Cell harvesting is one of the main expensive, labor-intensive, and energy-consuming steps in downstream processing. Cell immobilization has introduced as a valuable strategy for process intensification in biotechnological industries. Here we describe magnetic immobilization as a promising and novel technique for cell immobilization by using magnetic nanoparticles. This technique is based on the decoration of cells with magnetic nanoparticles to make them sensitive to magnetic field. So, the cells can be harvested simply by applying a magnetic separator.
Keywords: Cell harvesting; Cell immobilization; Cell removal; Fe3O4 nanoparticles; Iron nanoparticles; Iron oxide nanoparticles; Magnetic immobilization; Magnetic nanoparticles; Magnetic separation; Magnetite nanoparticles.