Chromatographic Cell Separation Using Dynamic Microstructures

We present a microfluidic mechanism for imparting different flow rates to different cell types based on their physical properties to achieve chromatographic cell separation.  This mechanism is implemented in a microfluidic channel where a dy-namic structure that oscillates the channel height periodically, temporarily stopping the flow of large and rigid cells while al-lowing others to pass.  We verify the chromatographic behavior by tracking the speeds of red blood cells (RBCs), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and L1210 mouse lymphoma cells (MLs).  Differences in average cell speed of greater than 50% between cell types have been achieved.