KR100915195B1 - Apparatus and method for measuring blood cell deformability using rotating disc - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the deformability of blood cells, and its method are provided to measure the deformability of blood cells by using a very small amount of blood within a very short time and to obtain the distribution characteristics of the deformability of various blood cells by one measurement. An apparatus for measuring the deformability of blood cells comprises a disposable disc(20) where a blood sample is accommodated; a rotatory driving mechanism(10) which contains a device rotating the disposable disc, controlling the rotation velocity and operating it; a measurement part(30) which is separated from the disposable disc and is located at the its upper part and measures the compression of blood cells; and an output part(50) which outputs the result of the deformability of blood cells measured at the measurement part. The disposable disc comprises a sample reservoir(21) where the blood sample is injected and is stored; and a plurality of capillaries(22) whose one end are connected to the sample reservoir and where the blood sample is flown and compressed. The measurement part comprises a light-measuring sensor(31) which can measure the length of the blood cells separated from plasma; and a controller(32) which processes the signal generated from the light-measuring sensor.

Description

Apparatus and Method For Measuring Blood Cell Deformability using Rotating Disc}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring blood cell deformability, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for measuring deformability of blood cells in a short time with a very small amount of blood sample.

Recently, development of a measuring device for the deformability of blood cells has been attempted as the deformability of blood cells is known as a direct influence factor on the viscosity and rheological properties of blood.

In particular, the LORCA hemocytometer, published in the Journal of Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation (Vol. 14, pp. 605-618, 1994), irradiates the blood cells with lasers under a double concentric tubular rotating Couette flow condition. Is a device for measuring the deformability of blood cells by obtaining a diffracted image by a CCD camera and analyzing it through a computer program.

At this time, since the shear force or shear rate depends on the rotational speed, repeated experimental measurements with different rotational speeds are required to measure a wide range of shear rates and shear forces, and it is inconvenient to wash the part where the blood sample is contacted after the experiment. There is this.

In addition, the Blood Cell Strain Distribution Tester (ARCA), published in the Journal of Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases (Vol. 28, pp. 373-384), injects diluted blood between two rotating parallel disks. At this time, the image of the blood cells deformed in the shear force applied by the rotation is obtained directly through a microscope and a CCD camera, only the focused image among them are selected and analyzed by the curve fitting program to the respective blood cells It is a device to obtain strain distribution under given shear force condition by analyzing strain.

At this time, it takes a significant time of at least 1 to 2 hours to acquire a plurality of blood cell images, image processing and analysis, and has the disadvantage of cleaning the device in contact with the blood sample.

On the other hand, one of the problems found by using the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus developed as described above is that the blood sample is in direct contact with the device, which requires the hassle and effort of cleaning the device every time the experiment is performed. to be.

In addition, the conventional devices as described above require professional training for experimental measurement, and require specialized knowledge for operation and analysis, which makes it difficult to use in a medical field such as a general hospital.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, a large number of capillaries are formed in a disc-shaped disc (Disc) that does not require cleaning, using the capillary tube with a very small amount of blood samples in a short time deformability of blood cells It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method capable of measuring characteristics.

The blood cell deformation capacity measuring apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above and problems,

Disposable disks in which blood samples are received and which are disposable; A rotation drive mechanism including a device for rotating the disposable disk to control and drive a rotation speed; Located apart from the upper portion of the disposable disk and includes a measuring unit for measuring the degree of compression of blood cells,

The disposable disc includes a sample storage chamber into which a blood sample is injected and stored, and one end of the sample storage chamber is connected to the sample storage chamber, and a plurality of capillaries into which the blood sample is introduced and compressed,

The measuring unit includes an optical measuring sensor capable of measuring the length of blood cells separated from the plasma, and a controller for processing a signal generated from the optical measuring sensor,

It characterized in that it comprises an output unit for outputting a result of the blood cell deformation capacity measured by the measuring unit.

In addition, the rotation drive mechanism is characterized in that it is possible to select at least one drive mode of the variable speed drive mode in which the rotational speed increases stepwise (stepwise) or the constant speed drive mode to drive at a predetermined rotational speed. In this case, when the rotation driving mechanism is a variable speed drive mode, the measuring unit measures the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase of the rotation speed, and when the rotation driving mechanism is the constant speed driving mode, the measuring unit measures blood cells according to the rotation time. It is characterized by measuring the compressed ratio of.

