Doing a cell count on a sample of the fluid goes a long way toward a diagnosis. The new microscopy system takes less than 50 μL of cerebrospinal fluid and automatically counts the cells within.
Though manual counting using a traditional microscope is quite effective, the small size and automated nature of the new system allows it to be implemented for point-of-care diagnostics.
The lenseless system consists of a CMOS image sensor on top of which the sample is placed. A light plane wave illuminates the sample, producing a holographic image that the sensor captures. This allows the sensor to see the sample and a computer program is then used to interpret the image into a cell count.