Development of a fingerstick White Blood Cell (WBC) assay method using disposable test strips is proposed. The method will estimate the WBC count in minutes using an inexpensive palm size reflectometer. Preliminary data obtained with hand-assembled prototypes has demonstrated the potential of the proposed method. A simple point-of-care (POC) method for WBC can provide cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, as well as AIDS patients undergoing Doxil therapy, a highly portable means for WBC monitoring. We propose developing a simple device that will assay WBC in whole blood and will be as accurate as commercial cell counting instruments.
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