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Related Concept Videos

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation01:20

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation

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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: Apr 12, 2026

Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology
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Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology

Published on: November 14, 2025

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Benchtop technologies for circulating tumor cells separation based on biophysical properties.

Wan Shi Low1, Wan Abu Bakar Wan Abas1

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Biomed Research International
|May 16, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) leverages cell properties for detection. This review assesses methods, performance, and future directions for CTC isolation technologies.

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Rapid Isolation of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Blood Samples
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Rapid Isolation of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Blood Samples

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology
09:45

Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology

Published on: November 14, 2025

978
Micromanipulation of Circulating Tumor Cells for Downstream Molecular Analysis and Metastatic Potential Assessment
05:17

Micromanipulation of Circulating Tumor Cells for Downstream Molecular Analysis and Metastatic Potential Assessment

Published on: May 14, 2019

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Rapid Isolation of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Blood Samples
07:32

Rapid Isolation of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Blood Samples

Published on: June 15, 2012

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Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are critical biomarkers for cancer prognosis, with >5 CTCs/7.5mL blood indicating poor survival.
  • Isolating and characterizing CTCs is challenging due to their rarity and diverse morphology.
  • Current CTC isolation methods are varied, necessitating a review of label-free approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and analyze label-free methods for circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation.
  • To evaluate the performance of different CTC isolation techniques based on key metrics.
  • To discuss current challenges and future prospects in CTC isolation technology.

Main Methods:

  • Focus on label-free CTC isolation techniques.
  • Exploitation of biophysical and biomechanical cell properties (size, deformability, electrical properties) for CTC detection.
  • Assessment of isolation methods using performance metrics: capture efficiency, cell viability, and throughput.

Main Results:

  • Label-free methods offer promising alternatives for CTC isolation.
  • Performance metrics like capture efficiency and cell viability vary significantly across different methods.
  • Throughput remains a critical factor for clinical applicability.

Conclusions:

  • Label-free CTC isolation is a rapidly advancing field with significant clinical potential.
  • Further optimization of current methods and development of novel techniques are needed.
  • Addressing challenges in efficiency, viability, and throughput will enhance CTC isolation for personalized medicine.