Method and device to fractionate stem cells
AssigneeAlma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
InventorsPierluigi Reschiglian, Barbara Roda, Gian Paolo Bagnara, Andrea Zattoni
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Abstract
A method and the relevant instrumentation to fractionate living, adherent stem cells, particularly of human origin, from different sources is disclosed, said method is based on the non-equilibrium, dynamic fractionation of cells assisted by the Earth gravity field.
Claims31
Method for the fractionation of adherent stem cells, comprising the following steps:
- i) preparation of a living cell sample suspended in a biocompatible fluid used as mobile phase;
- ii) introduction of said sample into a proper device for non-equilibrium, gravity-assisted dynamic fractionation, said introduction performed by means of a continuous flow of mobile phase applied in a direction that is coincident with the direction of the gravity field;
- iii) sample elution from said fractionation device;
- iv) collection of fractions containing said fractionated stem cells.
Device for high-throughput, non-equilibrium, gravity-assisted dynamic fractionation, characterized in that the fractionation element is a capillary duct the longest edges of which converge towards the flow direction, said duct also has a multiple-V shaped front side end, the concavity of which lies towards the flow direction, and at the end of which the longest edges of the duct converge towards the flow direction until they join together with the rear side end of the duct where the channel outlet hole is placed, said rear side end of the duct is also V-shaped, the concavity of which lies against the flow direction, facing the multiple-V shaped front side end of the duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.