Purification of Lymphocytes by Acoustic Separation in Plastic Microchannels

Emerging cell therapies have created new demands for instruments that will increase processing efficiency. Purification of lymphocytes prior to downstream steps of gene transfer currently relies on centrifugal separation, which has drawbacks in output sample purity and process automation. Here, we present an alternative approach to blood cell purification using acoustic forces in plastic microchannels. We provide details regarding the system's ability to purify lymphocytes relative to other blood cell types while maintaining a high overall recovery, testing performance starting from leukapheresis product, buffy coat, and whole blood. Depending on settings, the device achieves for lymphocytes up to 97% purity and up to 68% recovery, and depletes 98% of monocytes while also reducing red cells and platelets. We expect that future scale-up of our system for increased throughput will enable its incorporation in the cell therapy workflow, and that it could ultimately reduce costs and expand access for patients.