In addition, the disposable disc-shaped disk is characterized in that composed of at least one material of silicon, quartz, silica, glass, laser processing polymer, injection molding polymer, ceramic.

In addition, the capillary is characterized in that the optically transparent.

In addition, the disposable disk is a circular disk, the plurality of capillaries are formed radially from the center of the circular disk, characterized in that the length of each of the plurality of capillaries are different.

In addition, in order to prevent the disposable disk from being affected by temperature, the blood cell deformation measuring apparatus further includes a chamber accommodating the disposable disk therein and capable of maintaining thermal equilibrium.

In addition, in order to prevent the disposable disk from being affected by temperature, the blood cell deformation measuring apparatus further includes a temperature controller capable of heating or cooling a temperature.

In addition, the optical sensor is characterized in that at least one of the CCD sensor array, photodiode array, CCD camera, digital camera, web camera, high-speed CCD video.

In addition, the controller is characterized in that the strength of the centrifugal force applied to the blood sample using a value measured from the rotational speed, and calculates the blood cell compressibility index according to each centrifugal force. At this time, the blood cell compressibility index is preferably determined from the ratio of blood cells in the capillary. In this case, the blood cell compressibility index is preferably determined by the following equation.

Formula: CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀

Where CI is the compressibility index, H ₀ is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is zero, and H (ω) is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is angular velocity ω.

The output unit may include a screen output unit or a print output unit for outputting a result of blood cell deformability measured by the measurement unit, and a storage unit for storing data transmitted to or transmitted from the controller.

Blood cell deformability measuring method according to the invention,

Injecting blood into a sample reservoir located in a disposable disc, and injecting blood into a capillary connected to the sample reservoir; A second step of rotating the disposable disc at a predetermined speed by using a rotation driving mechanism; A third step of applying centrifugal force to the blood sample for a predetermined time to separate the blood cells from the plasma and then compressing them; A fourth step of measuring the compressed length H of the blood cells at each rotational speed using an optical measuring sensor; And converting the compressed length into a compressibility index to measure blood cell deformability.

The preset speed may be at least one of a method in which the rotation speed increases stepwise or a constant rotation speed. In this case, when the preset speed is increased in a stepped manner, the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase in the rotational speed is measured. When the preset speed is a constant rotational speed, the compressed blood cells according to the rotation time are compressed. It is characterized by measuring the ratio.

In addition, in the fifth step, the conversion of the compressed length into a compressibility index is characterized by using a ratio of blood cells in the capillary, wherein the blood cell compressibility index is preferably determined by the following equation. Do.

Formula: CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀

Where CI is the compressibility index, H ₀ is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is zero, and H (ω) is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is angular velocity ω.

In addition, the method for measuring blood cell deformability may further include outputting a result of the measured blood cell deformability.

According to the blood cell deformation measuring apparatus and method according to the present invention as described above,

It is possible to measure the deformability of blood cells using a small amount of blood within a very short time, and there is an excellent effect that the deformability distribution characteristics of a plurality of blood cells can be obtained through one measurement.

In addition, since all parts of the blood sample contact with each other can be manufactured with a disposable disk, there is an excellent effect that it is very advantageous for real-time clinical application in the treatment field.

In addition, there is an excellent effect that the blood cell deformability of the circulating blood of the living body can be measured for a plurality of centrifugal forces by applying a variable rotational speed with time.

1 is a block diagram showing a blood cell deformation measuring apparatus according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view showing a disposable disk of the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation according to the present invention,

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a disposable disk and optical measuring sensor of the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation according to the present invention,

Figure 4 is a graph showing the measurement of the centrifugal force to the compression length ratio of blood cells through the blood cell deformation capacity measuring apparatus according to the present invention,

5 is a graph illustrating a decrease in blood cell deformability by heating blood cells at 49 degrees Celsius according to various times;

6 is a graph showing the blood cell compression length ratio measured in the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation according to the present invention;

7 is a graph showing the deformability of blood cells analyzed by the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus according to the present invention as a centrifugal force-compression index;

Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of measuring the rotational disc blood cell deformation according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: rotation drive mechanism 20: disposable disc

