Method and apparatus for sorting particles
AssigneeCytonome/St, LLC
InventorsManish Deshpande, John R. Gilbert
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for sorting particles moving through a closed channel system of capillary size comprises actuators and chambers for selectively generating a pressure pulse to separate a particle having a predetermined characteristic from a stream of particles. The particle sorting system may further include a buffer for absorbing the pressure pulse. The particle sorting system may include a plurality of closely coupled sorting modules which are combined to further increase the sorting rate. The particle sorting system may comprise a multi-stage sorting device for serially sorting streams of particles, in order to decrease the error rate.
Claims11
A particle sorting system, comprising:
- a duct configured to convey particles in a stream comprising an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet;
- a sensor for sensing a predetermined characteristic of a particle flowing in the duct;
- a first chamber having a movable wall fluidically couplable to the duct;
- a second chamber having a movable wall fluidically couplable to the duct, the second chamber opposing the first chamber on an opposite side of the duct;
- an actuator operatively coupled to at least one of the first chamber or the second chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.