Efficient Isolation of Rare Cells Using Density-Based Separation
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Summary
Problems
Current methods for analyzing suspensions, such as blood samples, face challenges in detecting and isolating rare materials like circulating tumor cells due to their low concentrations, making it difficult and time-consuming to accurately diagnose and treat cancer patients.
Innovation solutions
An apparatus and method involving an enrichment agent and a collector system that uses centrifugation and density-based separation to selectively retrieve target materials from suspensions, employing immunomagnetic beads or buoyant beads to alter the density of target materials and separate them from the rest of the sample.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If conventional blood film analysis is used to detect rare cells, then the method is simple and inexpensive, but the detection precision and efficiency are insufficient due to low concentration of target cells
Why choose this principle:
The blood sample analysis is divided into multiple stages: initial enrichment of target cells using magnetic beads, separation by density gradient centrifugation, and final detection. This segmentation allows each stage to optimize for its specific function, achieving high detection precision without requiring a single complex device to perform all functions
Principle concept:
If conventional blood film analysis is used to detect rare cells, then the method is simple and inexpensive, but the detection precision and efficiency are insufficient due to low concentration of target cells
Why choose this principle:
Magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies are introduced as intermediaries to bind to target cells (such as CTCs). These beads serve as mediators that enable specific recognition and enrichment of rare cells from the blood sample, significantly improving detection precision while maintaining operational simplicity
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
An apparatus and method involving an enrichment agent and a collector system that uses centrifugation and density-based separation to selectively retrieve target materials from suspensions, employing immunomagnetic beads or buoyant beads to alter the density of target materials and separate them from the rest of the sample.
Abstract
This disclosure is directed to an apparatus, system and method for retrieving a target material from a sample. An enrichment agent may be added to a vessel that contains the sample for positive selection, or, in other words, to select or aid in selecting the target material from amongst the remainder of the sample. The enrichment agent may be, for example, immunomagnetic beads, buoyant beads, high-density beads, chemicals to change the density of the target material, or the like.