21: sample storage chamber 22: capillary tube

30: measuring unit 31: optical measuring sensor

32 controller 50 output unit

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention; First, it should be noted that the same components or parts in the drawings represent the same reference numerals as much as possible. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known functions or configurations are omitted in order not to obscure the gist of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a blood cell deformation measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view showing a disposable disk of the blood cell deformation measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a disposable disk of the blood cell deformation measuring apparatus according to the present invention Figure 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing an optical measuring sensor, Figure 4 is a graph showing the measurement of the centrifugal force to the compression length ratio of the blood cells through the blood cell deformation capacity measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a blood cell at various times at 49 degrees Celsius Figure 6 is a graph illustrating a decrease in blood cell deformability by heating according to, Figure 6 is a graph showing the blood cell compression length ratio measured in the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 7 is analyzed through the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus according to the present invention Graph showing the deformability of the blood cells as a centrifugal force-compression index, Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for measuring the rotational disk-shaped blood cell deformability according to the present invention The.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformity according to the present invention includes a disposable disc 20 which can be used for single use in direct contact with a blood sample, and a rotation driving mechanism 10 for applying rotational force to the disposable disc. And measuring unit 30 for measuring the proportion of blood cells in the blood sample of the disposable disk, and the output unit 50 for outputting the result of the blood cell deformation capacity measured by the measuring unit 30.

The disposable disk 20 has a sample storage chamber 21 in which a blood sample is injected and stored, and an end of the sample storage chamber 21 is connected, and an optically transparent capillary tube through which the blood sample introduced through the sample storage chamber passes. It comprises a 22 (refer FIG. 2).

The measuring unit 30 is a blood cell according to the centrifugal force by using a plurality of optical measuring sensor 31 and the value measured by the optical measuring sensor provided to measure the height of the blood cells separated from the plasma in the blood And a controller 32 that calculates the compression amount of and calculates it as the blood cell deformation capacity.

In this case, the optical measuring sensor 31 is composed of at least one of a CCD sensor array, a photodiode array, a CCD camera, a digital camera, a web camera, a high-speed CCD video. In addition, the controller 32 obtains the intensity of the centrifugal force applied to the blood sample by using the value measured from the rotational speed, and calculates the blood cell compressibility index according to each centrifugal force.

The output unit 50 outputs the calculation result at the controller 32 through the screen output unit 52 or the print output unit 54, and also transmits various data transmitted to the controller or generated in the controller. And a reservoir 53 for storing.

The rotation driving mechanism 10 applies a constant rotational speed for a predetermined time in order to apply various centrifugal forces, and then rotates at a speed change mode in which the rotational speed is gradually increased stepwise or at a predetermined rotational speed from the beginning. At least one driving mode may be selected among the driving modes.

In this case, when the rotation driving mechanism 10 is the shift driving mode, the measuring unit 30 measures the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase of the rotation speed, and when the rotation driving mechanism is the constant speed driving mode, The measuring unit 30 measures the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the rotation time.

The optical measuring sensor 31 is composed of a light source unit and a light receiving sensor unit. The light source unit may be configured as an LED light source, and the light receiving sensor may be configured as a CCD sensor array or a photo diode array. In the embodiment of the present invention, a CCD sensor array was used.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a disposable disk of the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformability according to the present invention, showing the external configuration of the disposable disk 20 shown in FIG.

That is, the disposable disk 20 shown in FIG. 2 includes a sample storage chamber 21 and a capillary tube 22 as described above, and may be of an integrated type or an assembled type.

In particular, the capillary tube 22 should be optically transparent and the cross-sectional shape is circular or rectangular. If the cross-sectional shape is circular, the capillary inner diameter can be made from several micrometers to one millimeter in size, and in this embodiment has a diameter of 1 millimeter (mm), which is generally used to measure the hematocrit, ie hematocrit. Capillary tubes were used.

The disposable disk 20 is preferably made of at least one of silicon, quartz, silica, glass, laser processing polymer, injection molding polymer, ceramic.

In addition, in order to prevent the disposable disk 20 from being affected by temperature, the apparatus of the present invention further includes a chamber (not shown) that accommodates the disposable disk therein and is capable of maintaining thermal equilibrium, or It is preferable to further include a thermostat (not shown) capable of heating or cooling the temperature of the disposable disc.

On the other hand, the amount of blood consumed when using the disposable disk 20 as described above is a very small amount of 10 ~ 100 microliters, blood cell strain measuring device according to the present invention to measure the blood cell strain using a very small amount of blood as described above. Can be.

