SIZE- and deformability-based particle sorting by strategic design of obstacle arrays in continuous centrifugal sedimentation mode

This paper describes a novel, smart-grid technique for isolating, sorting and capturing cancer cells based on size and deformability by lateral displacement. In stopped-flow, centrifugal sedimentation mode, the bioparticles are sizeselectively displaced along the dynamically spaced grid of the microstructures in a deterministic fashion. Following displacement, particles are captured in claw-like structures for onward processing. This displacement method was first demonstrated for sorting seven bead populations with diameters between 5 μm and 30 μm from a mixture. Then HeLa and melanoma cells spiked in buffer and whole blood were isolated and captured. Finally, we succeeded to sort normal and fixed HeLa cells according to their deformability.