Filtering systems, methods, and devices, particularly adapted for concentrating and harvesting neoplastic cells in pancreatic juices.

A filter membrane for selectively separating a specific material from other materials in a processing medium includes a membrane including resin material and having openings formed such that the openings selectively separate a specific material from other materials in a processing medium. The membrane has a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side with respect to the first surface such that the first surface receives the processing medium supplied to the membrane, the openings are formed through the membrane such that each of the openings has an opening part extending from the second surface toward the first surface and an expansion part expanding a size of the opening part and extending from the opening part to the first surface, and the first surface of the membrane is divided into multiple regions.

Filtering systems, methods, and devices, particularly adapted for apheresis of cellular bodies and more specifically for apheresis of circulating tumor cell bodies (CTCs) employs a cross-flow channel. Systems and methods as well as devices for such a system are described. Embodiments include a cylindrical filter that employs a thin micro-machined porous filter membrane with a regular array of pores and reliably pass blood while trapping CTCs.

In a method for preparing a nanofiber based oil-water separation and purification material having a shifted inclined-hole structure, firstly, a melt-spinning method is used for preparing a multi-layer fiber membrane, and then according to the requirements of the size, number and arrangement of holes on each layer of fiber membrane, a puncher is used for punching inclined frustum cone-shaped through holes on the fiber membrane. Finally, according to the requirements of relative positions of the inclined frustum cone-shaped through holes on fiber membranes in different layers, multiple layers of fiber membranes are composited to prepare a nanofiber based oil-water separation and purification material having a shifted inclined-hole structure. The oil-water separation and purification material is a multi-layer composite fiber membrane. Each layer of fiber membrane has a plurality of uniformly distributed inclined frustum cone-shaped through holes.

A collecting filter has a filter membrane with a porous structure to filter a nanocarbon material from a dispersion medium containing the nanocarbon material, and a dense film having an opening through which the dispersion medium passes. The opening has a reverse tapered shape in which a first width at an inlet of the dispersion medium opposite to the filter membrane is smaller than a second width at a bottom side adjacent to the filter membrane.

A method of fabricating nanopores in a-material, the method comprising: irradiating the material to create a track of damage in the material, the track of damage having one or more dimensions in the nanometre range; and etching the track of damage with an etchant to produce a nanopore.

A cell culture carrier comprises an anodic oxide film having a plurality of micropores penetrating in a thickness direction from a front surface to a rear surface, wherein an average opening diameter A of a front surface-side opening portion of the plurality of micropores and an average opening diameter B of a rear surface-side opening portion thereof have different values from each other, and the plurality of micropores has a shape in which an average diameter increases or decreases toward the rear surface-side opening portion from the front surface-side opening portion.

The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a metallic layer having pores extending therethrough, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a cathode substrate with an electrolyte solution comprising at least one cation; reducing the cation to deposit the metallic layer on a surface of the cathode substrate; and (c) generating a plurality of non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface during reducing step (b); wherein the deposition of the metallic layer is substantially prevented on the non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface to thereby form pores extending through the deposited metallic layer. The present disclosure further provides a metallic porous membrane fabricated by the disclosed process.

The present invention recognizes that diagnosis and prognosis of many conditions can depend on the enrichment of rare cells, especially tumor cells, from a complex fluid sample such as a blood sample. In particular, the present invention is directed to methods and compositions for detecting a non-hematopoietic cell, e.g., a non-hematopoietic tumor cell, in a blood sample via, inter alia, removing red blood cells (RBCs) from a blood sample using a non-centrifugation procedure, removing white blood cells (WBCs) from said blood sample to enrich a non-hematopoietic cell, if any, from said blood sample; and assessing the presence, absence and/or amount of said enriched non-hematopoietic cell.

A filter device includes one or more filter membranes, and a filter housing enclosing the one or more filter membranes. Each of the filter membranes includes a base membrane made of a ceramic material, and a plurality of through holes. The base membrane is coated with a coating material.