High efficiency microfluidic purification of stem cells to improve transplants

Abstract

Described herein is a novel, highly efficient system to remove erythrocytes and purify leukocytes would raise the quality of UCB and other transplant grafts, thereby significantly improving patient outcomes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for isolating stem cells from a sample for transplantation, the method comprising:
 (a) providing a sample comprising erythrocytes and leukocytes, the sample having a volume of less than 300 mL;   (b) depleting the erythrocytes; and   (c) enriching the leukocytes to a purity of at least 90%.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sample is umbilical cord blood. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the umbilical cord blood is not cryopreserved. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the stem cells in a transplantation procedure. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the yield of leukocytes is at least 90%. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the viability of the leukocytes is at least 90%. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in less than 1 hour. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in less than 10 minutes. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sample has at least 1000-fold more erythrocytes than leukocytes. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method does not use centrifugation, Ficoll-Paque or HES 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein neither the erythrocytes nor the leukocytes are derivatized or labeled. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sample is flowed through a biochip having a plurality of microscopic obstructions that sort the erythrocytes from the leukocytes.