Systems and methods for sorting particles
AssigneeInguran, LLC
InventorsGary Durack, Jeffrey D. Wallace, Gary P. Vandre, Lon A. Westfall, Jeremy T. Hatcher, Niraj V. Nayak
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Abstract
A flow cytometry system and method for sorting a mixture of particles, such as a fluid switching sorting system for sorting selected particles which includes a control having a microprocessor programmed with instructions for implementing a control strategy for controlling the fluid delivery to the system to vary the rate at which fluid is delivered as a function of the purity or yield of a sub-population of particles.
Claims15
A flow cytometry system for sorting a mixture of particles including particles having a characteristic A and particles having a characteristic B, the system including:
- a fluid delivery system for delivering a fluid containing the particles to a flow cytometry apparatus;
- a flow cytometry apparatus for receiving the fluid, forming the fluid into a stream and using flow cytometry to classify the particles according to the characteristics;
- and
- a fluid switching sorting system for sorting selected particles in the stream according to the classification and according to a sorting strategy to provide at least one population containing desired particles, wherein the fluid switching system comprises:
- a control having a microprocessor programmed with instructions for implementing a control strategy responsive to information received from the flow cytometry apparatus during sorting for controlling the fluid delivery system during sorting to vary a rate at which fluid is delivered as a function of at least one of the following:
- (1) a purity of the said at least one population with respect to either characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles;
- and
- (2) a quantity of characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles in the said at least one population relative to a total quantity of characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles in the stream.
A method of sorting a mixture of particles including particles having a characteristic A and particles having a characteristic B comprising:
- providing a flow cytometry system;
- delivering a fluid containing the particles to a flow cytometry apparatus;
- forming the fluid into a stream and using flow cytometry to classify the particles in the stream according to the characteristics;
- sorting the particles in the stream by diverting selected particles in the stream according to the classification and according to a sorting strategy thereby to provide at least one population containing desired particles;
- and
- during sorting varying a rate at which fluid is delivered as a function of at least one of the following:
- (1) a purity of the said at least one population with respect to either characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles;
- and
- (2) a quantity of characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles in the said at least one population relative to a total quantity of characteristic A particles or characteristic B particles in the stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.