Paperfuge- An Appreciable Social Innovation in the USA

    Introduction

    Paperfuge is a human-powered, revolutionary low-cost paper separator designed by Dr Manu Prakash and Members of Prakash Lab. Dr. Manu designed a separator using the technology behind a 5,000year-old toy’s design and Supercoiling-moderated superfast spinning dynamics. The Paperfuge is mainly used to separate Plasma and RBC for rapid diagnosis of Malaria in rural areas.

    About

    A separator is the retainer of any medical diagnostics convenience. In modern technology of diagnostics, separation of unwanted biological waste is especially critical for the right results and solidity of molecular diagnostics tools and sidelong flow-based rapid diagnostic tests (RDT). They are designed for finding low levels of contaminants in diseases such as malaria, HIV, and TB. The necessity for free power consumption centrifugal devices brings on researchers to use egg-beaters and salad-spinners as suggested devices. Here we represent the design and application of a revolutionary low-cost, lightweight, portable centrifuge, subsequently mentioned as Paperfuge. Using both modeling and experimental verification, we exhibit the detailed mechanism of the Paperfuge and grasp the conception to develop centrifuges from different materials i.e., paper, plastic, etc. The paper-based machine costs USD 20. The centrifuge’s maximum speed is 125,000 RPM for a corresponding centrifugal force of 30,000 g. That is enough energy and a standard diagnostic procedure to separate plasma from a blood sample in 90 seconds.

    Materials and Process

    The Stanford team’s innovative device was made up of paper disks set up with small plastic capillary tubes.

    The researchers found inspiration in a primitive toy called the whirligig, or buzzer, which is fabricated with a central disk and strings that can blow and unblown. After an investigation of how exactly the whirligig works and how fast it spins, Dr. Manu Prakash invented an alike device that could carry blood samples and works like a centrifuge.

    The group was able to illustrate complete segregation of plasma from red blood cells in 1.5 minutes using a finger-stab sample or approximately 20 microliters, of whole blood. Observation with human blood samples indicated the device capitulated 100 percent pure plasma.

    The team has also undertaken a blueprint that included a plastic float in the capillary tube for quantitative buffy coat inspection.

    Centrifuges — the mechanisms that spin fastest and split the biological materials — can fetch thousands of dollars and need power consumption to function. That makes it tough for developing countries to operate them. And that’s why Dr. Manu Prakash, Stanford University bioengineer and the researcher team were looking for an affordable alternative.

    The Paperfuge is made up of two paper disks set up with small plastic capillary tubes of blood; wires run through the centre of the disks and tied up wooden handles. The repeated blowing of the strings spins the disks at high speed, allowing to split blood from plasma in a while. In fact, the centrifuge can rotate blood at around 20,000 revolutions per minute — a speed compares with a traditional centrifuge. Because its making cost is only 20 cents and there is no need for electricity. Therefore, Paperfuge could be used easily in developing countries.

    The researchers evaluated the device and used it to separate malaria barnacles from blood in only 15 minutes. Now, it needs to be tested in the sphere, where Paperfuge became a revolutionary for biological diagnostics in developing countries.

    Applications

    Paperfuge has a large number of applications. The Paperfuge can be used in any process a traditional centrifuge is implemented in. It is very useful regarding the application in blood analysis in idyllic developing countries. The Paperfuge mainly operated with two hands or with one hand if one side is fixed with a wall. The Paperfuge can be used to separate red blood cells from plasma in less than 2 minutes, an activity that takes a traditional centrifuge fifteen minutes. In previous days, capillary tubes were used for plasma separation, it can be investigated under a microscope without any disturbance of the sample.

    Advantages

    • Low-cost- price less than USD 0.20. Traditional centrifuges prices USD 100-1000
    • Based mainly on human power, electricity-free- operations
    • Paper-based:
      • Lightweight- approximately 2 grams
      • Easy disposal- throw out of contagious sample and centrifuge by carbonization
      • Print-manufacture
      • Implanted microfabricated for complex “centrifugal microfluidics” without the need for electricity
    • High rotational speed- speed reaches up to 125,000 rpm
    • High relative centrifugal forces (RCF)- reaches 30,000 g
    • Can split the sample in less than 2 minutes (half the time required by expensive centrifuges to separate plasma from blood)
    • Requires almost no training- can be operated by health employees/workers or patients themselves with minimal user knowledge.
    • Allows integrated paper or polymer material microfluidics
    • It is good for alternative use of Plastic/injection
    • Potential for use in a step ahead diagnostics that combine sample procedure, microfluidics, and checkups.
    • Can be rapidly utilized for point-of-care checkups.
    • Easy to carry; highly rich, water-resistant

    Limitations of the Paperfuge

    The biggest limitation is that it’s a system designed for small quantities. Another limitation is social acceptability/rightness. Somebody might look at it and say- “It’s a child toy. It cannot be taken as serious.” When we talk about the Paperfuge to some of the doctors/consultants and health care workers we work with in Madagascar, they’re kind of neutral. But when you pull it out and do one quick demo, they are excited. They get it because they’ve carried all these instruments out there that don’t work in distant surroundings.

    As with anything in global health, scaling up is a very hard process. For world health especially, the markets and the margins are so few that it’s not about companies’ interest in it, so hard work on bringing up manufacturing and keeping the prices minimum for common people and third world countries. It took some time to build the infrastructure and technologies for people where they need them urgently.

    Conclusion

    The modified Paperfuge technique is a good estimator and can be reliably used in field scenarios.  However, results obtained from Paperfugation cannot be used as a display for Mycoplasma spp. positivity. The use of this technique in the diagnosis of other anaemia-causing diseases can be more explored.


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