Development of a compact Bio-Optofluidic Cell Sorter

We develop an active cell sorter that utilizes machine vision for cell identification. Particles are identified based on visual features such as shape, size and color using image processing. The sorter shares features from our previously developed BioPhotonics Workstation. Hence, it benefits from the extended axial manipulation range provided by the low numerical aperture geometry. Detected particles are catapulted axially by several hundred microns, allowing them to be moved from one laminar flow region to another. As the sorting motion is transverse to the viewing plane, multiple particles can be catapulted at the same time, therefore enabling parallel sorting. The sorter is developed with a minimal footprint such that it can operate as a table top device, an advantage over flow cytometry or FACS systems.