Selective separation of cells using magnetic colloids.

We have developed a reliable, purely immunological means of quantitatively labeling cells with magnetic colloidal dextran iron. Labeled cells can be efficiently separated with a high gradient magnetic filter inside a magnetic field. Separation conditions and filter design can be changed to accommodate large and small scale positive or negative selection. This separation technique has been applied to tumor cell depletions, stem cell enrichment, and large scale preclinical T-cell depletions.