Analytical Study of a Magnetophoretic Microdevice as a Potential Enrichment Step in the Isolation of Nucleated Red Blood Cells from Maternal Blood

The design and simulation of a microscale magnetophoretic separator is presented, as part of a lab-on-chip module for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD). The separation of fetal cells and cell free fetal DNA from maternal blood with great reproducibility and efficiency is still beyond the reach of commonly used techniques. This magnetophoretic separator is used to enhance the efficiency of the separation. The work presented here focuses on the modelling and simulation of a novel technique for the separation of fetal nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) from the maternal circulation based on the intrinsic magnetic properties of these cells.