Wireless Communication Techniques for Improved Detection Fidelity in Microfluidic Impedance Cytometry Using Space–Time Coded Electrodes

—Microfluidic flow cytometry may be used to provide important knowledge about the characteristics of microparticles, including cell size, intracellular organelles, and DNA damage response. Since there is so much study in this field, several strategies have been used to improve the system’s effectiveness in a variety of areas, including sample preparation, sensing modalities, and data analysis. Due to the simplicity with which electrical components may be downsized, reduced cost, portability, and simplicity of the system, impedance-based detection offers an inherent benefit over various sensing modalities. Although electrical-based cytometry systems have a number of benefits over their optical equivalents, some problems still need to be resolved before standalone point-of-care (POC) solutions can be achieved. False peak counts caused by spurious interference, which can taint the accurate cytometry counts, are one of the key issues with electrical-based systems. In this article, we introduce a novel algorithm for error correction employing space–time coded electrodes as a first step toward a viable solution. Using our novel symbol-combining approach we are able to increase the signal detection fidelity through an improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of three times compared to simple thresholding. Based on the increased SNR, we present a smart thresholding technique to increase signal fidelity and reduce the effects of spurious peaks and noise.