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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Immune Cells from the Ischemic Mouse Brain
Published on: February 12, 2016
A microflow cytometer exploited for the immunological differentiation of leukocytes
Marcin Frankowski1, Nicole Bock, Andreas Kummrow
1Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
This study shows microfluidic chips can differentiate stained blood cells, matching conventional flow cytometer performance. This enables compact, low-cost instruments for immune status determination.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Immunology
Background:
- Conventional flow cytometry is crucial for immune status determination.
- Microfluidic devices offer potential for miniaturized cell analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a microfluidic chip for differentiating immunologically stained blood cells.
- To compare the performance of the microfluidic device with conventional flow cytometry.
Main Methods:
- White blood cells were stained with antibodies for immune status determination.
- Cells were analyzed using a microfluidic chip and a conventional flow cytometer.
- Stability was assessed by measuring signal pulse height variation with calibration beads.
Main Results:
- The microfluidic device demonstrated comparable performance to conventional flow cytometers.
- Signal pulse height variation was approximately 2%, indicating stable hydrodynamic focusing and optical setup.
- Relative concentrations of lymphocytes and subpopulations were accurately determined.
Conclusions:
- Microfluidic chips are suitable modules for compact, portable cell analysis instruments.
- The production process is compatible with mass production, enabling low-cost disposable chips.
- This technology holds promise for accessible immune status diagnostics.
Abstract:
In this article, we demonstrate the potential of a microfluidic chip for the differentiation of immunologically stained blood cells. To this end, white blood cells stained with antibodies typically applied for the determination of the immune status were measured in the micro-device. Relative concentrations of lymphocytes and subpopulations of lymphocytes are compared to those obtained with a conventional flow cytometer. The stability of the hydrodynamic focusing and the optical setup was determined by measuring the variation of the signal pulse height of fluorescence calibration beads, being about 2% for the micro-device. This value and the overall performance of the micro-device are similar to conventional flow cytometers. It follows from our results that such microfluidic structures are well suited as modules in a compact, portable read-out instrument. The production process of the microflow cytometers, which we exploited for immunological cell differentiation, is compatible with mass production technology like injection molding and, hence, low cost disposable chips could be available in the future.