The method of providing a variety of centrifugal forces is to change the rotational speed, but another method is to change the radial length of the blood sample from the center of rotation by varying the length of the capillary. This is because the centrifugal force is proportional to the square of the rotational speed and proportional to the radius of rotation.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, capillaries of various lengths are prepared and are designed such that different centrifugal forces can be applied to each capillary tube because the lengths of the capillaries are different even when operating at one rotational speed.

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a disposable disk and an optical measuring sensor of the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation according to the present invention.

When the blood sample is injected into the sample reservoir 21, the blood sample is filled in the capillary 22 as shown in FIG. 3 due to the capillary effect. At this time, the blood sample is filled to the end of the capillary by centrifugal force when a slight rotation starts. Thus, the length of the blood sample filled corresponds to the capillary length and is always constant.

The blood sample filled in the capillary tube 22 begins to separate into plasma and blood cells by the centrifugal force added as the disk rotates, and the separated blood cells begin to be compressed by the centrifugal force applied continuously. However, since the blood cells have an elastic force to restore the original shape of the blood cells, the degree of compression of the blood cells is different depending on the size of the centrifugal force.

Accordingly, the degree of compression of blood cells according to the centrifugal force, that is, the length of blood cells occupying in the capillary tube is measured in real time using an optical measuring sensor 31 such as a CCD sensor array or a photodiode array.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the measurement of the centrifugal force to compression length ratio of the blood cells through the blood cell deformation capacity measuring apparatus according to the present invention. This measure and analyze the length occupied by blood cells in the capillary total length by the CCD sensor array 31 of the measuring unit 30 and displays it as the ratio of centrifugal force to blood cell length.

In order to measure the blood cell length ratio, the optical sensor 31 such as a CCD sensor array emits a light source such as an LED to the capillary, and the light source is retroreflected or scattered by blood cells inside the capillary. It can be detected by measuring the reflection or scattering position of blood cells. The measurement method using the CCD sensor array is characterized in that the compression length of the blood cells can be measured even in a dynamic driving state.

In addition to the CCD sensor array, the optical measuring sensor 31 may be replaced by an image acquisition device such as a CCD camera or a webcam, and the measured image is compressed length of blood cells through an image analysis process through the controller 32. Can be measured.

As shown in FIG. 4, as the centrifugal force increases, the blood cell length ratio (H / H ₀ ) decreases in inverse proportion thereto, and the asymptotic value H _∝ / H _0. Will be reached. The value at this time is called hematocrit and is defined as the volume of red blood cells. In this specification, the value at this time is a threshold value at which blood cells can no longer be compressed, which is referred to as true hematocrit (Hct).

In general, true hematocrit ranges from 45 to 55% in men and 40 to 45% in women. However, since the hematocrit is obtained by rotating the rotational speed more than 5 minutes at 12,500 RPM, a higher hematocrit can be expected when a smaller rotational speed or rotational time is operated because the blood cells are less compressed.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a decrease in blood cell deformability by heating blood cells at 49 degrees Celsius at various times. A blood cell deformer (RheoScan-D, previously developed to identify a blood cell deformability measuring device according to the present invention) is illustrated. Seoul, Korea) is a graph showing the result of measuring the deformability of healthy blood cells and artificially hardened blood cells.

When the blood cells are heated at 49 degrees Celsius for a certain time, the liquid hemoglobin in the blood cells is changed into a solid state through an irreversible process, thereby degrading the deformability of the blood cells. As shown in FIG. 5, blood cell deformability greatly decreases with time when blood cells are exposed to 49 ° C. FIG.

Figure 6 is a graph showing the blood cell compression length ratio measured in the apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation according to the present invention.

The ratio of the length of blood cell compression varies according to the size of the rotational speed. In the present invention, due to the low rotational speed, a small centrifugal force acts on the blood sample at the beginning of the measurement, at which time the blood cells separate from the plasma and begin to compress. At this time, if the rotational speed is further increased, the ratio of blood cell compression length is further reduced. However, if artificial blood cells are hardened, it can be seen that blood cells are not compressed well.

For example, even after rotating for 5 minutes at 2500 RPM, the hardened blood cells can be seen that the compressed length occupies more than 90% of the total length, while normal blood cells have already reached the compression degree of 60%. Therefore, the graph can be said that the blood cell compressibility and compression ratio greatly depends on whether the deformability of the blood cells is normal.

