I-Corps: Two-Bead Method for Enhanced Cell Isolation from Complex Samples

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

The team from the University of Michigan has developed a new technology that allows purification of cells, based on the simultaneous antibody detection of any two distinct surface features, called two-particle activated cell sorting. This is important because biological cell research and medical technologies require efficient cell separation techniques to advance basic research of cells and for medical research and clinical treatment. Current approaches include fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS). FACS requires expensive instrumentation and MACS lacks specificity. Being able to enrich low levels of cells to a high degree of purity from complex samples is recognized as being a significant missing component in many areas of life science. The proposed work plans on meeting this need through a combination of two-surface marker isolation (currently only possible with expensive instrumentation) with the ease of use and cost of magnetic separation (currently only possible to perform single-parameter separation). This technology may have a potential to shift the market landscape creating a niche opportunity between FACS and MACS, only taking the advantage of both.