Resilient red blood cells need fuel to adapt their shape to the environment

(Osaka University) An international research team led by Osaka University built a novel 'Catch-Load-Launch' microfluidic device to monitor the resilience of red blood cells after being held in a narrow channel for various periods of time. They found that the time for the red blood cell to spring back into shape was shorter for when starved of adenosine triphosphate or exposed to endotoxins. These findings may help improve treatments for patients with sepsis or malaria.