Acoustic separation of particles for bioprocessing
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsJason O. Fiering, Kenneth T. Kotz
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Abstract
A method for separating particles in a biofluid includes pretreating the biofluid by introducing an additive, flowing the pretreated biofluid through a microfluidic separation channel, and applying acoustic energy to the microfluidic separation channel. A system for microfluidic separation, capable of separating target particles from non-target particles in a biofluid includes at least one microfluidic separation channel, a source of biofluid, a source of additive, and at least one acoustic transducer coupled to the microfluidic separation channel. A kit for microfluidic particle separation includes a microfluidic separation channel connected to an acoustic transducer, a source of an additive, and instructions for use.
Claims29
A method of separating target particles from non-target particles in a biofluid, the method comprising:
- providing the biofluid comprising the target particles and the non-target particles, the target particles being unbound;
- introducing into the biofluid an additive to regulate the density of the biofluid while preserving the integrity of the particles, wherein the density of the biofluid is regulated to substantially match a density of the target particles;
- flowing the pretreated biofluid into an inlet of a microfluidic separation channel;
- and
- applying acoustic energy to the pretreated biofluid within the microfluidic separation channel, such that the target particles accumulate within at least one primary stream along a peripheral region of the microfluidic separation channel and the non-target particles accumulate within at least one secondary stream along a central region of the microfluidic separation channel to separate the target-particles and the non-target particles, the separation occurring within the microfluidic separation channel;
- and
- continue flowing the at least one primary stream and at least one secondary stream within the microfluidic separation channel along a same axis towards an outlet opposite the inlet.
A method of separating target particles from non-target particles in a biofluid, the method comprising:
- providing the biofluid comprising the target particles and the non-target particles, the target particles being unbound;
- introducing into the biofluid an additive to regulate the density of the biofluid while preserving the integrity of the particles, wherein the density of the biofluid is regulated to substantially match a density of the target particles;
- flowing the pretreated biofluid into an inlet of a microfluidic separation channel configured to maintain at least one primary stream and at least one secondary stream therewithin;
- and
- applying acoustic energy to the pretreated biofluid within the microfluidic separation channel, such that the target particles accumulate within and flow through the at least one primary stream and the non-target particles accumulate within and flow through the at least one secondary stream, the separation occurring within the microfluidic separation channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.