Research
We develop research in experimental microfluidics applied to hemorheology. We study the rheological properties of blood and their relation with the microscopical properties of its red blood cells. We study the mechanical properties of cells, vesicles and elastic particles, at different hydrodynamic conditions, in order to relate them with the macroscopical properties of the suspension and determine parameter that may lead us to the diagnosis of specific pathologies and Point of Care Diagnostic applications.
Front Microrheology of Biological Fluids
Front Microrheology is a technique developed to track the velocity of the fluid-air interface inside a microfluidics channel and determine the viscosity of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.
Dynamic of Red Blood Cells aggregation
Aggregation is a characteristic of red blood cells (RBCs), which consists in the tendency of red blood cells to form organized stacked structures named rouleaux. The formation of these structures is related to macromolecules present in plasma (i.e. fibrinogen and dextran) which increase in concentration in certain inflammatory diseases, such as, allergies and rheumatic diseases.
Biomechanical Properties of Red Blood Cells and Vesicles
The rheological properties of blood depend highly on the properties of its red blood cells: concentration, membrane elasticity and aggregation. These properties affect the viscosity of blood, as well as its shear thinning behavior. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that, in some cases, these properties are related to diseases, such as hemolytic anemias.
Front propagation in microchannels with obstacles
The presence of defects and heterogeneities in different surfaces generates that a propagating fluid front (fluid-air interface) gets attached to the surface in a phenomenon known as pinning.