As the centrifugal force applied to the blood cells increases, the degree of compression of the blood cells is gradually increased, and at a centrifugal force above the limit, the blood cells are no longer compressed. In general, centrifugal force should be applied for 5 minutes at 12,500 RPM to obtain the true value of hematocrit.

At rotational speeds lower than the specified rotational speeds, you get larger values than true hematocrit because the blood cells are less compressed. In the reconsideration of the existing hematocrit measurement principle as described above, he found that the hematocyte deformability can influence the hematocrit, in other words, hematocrit measured at various centrifugal forces can be newly evaluated.

On the other hand, the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus according to the present invention may determine the compressibility index (compressibility INDEX, CI) by analyzing the charge ratio of the blood cells in the capillary tube obtained by the measuring unit 30. At this time, the compressibility index (CI) is a value representing the difference between the length of the blood cells (H ₀ ) measured when the centrifugal force is 0 and the hematogrit measured under an arbitrary centrifugal force condition. Is defined as:

[Equation 1]

CI = [H ₀ -H (ω)] / H ₀

At this time, H ₀ is a value when the rotational speed is 0, and since the plasma and blood cells are still separated, they always represent the total length of the capillary tube. Therefore, the compressibility index is rearranged as shown in [Equation 2] below.

[Equation 2]

CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀

At this time, when the rotational speed ω is 12,500 RPM or more and rotates for 5 minutes or more, H (ω) / H ₀ corresponds to hematocrit.

The compressive index CI defined as described above is close to zero when the centrifugal force or rotational speed is small, and the CI value increases as the centrifugal force or rotational speed is increased.

7 is a graph showing the deformability of blood cells analyzed by the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus according to the present invention as a centrifugal force-compression index.

As shown in FIG. 7, normal blood cells are highly compressible under given centrifugal force conditions, whereas hardened blood cells are relatively low in compressibility.

Referring to the operation principle of the blood cell deformability measuring apparatus and blood cell deformability measuring method according to the present invention in detail.

Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of measuring the rotational disc blood cell deformation according to the present invention.

First, a blood sample is injected into the sample reservoir 21. At this time, some blood samples injected into the sample reservoir 21 are introduced into the capillary 22 connected to the sample reservoir due to a capillary effect. At this time, even if blood does not flow to the end of the capillary, as soon as it starts to rotate, the blood sample is filled in the entire area of the capillary.

Then, the disposable disk is rotated at a predetermined speed by using the rotation driving mechanism 10 (S2).

The preset speed may select at least one of a method in which the rotation speed increases stepwise or a constant rotation speed. In this case, when the preset speed is increased in a stepped manner, the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase in the rotational speed is measured. When the preset speed is a constant rotational speed, the compressed blood cells according to the rotation time are compressed. Measure the ratio.

Next, centrifugal force is applied to the blood sample for a predetermined time to separate the blood cells from the plasma, and then compressed. (S3) When the blood cells are rotated at a predetermined speed for a predetermined time, the rotational motion is transmitted to the disposable disc while the capillary tube 22 Blood sample 25 in the) begins to receive centrifugal force and the blood sample begins to separate into plasma and blood cells. Because blood cells are about 3-4% more dense than plasma, they are centrifuged by density differences. However, the compression of blood cells is essential in the process of centrifugation, and as the centrifugal force increases, the compression of blood cells occurs in proportion and the percentage of blood cells decreases.

Then, the length of the compressed blood cells occupy inside the capillary is measured by an optical measuring sensor (for example, CCD sensor array) 31 under each rotational force condition.

Next, the blood cell deformability is measured by converting the compressed length into a compressibility index.

In this case, the conversion of the compressed length into a compressibility index uses a ratio occupied by blood cells in the capillary. Specifically, the blood cell compressibility index is determined by the following equation.

Formula: CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀

Where CI is the compressibility index, H ₀ is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is zero, and H (ω) is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is angular velocity ω.

In the present specification, as shown in FIG. 5, after the blood cell deformability is normal and artificially lowered deformability, the result of adding centrifugal force at three rotational speeds is shown in FIG. 6.

Normal blood cells are excellent in deformability, so the compression of blood cell volume occurs very easily even in the region of low rotational speed, whereas deformed blood cells are not compressed. That is, hematocrit is measured differently according to the difference in blood cell deformability. In other words, the hematocrit measured according to each rotational speed becomes an index of another form indicating hemocytosis.

