  We show, via three-dimensional
immersed-boundary-finite-element-lattice-Boltzmann simulations, that
deformability-based red blood cell (RBC) separation in deterministic lateral
displacement (DLD) devices is possible. This is due to the
deformability-dependent lateral extension of RBCs and enables us to predict a
priori which RBCs will be displaced in a given DLD geometry. Several diseases
affect the deformability of human cells. Malaria-infected RBCs or sickle cells,
for example, tend to become stiffer than their healthy counterparts. It is
therefore desirable to design microfluidic devices which can detect those
diseases based on the cells' deformability fingerprint, rather than preparing
samples using expensive and time-consuming biochemical preparation steps. Our
findings should be helpful in the development of new methods for sorting cells
and particles by deformability.
