ABSTRACT
II. PRINCIPLES OF MAGNETIC CELL SORTING A. Overview The general separation process is outlined in Figure 1. The cell-preparation and labeling methods are similar to those used in flow cytometry (1). A monodisperse suspension of viable cells is incubated with a magnetic reagent, which typically consists of a monoclonal antibody (mAb), specific for the cells of interest, covalently coupled to magnetic microbeads 20-100 nm in diameter. The cells are washed to remove excess reagent and resuspended in buffered saline containing protein such as 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA). The suspension is then passed over a column containing a ferromagnetic matrix
Figure 1 Isolation of magnetically labeled cells. A mixture of magnetically labeled and unlabeled cells is loaded onto a ferromagnetic matrix-separation column placed between the poles of a magnet. Magnetized cells are retained on the column while unlabeled cells pass through. Labeled cells are recovered after demagnetization of the column by removing it from the magnetic field.
