Abstract
Isolation of micro/nano-scaled bioparticles, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, bacteria, white blood cells (WBCs), platelets, and viruses, from the sample is essential for cancer diagnosis and treatment, preventing bacterial infections, and monitoring human health. Numerous separation techniques, including magnetophoresis, dielectrophoresis, acoustophoresis, optophoresis, and fluorescence-activated sorting (FAS) have been developed to isolate the target bioparticles from complex samples accurately. However, these active methods usually rely on sophisticated instruments which are expensive and bulky. Passive platforms with high throughput, low cost, and small volume have gradually become alternative methods. Alongside this context, this review paper is no longer confined to one specific category of isolation techniques, advanced systems that have been developed in recent years are comprehensively introduced. Characteristics and limitations of each technology are discussed according to the critical performance parameters including purity, recovery rate, throughput, resolution, size, and convenience. Specific biomedical applications of separation techniques are summarized to provide practical implications for disease diagnosis, treatment, and mechanism research. This review also addresses the current challenges, potential solutions, and prospects in this field, laying the foundation for further optimization, innovation, and cross-integration of isolation techniques in the future.