Abstract: A method for magnetically sorting biological objects comprising the steps of providing a fluid sample containing an initial biological mixture that includes magnetically labeled biological objects; depositing a first biological mixture on the conduit wall of a conduit exposed to a magnetic field by flowing the fluid sample through the conduit; rinsing the first biological mixture by flowing a stream of buffer fluid through the conduit and filling the conduit with the buffer fluid; removing the magnetic field from the conduit; resuspending the first biological mixture in the buffer fluid to form a suspension of the first biological mixture by applying mechanical agitation to the conduit; and depositing a second biological mixture on the conduit wall by applying the magnetic field to the suspension of the first biological mixture in the conduit, wherein the second biological mixture has a magnetically labeled biological object purity higher than the first biological mixture.

Abstract: A method for magnetically sorting rare cells including the steps of (a) flowing a first fluid sample, which contains a first mixture of non-target and magnetically labeled target cells, unimpeded through a conduit of a magnetic separator device at a first flow rate to deposit on a conduit wall a second mixture of non-target and magnetically labeled target cells having a higher purity of the magnetically labeled target cells; (b) recovering the second mixture from the conduit wall by eluting with a buffer fluid to form a second fluid sample; repeating steps (a) and (b) at least one more time using the second fluid sample and a second flow rate to produce a third fluid sample containing a third mixture of non-target and magnetically labeled target cells having a higher purity than the second mixture, wherein the second flow rate is greater than the first flow rate.

Abstract: A method for extracting or enriching immune cells in a fluid sample, which contains immune and cancer cells and debris, includes the steps introducing the fluid sample into a first microfluidic device as two streams along two sidewalls thereof; applying a first power to the first microfluidic device to exert a first acoustic radiation pressure to produce a first output fluid having a higher relative fraction of the cancer cells than the fluid sample and a second output fluid having a lower relative fraction of the cancer cells than the fluid sample; introducing the second output fluid into a second microfluidic device as two streams along two sidewalls thereof; and applying a second power, which is higher than the first power, to the second microfluidic device to exert a second acoustic radiation pressure to produce a third output fluid having a higher relative fraction of the immune cells than the fluid sample.