%0 Journal Article
%@ 1473-0189
%A Pritchard, RH
%A Zhukov, AA
%A Fullerton, JN
%A Want, AJ
%A Hussain, F
%A la Cour, MF
%A Bashtanov, ME
%A Gold, RD
%A Hailes, A
%A Banham-Hall, E
%A Rogers, SS
%D 2019
%F discovery:10076717
%J Lab on a Chip
%T Cell sorting actuated by a microfluidic inertial vortex
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10076717/
%X The sorting of specific cell populations is an established tool in biological research, with new applications demanding greater cell throughput, sterility and elimination of cross-contamination. Here we report ‘vortex-actuated cell sorting’ (VACS), a new technique that deflects cells individually, via the generation of a transient microfluidic vortex by a thermal vapour bubble: a novel mechanism, which is able to sort cells based on fluorescently-labelled molecular markers. Using in silico simulation and experiments on beads, an immortal cell line and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we demonstrate high-purity and high-recovery sorting with input rates up to 10^{4} cells per s and switching speeds comparable to existing techniques (>40 kHz). A tiny footprint (1 × 0.25 mm) affords miniaturization and the potential to achieve multiplexing: a crucial step in increasing processing rate. Simple construction using biocompatible materials potentially minimizes cost of fabrication and permits single-use sterile cartridges. We believe VACS potentially enables parallel sorting at throughputs relevant to cell therapy, liquid biopsy and phenotypic screening.
%Z © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/).