How many cells can I load at once?

• The maximum input amount is tied to the output needs of the experiment  and if any LeviSelect kit is being used as well as properties of the cell suspension; suspensions with low viability and/or debris or aggregates, and cell size(s).  The more complicated and compromised a cell suspension, a user should start with fewer cells loaded to ensure the cells have ample room to migrate within the cartridge vs encountering and getting trapped by debris or aggregates.
• The number of maximum cells that can be used varies depending on the cell size and ranges from 10,000 to 10,000,000 cells.
• The maximum number of cells loaded is highly dependent on the cell size, for PMBC samples 10,000,000 is safe; for larger cells types such as DTC samples the recommend number of cells is lower in the 1,000,000 range
• For initial test runs or a new sample it is recommended to always start with 100,000 to prevent overloading until the nature of the sample is better understood.
• Using a LeviSelect kit can allow for a larger load input, as almost immediately after entering the chamber, the selected cells (those being depleted out of suspension) are effectively attracted to the bottom magnet, so they are not considered to be part of actively levitated sample.  For example, B cells in PBMCs make up ~5% of the PBMC population, so loading 10M cells into the cartridge with the B cell Enrichment LeviSelect kit means that at most 500K cells will undergo levitation; 500K cells is an acceptable and common input load for most cell types.