Rare cell separation and analysis by magnetic sorting.

The separation and or isolation of rare cells using magnetic forces are commonly used and growing in use ranging from simple sample prep for further studies to a FDA approved, clinical diagnostic test. This growth is the result of both the demand to obtain homogeneous rare cells for molecular analysis and the dramatic increases in the power of permanent magnets that even allow the separation of some unlabeled cells based on intrinsic magnetic moments, such as malaria parasite-infected red blood cells.