What technology is preferred for isolating pure and viable cells through magnetic separation?

The preferred technology for isolating pure and viable cells through magnetic separation is tube-based magnetic separation. This technique utilizes magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies that bind to target cells. When a magnetic field is applied, the beads and the associated cells are drawn to the side of the tube, allowing for the separation of desired cells from a heterogeneous mixture. This method ensures high purity and viability of the isolated cells, making it particularly useful for applications such as cell sorting in research and clinical settings.

Tube-based magnetic separation is advantageous because it allows for quick and efficient isolation of cells without the need for centrifugation or complex protocols, which can sometimes lead to cell damage or loss. Its specificity can be tuned by selecting appropriate antibodies, thereby providing a targeted approach for isolating specific cell types.

In contrast, other methods such as cell size fractionation rely primarily on physical characteristics such as size, which may not provide the same level of specificity or yield crude separations. Densimetric separation and density-gradient methods also depend on physical properties, but they might not be as effective in maintaining cell viability and purity compared to magnetic separation techniques.