Lensless light intensity model for quasi-spherical cell size measurement

Abstract

Quasi-spherical cell size measurement plays an important role in medical test. Traditional methods such as a microscope and a flow cytometer are either it depends on professionals and cannot be automated, or it is expensive and bulky, which are not suitable for point-of-care test. Lab-on-a-chip technology using the lensless imaging system gives a good solution for obtaining the quasi-spherical cell size. The diffraction effects and the low resolution are the two main problems faced by the lensless imaging system. In this paper, a lensless light intensity model for the quasi-spherical cell size measurement is given. First, the diffraction characteristics of a quasi-spherical cell edge are given. Then, a diffraction model at an arc edge is constructed based on the Fresnel diffraction at a straight edge. Using the diffraction model at an arc edge, we explained the mechanism of the formation of the quasi-spherical cell diffraction fringes. Finally, the light intensity of the first bright ring of the quasi-spherical cell diffraction pattern is used to achieve quasi-spherical cell size measurement. The required equipment and the measurement methods are extremely simple, very suitable for point-of-care test. The experimental results show that the proposed model can realize the statistical measurement of the quasi-spherical cells and the classification of the quasi-spherical cells with a difference of 1 [Formula: see text].

Keywords: Diffraction; Lensless imaging; Light intensity model; Point-of-care test; Spherical cell size.