Furukawa Electric (TOKYO:5801)(ISIN:JP3827200001) have commercialized the world’s first damage-less cell sorter (PERFLOW Sort), an instrument for analyzing and sorting living cells, especially human induced pluripotential stem (iPS) cells and human embryonic stem (ES) cells with inducible pluripotency to differentiate into various cell types. Different from the conventional sorting methods including ultrasonic wave, charge and high pressure, which bring physical damage to cells, PERFLOW Sort adopts high-performed micro-flow control and accurate optical fiber array to monitor flow speed of target cells precisely, as guarantees living cells to be sorted with less physical damage. On the other hand, PERFLOW Sort adopts transmitted light signals instead of conventional forward scatter to achieve high-sensitivity analysis. Expectedly, the latest model of PERFLOW Sort with an improved cell flow conduit will be on sale by October, 2010 worldwide.

Successful generation of human iPS cells is an epoch-making event in modern biological and medical history which brings boundless prospects for regenerative medicine and drug discovery. To apply iPS cells in the practice of regenerative medicine, it is essential to use single cell-derived cells to ensure the pluripotentiality, uniformity and safety of those cells. However, human iPS cells as well as human ES cells are so delicate that it is almost impossible to conduct single cell sorting by means of common methods so far. With the use of damage-less sorting by PERFLOW Sort, the establishment of monoclonal human iPS / ES cells derived from single cells will become feasible. Furthermore, we have improved the cell flow conduit. The latest model has a shortened cell flow of only 200 mm that is one third of the old model with a straight line design instead of the conventional curve, thus it upgrades the performance of PERFLOW Sort in damage-less sorting. It is expected that PERFLOW Sort will promote the advancement of such frontier life science research

In Japan, we have been working with AS ONE Corporation which is specialized in the sales of a physics and chemistry instrument. For overseas marketing, we are cooperating with a leading trading company to expand sales to more than 300 institutions in the iPS/ES cell research field around the world by later this year. We aim to achieve 2 billion yen (US$22 million) in sales in bio-instrument business mainly with PERFLOW Sort by 2015, which will make up of 80% of the market share in damage-less sorting of living cells.

Background of Development

Currently, the most popular instrument for analyzing and sorting cells is the flow cytometer. A flow cytometer commonly detects scattered light signals and fluorescent signals which are irradiated with laser light perpendicular to the flow from the cells passing through the flow. Thus, it analyzes the size, shape, internal structure, genetic information, etc. of the cells at high speed. Among flow cytometers, sorting instruments for specific cells based on those parameters are referred to as cell sorters. Furthermore, the demand for cell sorters has increased year by year in the up-to-date research field of biotechnology and medicine. Recently, cell sorters have been focused on the spotlight as instruments which can sort living cells containing human iPS cells, especially in fields of drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

At the time of cell sorting, conventional cell sorters have used the high-speed droplet electric charge method using supersonic waves, high electric charge and high hydraulic pressure, which may cause considerable physical damage and shear stress to the sorted living cells. It is extremely important to acquire healthy cells, especially, minimally disturbed single cells for further study in research for living cells, in particular, the cells with inducible pluripotency including iPS cells, embryonic stem cells and somatic stem cells.

Product Features

We developed a novel damage-less cell sorter using the non-droplet cell sorting method. Our cell sorter, PERFLOW Sort with a unique light fiber flow cell structure, enables transmitted light measurement information to measure the rate of cell flow on a real-time basis. The transmitted light signals provide higher cell analyzing accuracy than conventional forward scatter signals. Moreover, PERFLOW Sort manipulates liquid without supersonic waves and high electric charge, with a water pressure that is less than one tenth of conventional systems, thus avoiding the high shear stress and impact force on living cells. Furthermore, PERFLOW Sort adopts a short and straight pipe conduit from the living cell introduction portion to the sorting nozzle in order to remove the second flow of fluid. As a result, the generation of shear force for living cells can be avoided. Thus, we attain damage-less sorting living cells by decreasing the main physical damage factors in the sorting process to the utmost limit.

Applications for Human iPS Cell and Other Stem Cell Research

It is known that human iPS cells and ES cells are fragile against physical damage, and that apoptosis (programmed cell death) occurs in the passage of single cells in many cases. Although the cell survival rate is improved by the use of Rock inhibitor etc., the passage has usually been performed in the state of small masses of cells (clumps).

We have succeeded in generating monoclonal human iPS cells from single cells by using PERFLOW Sort. As shown in the photo, sorted single human iPS cell formed a colony after 4 weeks of culture.

Besides iPS cells, PERFLOW Sort is also expected to contribute to the frontier researches for regenerative medicine and drug discovery using the other living cells with the potential differentiation induction such as ES cells, somatic stem cells and cancer stem cells.

Lectures and Exhibitions

The research lectures and the product exhibitions about the application of PERFLOW Sort will be held in the following schedule:

The 20th Japan Cytometry Society Science Meeting (June 26 – June 27, 2010) in Tokyo – Research Lectures

The iPS, ES, and Somatic Stem Cell Forum 2010 (June 29 – June 30, 2010) in Tokyo – Research Lectures and Product Exhibitions

The 9th International Biotechnology EXPO (30 June – 2 July, 2010) in Tokyo – Product Exhibitions