High recovery, point‐of‐collection plasma separation from blood using electrospun polyacrylonitrile membranes

Abstract

Microvolume blood collection technologies are of intense interest in healthcare. Whereas dried blood spots collect all the blood components, the majority of clinical tests are performed on the noncellular, plasma component of blood. Thus, there is a critical need for a robust plasma‐collecting device, which can stabilize biomarkers of interest for clinical analysis. A dried plasma spot, which consists of a separation membrane for removing red blood cells (RBC) while avoiding cell lysis and an absorbing layer for collecting and stabilizing plasma biomarkers after separation may provide such a solution. We report a novel use of electrospun polyacrylonitrile membranes to achieve a very promising separation of RBCs with near‐zero retention of human albumin protein (MW: 66.5 kDa). Physicochemical qualities of the separation membranes can be further optimized through doping and refinement of electrospinning conditions. The membranes may have future potential in microvolume sample collecting applications.

Polyacrylonitrile in the Preparation of Separation Membranes: A Review

“…Furthermore, they have almost no rejections to many amino acids, representing that they have little specific binding. 58 In another research, an electrospun PAN fibrous membrane was utilized as a support to coat LbL films. Strongly negatively charged polysaccharide heparin has a particular affinity for certain neurotrophins.…”

“…Human albumin protein is virtually completely permeated, indicating that molecules with a lower MW may easily pass cross the membranes. Furthermore, they have almost no rejections to many amino acids, representing that they have little specific binding …”

Micro-Volume Blood Separation Membrane for In-Situ Biosensing

“…Point-of-care tests (POCT) need to deliver results in a short period of time without relying on large laboratory instruments, while achieving sensitivity and portability at the same time is a key technical challenge in clinical diagnostics. Microfluidic technology is an emerging method to separate nano- to microliter volumes of blood cells by unique channel designs, including flexographic printing, lithography, inkjet printing, screen printing and chemical modification [ 14 , 15 ]. However, these microfluidic separation strategies require complex fabrication procedures and specialized instrumentation, increasing the inconvenience and costs of POCT devices.…”