as part of an automated anthrax detection system. This project is supported by the MF3 center at UC Irvine.