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Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation

Cell separation was first achieved in 1964 by S. H. Seal, who separated large tumor cells from the smaller blood cells using filtration. Two years later, Pohl and Hawk performed experiments on how cells respond differently to a nonuniform electric field based on the cell type. Such observations were the inception of cell separation methods, which allow isolating a single cell type from a heterogeneous sample.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Chip-based Three-dimensional Cell Culture in Perfused Micro-bioreactors

Chip-based Three-dimensional Cell Culture in Perfused Micro-bioreactors

Published on: May 21, 2008

A 3D mammalian cell separator biochip.

Debaditya Choudhury¹, William T Ramsay, Robert Kiss

¹SUPA, Department of Physics, School of Engineering & Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. dc119@hw.ac.uk

|January 19, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study presents a novel device for non-invasively separating cells based on their deformability. The technology achieves high throughput while maintaining cell integrity, offering a new method for cell separation.

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Cell Biology
Microfluidics

Background:

Cell deformability varies due to cytoskeletal architecture.
This difference offers a non-invasive approach for cell separation.
Existing methods may lack scalability or introduce invasiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and fabricate a robust, scalable device for cell separation based on deformability.
To enrich cell populations with specific deformability characteristics.
To evaluate the device's performance and impact on cell viability.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a 3D device in fused silica using femtosecond laser direct writing and selective chemical etching.
Utilizing differences in cell deformability for separation.
Evaluation using promyelocytic HL60 cells and high flow rates.

Main Results:

Achieved high throughputs of up to 2800 cells min(-1) at flow rates of 167 microL min(-1).
Demonstrated successful separation of cells based on deformability.
81% of cells maintained cellular integrity after passing through the device, confirmed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) viability analysis.

Conclusions:

The developed device is effective for separating cells based on deformability.
The method is scalable and non-invasive, preserving cell viability.
This technology holds promise for applications requiring enriched cell populations with specific mechanical properties.