Abstract
A compact benchtop model of the centrifuge allows continuous separation of cells based on density differences. The apparatus contains a small separation disk equipped with a circular channel (8 ml capacity) separated by a septum. A set of Percoll’s isotonic media with different densities are continuously fed into one terminal and collected in the other. Under a centrifugal force field, the cell suspension introduced into the proximal portion of the channel results in a continuous separation of cells according to their densities.
The performance of the apparatus was demonstrated with the separation of a human buffy coat containing nucleated cells (>108) from a large population (1010) of red blood cells. The results indicated that the method is capable of separating a large number of nucleated cells, with minimal damage, during a few hours of operation in which neutrophils are well separated from lymphocytes. The method can be applied to other types of samples, such as umbilical cord blood, small animal blood, cultured cells, pancreatic β-cell islets, malaria parasites, spermatozoa, etc.
Keywords:
Cell separation, Density gradient centrifugation, Percoll, Sealless continuous flow centrifuge, RBCs, WBCs, Lymphocyte, Monocyte, Granulocytes, Platelets, Buffy coat