Rapid and label-free separation of target cells from biological samples provided unique opportunity for disease diagnostics and treatment. However, even with advanced technologies for cell separation, the limited throughput, high cost and low separation resolution still prevented their utility in separating cells with well-defined physical features from a large volume of biological samples. Here we described an ultrahigh-throughput microfluidic technology, termed as inertial-ferrohydrodynamic cell separation (inertial-FCS), that rapidly sorted through over 60 milliliters of samples at a throughput of 100 000 cells per second in a label-free manner, differentiating the cells based on their physical diameter difference with ∼1–2 μm separation resolution. Through the integration of inertial focusing and ferrohydrodynamic separation, we demonstrated that the resulting inertial-FCS devices could separate viable and expandable circulating tumor cells from cancer patients' blood with a high recovery rate and high purity. We also showed that the devices could enrich lymphocytes directly from white blood cells based on their physical morphology without any labeling steps. This label-free method could address the needs of high throughput and high resolution cell separation in circulating tumor cell research and adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy.
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Plastic-based acoustofluidic devices for high-throughput, biocompatible platelet separation
Platelet separation is a crucial step for both blood donation and treatment of essential thrombocytosis. Here we present an acoustofluidic device that is capable of performing high-throughput, biocompatible platelet separation using sound waves. The device is entirely made of plastic material, which renders the device disposable and more suitable for clinical use. We used this device to process undiluted human whole blood, and we demonstrate a sample throughput of 20 mL min −1 , a platelet recovery rate of 87.3%, and a red/white blood cell removal rate of 88.9%. We preserved better platelet function and integrity for isolated platelets than those which are isolated using established methods. Our device features advantages such as rapid fabrication, high throughput, and biocompatibility, so it is a promising alternative to existing platelet separation approaches.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1807601
- PAR ID:
- 10112325
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Lab on a Chip
- Volume:
- 19
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1473-0197
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 394 to 402
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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