Konica Minolta, Inc.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Limited

Kumiko Hoshi

Hideyuki Fujii

Jungo Araki

Shohei Yamamura

Masatoshi Kataoka

Shouki Yatsushiro

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of detecting rare cells in which, upon spreading a cell suspension in a flow path formed on a microchamber chip, the loss of rare cells is reduced by improving the cell recovery rate. The present invention provides a method of detecting rare cells from a cell suspension by using a cell-spreading devicecomprising a microchamber chip, a flow path-forming frame, an inlet port, and an outlet port; and a method of recovering rare cells comprising: the step (X) of introducing a cell suspension to a flow pathvia the inlet portso as to spread cells in the flow pathon the microchamber chip; and the step (Y) of storing the cells spread in the flow pathon the microchamber chipin microchamberby intermittent liquid feeding.

Method for recovering rare cells and method for detecting rare cells

A cell-spreading device may include a microchamber chip having a microchamber capable of enclosing and retaining a cell, a channel-forming frame united with the microchamber chip to form a channel on the microchamber, an inlet provided in the channel-forming frame to allow a cell suspension to flow into the channel, and an outlet provided in the channel-forming frame to allow the cell suspension, which has been allowed to flow into the channel through the inlet, to flow out from the channel. When an aperture of the microchamber is projected perpendicularly to a longitudinal width of the microchamber chip, the void ratio that is a ratio of the sum total of voids to the longitudinal width is not more than 5%, the void being a length of a portion where the projected aperture of the microchamber is not present against the longitudinal width.

Cell-spreading device and method for detecting rare cell

Growing community of inventors

Tama, Japan

Kumiko Hoshi