Researchers develop the 'ultimate cell sorter'
Published Date: 5/26/2020
Source: phys.org
In medicine and biology, there is great interest in efficient and inexpensive methods for identifying and separating different cell types, for example for medical diagnostics or for regenerative therapies using stem cells. Up to this point, the method of choice has been the so-called flow cytometry, in which cells are labeled with fluorescent antibodies and then identified as they flow through a channel. However, this method has its weak points: Not only is it relatively expensive and time-consuming, but also the antibodies themselves can be problematic. As they are exogenous, they can change the properties of the cells they dock onto and can cause difficulties, for example, when they are injected into the body. Besides, the identification of cells is not always error-free in flow cytometry.