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Tyumen students develop device to measure deformability of red blood cells

This measure is one of the key characteristics of the condition of erythrocytes, a scientist at the Biology Institute of the University of Tyumen stressed

TYUMEN, December 6. /TASS/. Students of the Biology Institute of the University of Tyumen have developed a device to measure the deformability of red blood cells, the university’s press service told TASS on Thursday.

“A group of students of the Biology Institute of the University of Tyumen who took part in the fifth engineering MAKER SCHOOL have developed a device, which can evaluate the normal or pathological functional condition of erythrocytes,” the press service said.

According to Alexei Belkin of the university’s anatomy and physiology department, the device offers a new way of measurement of rheological blood properties with the use of polarimetric methods.

“We have detected the effect of rotation of linear polarized light of animal erythrocytes moving along different vessels,” he said.  “We found a direct connection between the intensity of linear polarized light and the level of deformation of red blood cells of warm-blooded species.”

Belkin added that deformability is one of the key characteristics of the condition of red blood cells.

“The erythrocyte deformability refers to the ability of erythrocytes to penetrate into blood vessels of different diameters. Laser diffraction analysis is one of the contemporary methods of erythrocyte deformability measurement. This technology utilizes diffraction patterns of laser beam dispersion,” the scientist said.

Erythrocytes or red blood cells ensure the functioning of the cardiovascular system as they deliver oxygen to body tissues. The breach of erythrocyte structure leads to the changes of physiological functions.

According to the Russian Health Ministry, the number of cases of blood circulation disorders in Russia keeps growing. For instance, 5,365 people were diagnosed with such pathologies in 2017.