cellsor

Cellsor is a term used in speculative biology and some science-fiction contexts to describe a class of technologies and methods centered on sorption-based interactions with cells. The word combines "cell" and "sorption" and is not universally defined; in many usages it denotes either a theoretical principle or a proposed device rather than a widely adopted standard.

Concepts commonly attributed to cellsor include selective sorption of target cells to a functionalized surface or porous medium, enabling separation, capture, or analysis under controlled flow. The principle relies on differential affinity between cell surface markers and ligands or between cells and polymeric sorbents, allowing reversible binding by changing conditions.

Possible implementations include microfluidic channels with ligand-functionalized walls, beads that mediate affinity capture, or hydrogel matrices that sorb cells and release them on demand. Applications envisioned include isolation of rare cells such as circulating tumor cells, diagnostic assays, and tissue engineering workflows. In science-fiction contexts, cellsor devices are sometimes depicted as lab-on-a-chip systems that selectively capture, monitor, and manipulate cell populations.

Status and challenges: Cellsor is not a standard term in mainstream bioscience. The concept overlaps with established methods such as affinity capture, cell sorting, and flow cytometry. Practical challenges include achieving high specificity, preserving cell viability, scalability, and reproducibility across samples.

See also: affinity chromatography; cell sorting; flow cytometry; sorption; microfluidics.