Cell-sorter (Silicon Biosystems - Menarini)

General description

The DEPArray technology (Silicon Biosystem / Menarini) (Abonnenc, et al., J. Immunol., 2013, 191, 3545; Peeters et al., J. Cancer 2013, 108, 1358). allows us to sort rare and fragile cells like CTC (circulating tumor cells) in biological fluids. This sorting can also be carried out to carry out with cells dissociated from cancer biopsies or tissues included in paraffin blocks.

The advantage of the DEParray is that it does not use any pressure in the dispending system of the device to guide the samples. In such a way it is possible to avoid the induction of alterations in the phenotype of the sorted cells by mechanotransduction (friction an shear stress by flow of the fluids onto the cell membrane surface).

Main technical features

DEParray is used to isolate several cells from one population to a single cell in a semi-automatic manner. Fluorescent-chromophore-labeled cells can be isolated without altering their morphology, visualized and selected within single-use cartridges containing microelectrodes. These microelectrodes create an electric field within which the cells are individually trapped in unit cages. The electrophoretic force also allows to measure affinities between cells, vesicle and cells or else a ligand and its membrane target.