Stem cells cell separators used

FFF is still a growing area of research and there are specific fields of application pushing toward innovations both in terms of instrumentation and methodology. For example, MgFFF has been developed specifically for stem cell research, and FIFFF (either FIF FIFFF or AsFlFFF and traditional FIFFF) is driven overall by pharmaceutical-biological applications. In addition, as for others analytical techniques, the new tendency for FFF is toward miniaturization of the instruments. As examples we cite the hollow fiber channel for FIFFF [49], the microthermal unit developed by Janca [50], the microthermal-electrical unit by Gale and coworkers [51], or the SPLITT cells by Hoyos and coworkers [52]. In this regard, we should say that some important but very specialized topics were not reviewed here such as the SPLITT cells and separation channels similar to FFF that are useful for preparative aims, as they would require a detailed description which has already been reported in books and reviews [53,54]. 

While natural heterogeneity of cancer specimens is well documented, and the ability to isolate hundreds to thousands of cells with techniques such as LCM have allowed microarray analysis of more pure populations, the recent re-introduction of the cancer stem cell theory (24,25) has presented an extreme example of the need to isolate rare populations of cells. Cancer stem cells appear to exist at a frequency on the order of 1 in 1000 cells (26). While obtaining completely pure populations of stem cells remains difficult, highly enriched populations of these cells can be isolated using flow cytometry separating on the basis of the presence of certain specific cell markers. 

Various designs of cell separators have been used since the technique of stem cell harvesting from peripheral blood first became an option. In the main, these have relied upon the principle of... 

Research groups interested in endothelial progenitor cells obtained CD34 stem cells from their patient donors using similar purification steps to those used for separating out mesenchymal stem cells from the whole bone marrow mononuclear stem cell population. In a phase I/IIa, single-bUnded, dose-escalation dial. 

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