VERFAHREN ZUR AUSLESE BESTIMMTER ZELLEN ODER ZELLGEBILDEN ANHAND VON POPULATIONEN MIT AUSGEWÄHLTEN MERKMALEN

A method and apparatus (320, 340, 360) for automatically and rapidly retrieving, counting and/or analyzing at least one selected population of cells or formed bodies, such as a white blood cell population and at least one subset thereof of a whole blood sample (322, 342) or portion thereof. A volume of a biological medium containing the white blood cells is prepared and at least one reactant (326, 346) specific or preferential at least to some selected biological cells is introduced thereto and rapidly mixed (384) for a short period of time. The opacity and/or volume parameter of the cells can be modified and the mixture is then counted and analyzed (332, 352, 416, 422) in one or more steps to obtain the desired white blood cell population and subset analysis. The biological sample can be a whole blood sample and the reactant can include or be a lyse or a monoclonal antibody bound to microspheres, which will bind to specific ones of the cells or a combination of lyse and microspheres with antibody bound thereto. The microspheres can be magnetic and the bound cells can be magnetically removed for retrieving and analyzing the remaining blood cell population.