Acoustic-Fluorescence-Activated-Cell Sorter for Transfection Cells Screening

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microfluidics
• Acoustic Cell Sorting

Background:

• Biological particle sorting is crucial for various applications, including disease diagnosis and drug development.
• Existing methods can cause biological damage and environmental pollution.
• There is a need for high-throughput, low-voltage, and non-damaging sorting technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel biological particle sorting strategy using highly focused travelling surface acoustic waves (TSAWs) and microfluidics.
• To address issues of biological damage and bioaerosol pollution associated with current sorting technologies.
• To achieve high-throughput separation of biological particles at low voltage.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fully functional acoustic fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) instrument.
• Integration of TSAWs device, fluorescence detection, sorting feedback, and pressure control.
• Utilized fluorescent polystyrene (PS) particles and fluorescently labeled SGC-7901-GFP cells for verification.

Main Results:

• Successfully sorted fluorescent PS particles from nonfluorescent ones with 97.44±1.29% purity and 96.15% recovery.
• Screened fluorescent SGC-7901-GFP cells from nonfluorescent cells with 91.67±1.91% purity and 95.62% recovery.
• Achieved high post-sort cell viability (97.78±1.01%) and developed a compact, low-cost, portable instrument.

Conclusions:

• The developed acoustic-fluorescence-activated sorter effectively separates biological particles with high purity and recovery.
• The TSAWs-based microfluidic system minimizes biological damage and pollution, offering a significant advancement.
• The portable, low-cost design enhances accessibility and applicability in various settings.