Patent ID: 7354733

Claim:
A method for physically separating cells, the method comprising: providing a liquid comprising a living cell mixture suspended therein, wherein said living cell mixture comprises target cells and non-target cells; labeling said target cells with a photophoric probe adapted to label said target cells to the exclusion of said non-target cells to form labeled target cells in said liquid, said photophoric probe capable of being controllably activated to produce localized emission of light in the vicinity of said labeled target cells; providing a light sensitive substrate comprising a photosensitizable metal compound; applying said liquid to said light sensitive substrate such that said labeled target cells are adjacent to said light sensitive substrate; activating said photophoric probe to produce localized emission of light in the vicinity of said labeled target cells, said light photosensitizes a portion of said light sensitive substrate to form photosensitized portion of said substrate; developing said photosensitized portions, wherein developing comprises applying to said substrate a developing solution formulated to substantially allow said living cells to remain viable after exposure to said developing solution; forming metal grains from said metal compound whereby said labeled target cells adhere to said metal grains; removing non-target cells of said mixture from the substrate, thereby separating said non-target cells from said labeled target cells adhered to the metal grains.