Patent ID: 7807454
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: B01L,B03C

Abstract:
1. A microfluidic sorting device comprising: (a) at least one inlet channel configured to provide separate streams of (i) a sample comprising a target species, non target species, and magnetic particles having an affinity for the target species in the sample, and (ii) a buffer that is substantially free of the sample; (b) a sorting station fluidly coupled to said at least one inlet and located in a path of the sample stream; (c) a magnetic field gradient generator for interacting with an external magnetic field to produce a change in magnetic field gradient in the sorting station and thereby deflecting the magnetic particles toward the buffer stream, and wherein the magnetic field gradient generator comprises a plurality of ferromagnetic elements comprising ferromagnetic strips arranged in an angled configuration where the first ends of two ferromagnetic strips in the angled configuration touch or are separated by a first distance and the second ends of the two ferromagnetic strips are separated by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and (d) at least one outlet channel configured to separately receive the buffer stream with deflected magnetic particles and a waste stream containing said sample at least partially depleted of the target species.