Label-Free and Continuous-Flow Ferrohydrodynamic Separation of HeLa Cells and Blood Cells in Biocompatible Ferrofluids.
Wujun Zhao, Taotao Zhu, Rui Cheng, Yufei Liu, Jian He, Hong Qiu, Lianchun Wang, Tamas Nagy, Troy D Querec, Elizabeth R Unger, Leidong Mao
Author Information
Wujun Zhao: Department of Chemistry, The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Taotao Zhu: Department of Chemistry, The University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Rui Cheng: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, 220 Riverbend Road Room, 166, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Yufei Liu: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
Jian He: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
Hong Qiu: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Lianchun Wang: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Tamas Nagy: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Troy D Querec: Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic, Infectious Diseases Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Elizabeth R Unger: Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic, Infectious Diseases Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Leidong Mao: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, 220 Riverbend Road Room, 166, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
In this study, a label-free, low-cost, and fast ferrohydrodynamic cell separation scheme is demonstrated using HeLa cells (an epithelial cell line) and red blood cells. The separation is based on cell size difference, and conducted in a custom-made biocompatible ferrofluid that retains the viability of cells during and after the assay for downstream analysis. The scheme offers moderate-throughput (≈10 cells h for a single channel device) and extremely high recovery rate (>99%) without the use of any label. It is envisioned that this separation scheme will have clinical applications in settings where rapid cell enrichment and removal of contaminating blood will improve efficiency of screening and diagnosis such as cervical cancer screening based on mixed populations in exfoliated samples.
