Particle geometry and the chromatographic separation of cells: the simplest case of uniform particles

A theoretical study, using numerical methods, of the problem of packing spherical particles has been carried out in order to design an optimal chromatographic packing material for cell separation. It is concluded that a monodisperse packing of hard beads does not yield a packing in which narrow crevices, impenetrable to cells, are excluded. Allowing a certain degree of compressibility alleviates this problem somewhat.