ABSTRACT
Compared with other separation techniques, centrifugal elutriation pro vides a rapid, nondestructive, and reproducible method of large-scale cell separation; for example, 2 x 109 to 2 x 1010 mononuclear cells, depending on the equipment used, can be separated in a single separation chamber in a single run. In addition, it allows separation at low temperatures in a medium of choice, preventing activation of cells (monocytes). Centrifugal elutriation
does not require any pretreatment of the sample and can be applied to separate cell populations that differ only slightly in sedimentation velocity (see Sec. II). A major disadvantage that thus far has prevented centrifugal elutriation from becoming a major separation technique is that it requires well-trained and dedicated personnel. If centrifugal elutriation can be further automated and made user friendly, this will undoubtedly extend the number of applications.