In this specification, a compressibility index is defined as [Equation 2] for relative standardization of hematogrit measured at any centrifugal force or rotational speed and is illustrated in FIG. 7.

The blood cell compressibility index CI is an index capable of expressing blood cell deformability, and has a value between 0 and 1, and the better the blood cell deformability, the larger the CI value. At this time, while comparing the CI value with the normal and abnormal value, the centrifugal force section in which the percentage of the relative difference value is the largest can be set, and the corresponding CI can be represented as an index representing blood cell deformation ability.

As described above, but further explained, as one of the embodiments of the present invention, there is a method of controlling the rotational speed by using the rotation driving mechanism 10 as a method of controlling the centrifugal force. The method of controlling the rotational speed is to increase the rotational speed stepwise, that is, operate for a certain time at a constant rotational speed, and then increase the rotational speed again to operate again for a predetermined time when the rotational speed is reached. In this way, the rotation speed is increased stepwise. At this time, the operating time at the set speed means the time to reach the steady state that the compression is no longer occurs even if the rotation is no longer.

As described above but further explained, as one of the embodiments of the present invention, the distance from the entire length of the capillary 22 or the center of rotation of the capillary 22 located on the disposable disc 20 as another method of controlling the centrifugal force is determined. There is a method of controlling the centrifugal force by various changes. In other words, if the length of the capillary tube 22 is filled with blood samples, even if the same rotational speed is given, the centrifugal force acting on each capillary tube is proportional to the radius, so that different centrifugal forces act. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 2.

As the blood cells are separated from the plasma by the controlled centrifugal force as described above, the blood cells are compressed. The length occupied by the compressed blood cells is measured by the optical measuring sensor 31, and processed and analyzed by the controller 32. The results are displayed in an index, and the results can be output by using the screen output device 52 or the print output device 54 and the results can be stored in the storage device 53.

On the other hand, since compressibility or deformability of blood cells may be affected by temperature, it is necessary to control the measurement temperature to a constant temperature. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present invention, in order to maintain the disposable disk 20 in contact with blood at a constant temperature, it may be provided with a temperature control device that can maintain the space in which the disposable disk rotates at a predetermined temperature. Such a device includes a method of using a lamp having a large heat generation amount, a method of mounting an electric heater or a thermoelectric element, a method of using a temperature control block or a water-jacket, or the like.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, the disposable disk 20 of the device configuration of the present invention in direct contact with the blood sample is an integrated element including the sample reservoir 21 and the capillary tube 22, after disposal It is designed and manufactured so that a series of measurements can be performed without cleaning process in the treatment environment such as a general hospital.

At this time, the disposable disk 20 as described above should be designed to be measured at the same time with only a small amount of blood samples. To this end, the disposable disk 20 may be manufactured through a well-known microstructure fabrication technique or may be manufactured through precision injection.

The disposable disc-shaped disc 20 may be made of silicon, quartz, silica, glass, laser processable polymers, injection molded polymers, ceramics, and the like, and may be made of at least one of these materials.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the disposable disk 20 was manufactured by precisely injecting an optically transparent plastic material. Plastic injection molding as described above is very economically suitable for use in a single-use, in the case of contamination of pathogens, such as blood, can be discarded after measurement has a very convenient advantage.

In addition, as an embodiment of the present invention, as the optical measuring sensor 31, such as a CCD sensor array or a photodiode array provided with a light source and a light sensing unit as a set of the inside of the capillary on the disk rotating in real time Blood cell length can be measured.

CCD sensor arrays or photodiode arrays can reliably measure the length of blood cells even when the disk rotates at high speed. In addition, another embodiment of the optical measuring sensor 31 is a method of photographing and analyzing the compressed blood cell capillary using a CCD camera or a webcam. This has the disadvantage that the rotating disk must be completely stopped.

In addition, as an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to utilize existing rotary drive equipment such as a CD ROM drive and a centrifuge of a computer which are already widely used as the rotary drive mechanism.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to belong to the claims of the present invention.

