Magnetic particle dosing, release and separation in a microfluidic chip with magnetic actuation

Separation of functionalized magnetic particles or magnetically-labeled entities is an important tool in the field of bioanalysis. We present a novel integrated microfluidic magnetic bead separation device. On-chip manipulation of superparamagnetic beads is performed in a microfluidic channel under the influence of a highly focused magnetic field. Integrated magnetic microtips are used for retaining a defined amount of magnetic particles in a localized plug. This plug is released in a well-controlled way for subsequent particle separation with respect to their size and magnetic volume.