Separation Of Cell Populations By Marker Identification And Sedimentation Velocity

A method for the specific separation of target cells from a biological sample, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a phase-change hydrogel composition, the hydrogel being labeled with biological moieties that are capable of specifically interacting with one or more marker(s) on the target cells;
• (b) incubating the biological sample with said hydrogel composition under conditions allowing polymerization of the hydrogel and binding of the target cells to the hydrogel via said biological moieties, thus forming cell-hydrogel complexes;
• (c) separating said cell-hydrogel complexes from unbound cells and other components of the biological sample in a centrifugation vessel via their sedimentation velocity in a counter-current centrifuge;
• (d) depolymerizing the hydrogel once the cell-hydrogel complexes are separated by applying suitable conditions within the centrifugation vessel in the counter-current centrifuge;
• (e) removing the depolymerized hydrogel composition from the centrifugation vessel in the counter-current centrifuge;
• and
• (f) transferring the separated target cells into a collection vessel.