Method and apparatus for electrostatically sorting biological cells

Patent · 31 December 1981

OSTI ID:864326

Merrill, John T ^[1]

---

1. Berkeley, CA

An improved method of sorting biological cells in a conventional cell sorter apparatus includes generating a fluid jet containing cells to be sorted, measuring the distance between the centers of adjacent droplets in a zone thereof defined at the point where the fluid jet separates into descrete droplets, setting the distance between the center of a droplet in said separation zone and the position along said fluid jet at which the cell is optically sensed for specific characteristics to be an integral multiple of said center-to-center distance, and disabling a charger from electrically charging a specific droplet if a cell is detected by the optical sensor in a position wherein it will be in the neck area between droplets during droplet formation rather than within a predetermined distance from the droplet center.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4347935
• OSTI ID: 864326
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/209/356/377/
adjacent
apparatus
biological
biological cell
biological cells
cell
cells
center
center-to-center
centers
characteristics
charger
charging
containing
conventional
conventional cell
defined
descrete
detected
disabling
distance
droplet
droplet formation
droplets
electrically
electrostatically
fluid
fluid jet
formation
generating
improved
improved method
integral
integral multiple
jet
jet containing
measuring
method
multiple
neck
optical
optical sensor
optically
position
predetermined
predetermined distance
sensed
sensor
separates
separation
separation zone
setting
sorted
sorter
sorting
sorting biological
specific
zone