title: Enrichment of putative stem cells from adipose tissue using dielectrophoretic field-flow fractionation.
abstract: We have applied the microfluidic cell separation method of dielectrophoretic field-flow fractionation (DEP-FFF) to the enrichment of a putative stem cell population from an enzyme-digested adipose tissue derived cell suspension. A DEP-FFF separator device was constructed using a novel microfluidic-microelectronic hybrid flex-circuit fabrication approach that is scaleable and anticipates future low-cost volume manufacturing. We report the separation of a nucleated cell fraction from cell debris and the bulk of the erythrocyte population, with the relatively rare (<2% starting concentration) NG2-positive cell population (pericytes and/or putative progenitor cells) being enriched up to 14-fold. This work demonstrates a potential clinical application for DEP-FFF and further establishes the utility of the method for achieving label-free fractionation of cell subpopulations.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Molecular Pathology Unit 951, 7435 Fannin Street, Room 2SCR3.3008, Houston, TX 77054, USA. jody@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vykoukal
authors.forename: Daynene M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Vykoukal
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freyberg
authors.forename: Eckhard U
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Alt
authors.forename: Peter R C
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Gascoyne
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D031521:Fractionation, Field Flow / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells