Blood cell quantification on dry blood samples: toward patient-centric complete blood counts

Performing complete blood counts from patients' homes could have a transformative impact on e-based healthcare. Blood microsampling and sample drying are enabling elements for patient-centric healthcare. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of dry blood samples for image-based cell quantification of red and white blood cells. A manual sample preparation method was developed and tested for image-based red and white blood cell counting. Dry blood samples enable image-based cell counting of red and white blood cells with a good correlation to gold standard hematology analyzer data (average coefficient of variation 0.8) and resolve the basic morphology of white blood cell nuclei. The presented proof-of-principle study is a first step toward patient-centric complete blood counts.