Buffer medium exchange in continuous cell and particle streams using ultrasonic standing wave focusing

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A microfluidic strategy to perform buffer exchange of particle and cell suspensions in a continuous flow format on, chip is presented. Ultrasonic standing wave technology is utilized to confine particulate matter to the centre of a buffer exchange channel while particle free buffer is sequentially aspirated via capillaries that branch off from the buffer exchange channel. At each such branch, clean buffer is supplied at an equal flow-rate from a capillary at the opposing channel wall, generating a sideways translation of the original buffer, laminated with a wash buffer stream. Each such junction increases the buffer exchange ratio accordingly. The reported buffer exchange system provides means to adjust buffer exchange conditions on-line by tuning the ratio of the cross-flow wash buffer relative the sample suspension flow, rate. The system performance was evaluated using 5 μm polystyrene microbeads and a dye as the model contaminant. Wash efficiencies up to 96.4% were accomplished with a 0.2% solid content bead suspension, using eight cross-flow junctions, effectively exchanging the carrier buffer twice. The corresponding data for erythrocyte washing was recorded to be 98.3% at a haematocrit of 2%.