Patent ID: 6991738
Filing Date: 2006-01-31
Classification: B04B,G01N

Abstract:
1. A process for separation of specimen particles, the process comprising coating a cylinder having an inner wall and a cylinder axis with an optical gel coating on the inner wall by injecting an optical gel into the cylinder and centrifuqating the optical gel to produce a uniform coating of the optical gel on the inner wall, then flowing a specimen mixture including solvent through the cylinder while the cylinder is being continuously rotated, wherein the specimen mixture is initially directed to flow along the cylinder axis and such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated off the cylinder axis toward the inner wall, so as to form a film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel, and ejecting the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel using a plunger mechanism having a tip and a base where the tip has a diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the film of biological cell specimen particles embedded into the gel, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is not actuated by the plunger tip, but so that there is a gap left between the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel and the plunger tip, and wherein the plunger base has its diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the cylinder, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is forced forward when the plunger mechanism base engages the inner wall of the cylinder.