Claims (19)

Disposable disks in which blood samples are received and which are disposable; A rotation drive mechanism including a device for rotating the disposable disk to control and drive a rotation speed; Located apart from the upper portion of the disposable disk and includes a measuring unit for measuring the degree of compression of blood cells, The disposable disk, A sample storage chamber into which a blood sample is injected and stored, and one end is connected to the sample storage chamber, and includes a plurality of capillaries into which the blood sample is introduced and compressed; The measuring unit, An optical measuring sensor capable of measuring a length of blood cells separated from plasma, and a controller for processing a signal generated from the optical measuring sensor, Output unit for outputting the result of the blood cell deformation capacity measured in the measuring unit Blood cell deformation measuring apparatus comprising a. The method according to claim 1, The rotation driving mechanism may select at least one driving mode among a shift driving mode in which the rotation speed increases stepwise or a constant speed driving mode driven at a predetermined rotation speed. The method according to claim 2, When the rotational driving mechanism is the variable speed drive mode, the measuring unit measures the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase in the rotational speed. When the rotational driving mechanism is the constant speed driving mode, the measuring unit compresses the blood cells according to the rotation time. The apparatus for measuring blood cell deformation, characterized in that the measured rate is measured. The method according to claim 1, The disposable disc-shaped disk is a blood cell strain measuring device, characterized in that composed of at least one material of silicon, quartz, silica, glass, laser processing polymer, injection molding polymer, ceramic. The method according to claim 1, The capillary blood cell strain measuring device, characterized in that the optically transparent. The method according to claim 1, The disposable disk is a circular disk, wherein the plurality of capillaries are formed radially from the center of the circular disk, the blood cell strain measuring apparatus, characterized in that the length of each of the plurality of capillaries are different. The method according to claim 1, In order to prevent the disposable disk from being affected by temperature, the blood cell strain measuring device further includes a chamber that accommodates the disposable disk therein and maintains thermal equilibrium. The method according to claim 1, In order to prevent the disposable disk from being affected by temperature, the blood cell strain measuring device further comprises a temperature controller capable of heating or cooling a temperature. The method according to claim 1, The optical measuring sensor is a blood cell strain measurement device, characterized in that composed of at least any one of a CCD sensor array, photodiode array, CCD camera, digital camera, web camera, high-speed CCD video. The method according to claim 1, The controller calculates the strength of the centrifugal force applied to the blood sample using a value measured from the rotational speed, and calculates the blood cell compressibility index according to each centrifugal force. The method according to claim 10, The blood cell compressibility index is a blood cell deformability measuring apparatus, characterized in that determined from the ratio of blood cells in the capillary. The method according to claim 10, The blood cell compressibility index is a blood cell deformability measuring apparatus, characterized in that determined by the following equation. Formula: CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀ Where CI is the compressibility index, H ₀ is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is zero, and H (ω) is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is angular velocity ω. The method according to claim 1, The output unit includes a screen output or print output for outputting the results of the blood cell deformation measured by the measuring unit, and a blood cell deformation measuring apparatus characterized in that the storage for storing data transmitted to or transmitted from the controller . Injecting blood into a sample reservoir located in a disposable disc, and injecting blood into a capillary connected to the sample reservoir; A second step of rotating the disposable disc at a predetermined speed by using a rotation driving mechanism; A third step of applying centrifugal force to the blood sample for a predetermined time to separate the blood cells from the plasma and then compressing them; A fourth step of measuring the compressed length H of the blood cells at each rotational speed using an optical measuring sensor; A fifth step of converting the compressed length into a compressibility index to measure blood cell deformability Blood cell deformation measuring method comprising a. The method according to claim 14, The predetermined speed is a method for measuring blood cell deformation capacity, characterized in that at least one of a method of increasing the rotational speed stepwise (stepwise) or a constant rotational speed. The method according to claim 15, When the preset speed is increased in a stepped manner, the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the increase in the rotational speed is measured. When the preset speed is a constant rotational speed, the compressed ratio of blood cells according to the rotation time is determined. Blood cell deformability measuring method characterized in that the measurement. The method according to claim 14, The method for measuring blood cell deformation capacity according to claim 5, wherein the converted length is converted into a compressibility index by using a ratio of blood cells in the capillary. The method according to claim 17, The blood cell compressibility index is a blood cell deformability measuring method, characterized in that determined by the following formula. Formula: CI = 1-H (ω) / H ₀ Where CI is the compressibility index, H ₀ is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is zero, and H (ω) is the length of blood cells measured when the centrifugal force is angular velocity ω. The method according to claim 14, The blood cell deformability measuring method further comprises the step of outputting the result of the measured blood cell deformability.