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A microfabricated fluorescence-activated cell sorter

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Abstract

We have demonstrated a disposable microfabricated fluorescence-activated cell sorter (μFACS) for sorting various biological entities. Compared with conventional FACS machines, the μFACS provides higher sensitivity, no cross-contamination, and lower cost. We have used μFACS chips to obtain substantial enrichment of micron-sized fluorescent bead populations of differing colors. Furthermore, we have separated Escherichia coli cells expressing green fluorescent protein from a background of nonfluorescent E. coli cells and shown that the bacteria are viable after extraction from the sorting device. These sorters can function as stand-alone devices or as components of an integrated microanalytical chip.

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Figure 1: Optical micrograph of the μFACS device.
Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the cell sorting apparatus.
Figure 3: A sketch of the algorithms for the forward sorting and reverse sorting is shown with the schematic of the T-shaped junction.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation. We especially thank Hou-Pu Chou for fabrication of the silicon molds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125, CA

    Anne Y. Fu, Charles Spence, Axel Scherer & Stephen R. Quake

  2. Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91125 , CA

    Anne Y. Fu & Frances H. Arnold

Authors
  1. Anne Y. Fu
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  2. Charles Spence
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  3. Axel Scherer
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  4. Frances H. Arnold
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  5. Stephen R. Quake
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Correspondence to Stephen R. Quake.

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Fu, A., Spence, C., Scherer, A. et al. A microfabricated fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Nat Biotechnol 17, 1109–1111 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/15095

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