Device and method for separating particles in a liquid, kit containing the device, and applications of the device

A kit comprising

• i) a device in accordance with 19;
• and
• ii) a unit that has at least one of the following means:
• a means that is suitable to apply an electrical voltage to the filter element;
• a means that is suitable to apply an oscillating fluid flow;
• and
• a means that is suitable to move the liquid having the particles through the filter element.

A method for separating particles in a liquid comprising the steps of:

• a) providing at least one group of solid phase particles that have a specific hydrodynamic diameter and that expose at least one molecule at their surface that is suitable to specifically bind to a surface molecule of a first kind of particle of the particles of the liquid;
• and
• b) incubating the liquid having the at least one group of solid phase particles until the solid phase particles of the at least one group of solid phase particles have been specifically bound to a surface molecule of a first kind of particle of the particles of the liquid;
• c) providing a filter element that comprises a material that is suitable to change, by application of an electrical voltage to the filter element and/or by the action of a mechanical force on the filter element, the pore diameter of its pores;
• d) setting the pore diameter of the pores of the filter element via application of an electrical voltage to the filter element and/or the action of a mechanical force on the filter element so that only particles up to a desired particle diameter can pass through the filter element, with the set particle diameter being smaller than a hydrodynamic diameter of the at least one group of solid phase particles;
• e) moving the liquid through the filter element;
• f) isolating the liquid;
• g) increasing the pore diameter of the pores of the filter element by reducing the power of the electrical voltage and/or by increasing the mechanical force on the filter element so that particles up to a desired, now larger particle diameter can pass through the filter element;
• h) optionally adding a liquid that does not comprise any particles to the liquid having the particles that have not passed through;
• i) moving the liquid through the filter element;
• j) isolating the liquid that comprises the particles of the first kind of particle;
• k) optionally repeating steps g) to j) until all the particles of the liquid are present separated by their size in separate liquids.