When: Friday 11th October 2019, at 12pm-1pm
Where: BioPRIA Building 59, 15 Alliance Lane, Clayton VIC 3800
Speaker: Dr Clare Manderson
Abstract: After pregnancy or a blood transfusion, antibodies can be generated in a person’s plasma due to a mismatch of blood types. Pre-transfusion testing and antibody screening for all pregnant mothers and blood transfusion recipients must therefore performed to prevent potentially fatal reactions and diseases. Current technology for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody testing requires incubation at 37 °C often for up to fifteen minutes and uses slow incubators such as water baths or heating blocks. We have developed a rapid optical heating method via laser which preferentially heats the surface of red blood cells, inducing antigen-antibody binding for positive test results. We detect no significant damage to the cells or antibodies for incubations of up to fifteen minutes. We demonstrate laser-incubated testing to be both faster and more sensitive than current best practice — with clearly enhanced positive results seen after just 40 seconds of laser incubation. With the potential to drastically reduce pathology cost and turn-around time so that bleeding out patients can receive life-saving transfusions faster, laser incubation is presented as a breakthrough technology in immunohaematological practice.