Product Details

Overview

MS Columns are designed for positive selection of cells. They are also suitable for depletion of strongly magnetically labeled cells.

MS Columns can be used with the following separators:

· MiniMACS™ Separator

· OctoMACS™ Separator

· SuperMACS™ II Separator, in combination with the MS Column Adapter

Column capacity

For lymphoid cells from blood, bone marrow or tissue: Up to 10⁷ magnetically labeled cells from up to 2×10⁸ total cells. For the capacity of cells from other tissues, e.g., neural tissues, please refer to the data sheet provided with the particular MACS Cell Separation Reagent.

Background

The column matrix of the MS Columns is composed of ferromagnetic spheres, which are covered with a cell-friendly coating allowing fast and gentle separation of cells. When placed in the magnetic field of a MACS^®Separator, the spheres amplify the magnetic field by 10,000-fold, thus inducing a high gradient within the column. This is crucial for isolation of cells which are only minimally labeled with MACS^®MicroBeads, leaving enough epitopes free for concurrent antibody staining. The space between the spheres is several times larger than primary and most cultured cells. This allows the cells to freely flow through the column. Magnetically labeled cells are held in suspension within the column and do not actually “bind” the column matrix. This suspension minimizes stress on the cells and allows for efficient sterile washing by avoiding cell aggregation.

MS Columns can be used to separate material less than 30 μm in size. The columns are individually packed in a sterile way.