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Magnetism and spin

Magnetism and spin

Magnets take the spin out of blood separation

11 Dec 2006 Isabelle Dumé

A physicist in the US has proposed a new way to separate red and white blood cells using a magnetic field. The method, which has not yet been proven in the laboratory, exploits the fact that white and deoxygenated red blood cells move in different directions when they are close to a magnet. According to Edward Furlani of the University of Buffalo, the technique offers several important advantages over existing separation methods, and if realized, could be used in a variety of medical applications (J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. to be published).

Magnetophoretic microsystem
Whole blood contains red and white blood cells that are suspended in watery fluid called plasma. The

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