AsianScientist (Jan. 20, 2015) – By using glass microbubbles, scientists have developed a method to isolate CD4+ T-cells in under five minutes and 90 percent efficiency. Their results have been published in the journal Technology.
For human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients, the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood is an important maker for monitoring disease progression of AIDS and treatment efficacy. However, standard methods for enumerating CD4+ T-cells by using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) or magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) are expensive and not easily accessible in remote areas.
In the present study, a team led by Dr. Hsu Chia-Hsien from the National Tsing Hua University has developed an alternative method for isolating CD4+ T-cells which can be used for CD4+ T-cell enumeration.
One critical advantage of their glass microbubble method is its reduced cost. These glass microbubbles have been mass-produced for use in many industrial applications including insulation, construction, paints and transportation. The surface of the glass microbubbles can also be modified for attaching a variety of biochemicals, using readily available protocols developed for glass substrate.
In addition, the buoyancy of the glass microbubbles allows for the capturing and separation of target cells from the unwanted cells by a simple “flip tube” motion, thereby minimizing blood handling.
The authors anticipate that in incorporation of their separation technique and other new health technologies could help to lower the cost of medical care to provide better treatment to the patients.
The article can be found at: Hsu et al. (2014) Fast Sorting of CD4+ T Cells from Whole Blood Using Glass Microbubbles.
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Source: World Scientific Publishing Company.
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