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A glass microfluidic chip for continuous blood cell sorting by a magnetic gradient without labeling

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Abstract

This paper presents a microfluidic chip for highly efficient separation of red blood cells (RBCs) from whole blood on the basis of their native magnetic properties. The glass chip was fabricated by photolithography and thermal bonding. It consisted of one inlet and three outlets, and a nickel wire of 69-μm diameter was positioned in the center of a separation channel with 149-μm top width and 73-μm depth by two parallel ridges (about 10 μm high). The two ridges were formed simultaneously during the wet etching of the channels. The nickel wire for generating the magnetic gradient inside the separation channel was introduced from the side of the chip through a guide channel. The external magnetic field was applied by a permanent magnet of 0.3 T placed by the side of the chip and parallel to the main separation channel. The RBCs were separated continuously from the 1:40 (v/v) diluted blood sample at a flow rate in the range 0.12–0.92 μL/min (9–74 mm/min) with the chip, and up to 93.7% of the RBCs were collected in the middle outlet under a flow rate of 0.23 μL/min. The cell sedimentation was alleviated by adjusting the specific density of the supporting media with bovine serum albumin. Quantum dot labeling was introduced for visual fluorescence tracking of the separation process. The uneven distribution phenomenon of the blood cells around the nickel wire was reported and discussed.

Glass chip with single Ni wire aligned in the microchannel for continuous magnetic separation of blood cells

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from Northeastern University is acknowledged. The authors are grateful to Hong-Zhuan Yin from the Chinese Medicine University for fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Northeastern University, 110004, Shenyang, China

    Bai-Yan Qu, Zhi-Yong Wu & Fang Fang

  2. Physics Department, Northeastern University, 110004, Shenyang, China

    Zhi-Ming Bai

  3. Chemistry Department, Northeastern University, 110004, Shenyang, China

    Dong-Zhi Yang & Shu-Kun Xu

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  1. Bai-Yan Qu
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  2. Zhi-Yong Wu
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  3. Fang Fang
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  4. Zhi-Ming Bai
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  6. Shu-Kun Xu
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Correspondence to Zhi-Yong Wu.

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Qu, BY., Wu, ZY., Fang, F. et al. A glass microfluidic chip for continuous blood cell sorting by a magnetic gradient without labeling. Anal Bioanal Chem 392, 1317–1324 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-2382-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-008-2382-4

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