Patent ID: 8083069
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: B03C

Abstract:
1. A process for the high throughput separation of one or more distinct biological materials from a sample containing two or more biological materials of a given type comprising; a) tagging a target biological material with magnetically responsive particles such that said tagged target biological material will move a given minimum deflection distance in response to a given magnetic field gradient; b) injecting said sample into an inlet of a separation chamber in which laminar flow of a fluid medium is maintained, said separation chamber having multiple outlets, one of which supports a first laminar flow path from said injection inlet to the chamber, such that a fluid flow would, in the absence of any other force, cause the biological materials in said sample entering said injection inlet to exit said outlet; and c) applying a magnetic field gradient to the separation chamber to deflect said tagged target biological material into a second laminar flow path so as to cause it to exit the separation chamber from an outlet other than the one in the first laminar flow path with the injection inlet through which it entered the chamber, wherein a material with a high relative magnetic permeability is placed adjacent each outlet of said separation chamber to which the tagged target biological material is being deflected so as to focus said tagged target biological material into said outlet, the first laminar flow path from the injection outlet is bounded on a first edge distal from the second laminar flow path by a third laminar flow path, the second laminar flow path leading to the outlet for the deflected tagged target biological material is bounded on a second edge distal from the first laminar flow path by a fourth laminar flow path, and the third and fourth laminar flow paths are not involved in separation of the tagged target biological material from the other biological materials.