Preparing high-quality single-cell suspensions is one of the most important steps in many laboratory workflows. Whether the goal is cell isolation, culture, flow cytometry, or downstream molecular assays, the quality of the cell suspension determines how reliable the results will be. Yet many researchers still struggle with clumping, debris, and inconsistent yields—issues that often begin at the filtration step.

This is where multi-mesh filtration becomes a practical solution. By passing samples through a series of mesh sizes in a controlled and simple way, labs can quickly move from raw tissue or viscous material to a clean, high-quality single-cell suspension. And one tool that has helped many researchers achieve this with ease is the pluriStrainer®, a versatile and user-friendly sieving device designed to support routine cell preparation.

In this guide, we explore how multi-mesh filtration works, why it improves single-cell suspensions, and how the pluriStrainer® makes this process faster, cleaner, and more predictable for labs of all sizes.

Why Filtration Matters for Single-Cell Suspensions

Almost every cell preparation workflow begins with filtration. Any tissue digestion, enriched sample, or primary material will contain clusters, debris, extracellular matrix remnants, and other unwanted components that lower the quality of the final cell suspension.

When filtration is insufficient, several issues occur:

  • Clogs in downstream instruments, especially flow cytometers and microfluidic devices

  • Inaccurate cell counts due to clumps

  • Lower purity because undissociated fragments trap unwanted cells

  • Reduced viability, particularly when physical stress increases during sample handling

  • Inconsistent experimental outcomes

Multi-mesh filtration offers a structured way to solve these issues. By filtering through more than one mesh size, researchers can separate fractions more clearly and obtain suspensions that behave like true single-cell samples.

What Is Multi-Mesh Filtration?

Multi-mesh filtration simply means passing a sample through two or more mesh sizes sequentially. Each mesh removes particles above a certain size. When these meshes are stacked or used one after another, the sample is cleaned in layers—removing unwanted material while keeping the target cells intact.

This stepwise approach benefits:

  • Primary tissue digests

  • Organoid preparations

  • Blood and bone marrow samples

  • Spleen, thymus, lymph node, or pancreas cell suspensions

  • Mammary gland tissue and more

The goal is simple: move from a complex sample to a uniform population of single cells, ready for sensitive assays.

How the pluriStrainer® Simplifies Multi-Mesh Filtration

The pluriStrainer® is designed specifically for filtration and purification of liquids in laboratory workflows. It fits major 50 mL conical tubes and is available in multiple mesh sizes:

70 µm, 100 µm, 200 µm, 300 µm, 400 µm, and 500 µm

This range makes it ideal for multi-mesh filtration, where researchers can customize their filtration stack based on sample type.

Key Design Features That Improve Filtration

1. Improved ventilation to prevent clogging

Traditional strainers trap air underneath the mesh, slowing filtration and causing uneven flow. The pluriStrainer® has built-in ventilation channels that allow unobstructed air escape, reducing clogging and accelerating the flow.

2. Stackable for multi-mesh workflows

pluriStrainer® units can be stacked directly on top of each other. This allows researchers to:

  • Filter multiple size classes at the same time

  • Create customized workflows for different tissues

  • Avoid transferring material between tubes

Stacking also reduces contamination risks and speeds up processing time.

3. Reversible design for recovering filtered material

Sometimes the larger fraction is the one researchers need. With pluriStrainer®, simply reverse the strainer onto a fresh tube and wash the retained material into it. This makes it ideal for:

  • Organoid isolation

  • Filtering debris while keeping larger clusters

  • Recovering bead-bound cells after pluriBead® enrichment

4. Funnel compatibility for large-volume samples

For bigger samples, the funnel attachment allows up to 24 mL of material to be loaded directly onto the mesh. This helps when working with:

  • Tissue digests

  • Viscous liquids

  • Large-scale enrichment or processing workflows

5. Connector Ring for flow control and incubation

The Connector Ring enables labs to:

  • Control flow using a Luer-Lock

  • Block the liquid above the mesh for brief incubations

  • Use low-pressure support by pulling the piston of a syringe

  • Dissociate tough samples gently on the mesh

This is especially useful for:

  • Brain and spleen dissociation

  • Using reagents such as TRIzol® or Buffer RLT directly on the mesh

  • Quick incubation, such as cytokine treatments or buffer exposure

Together, these features make pluriStrainer® a reliable tool for building multi-mesh filtration workflows tailored to research needs.

Why Multi-Mesh Filtration Improves Single-Cell Suspensions

1. Removes debris without losing target cells

When samples are passed through a single mesh, larger debris may still pass if they deform or slip through irregular spaces. But multi-mesh filtration eliminates this problem by applying size thresholds in order.

For example:

  • 500 µm removes large tissue clumps

  • 300 µm clears smaller fragments

  • 100 µm or 70 µm isolates true single cells

Researchers get a cleaner suspension with minimal debris.

2. Reduces clumping

Clumps form when extracellular matrix or undigested fragments trap small cell clusters. By using several mesh sizes in sequence, these structures are separated efficiently, reducing cell aggregation.

3. Protects fragile cell types

Gentle filtration prevents physical stress. Using low pressure with the pluriStrainer® Connector Ring further reduces shear forces, which is especially important for:

  • Primary immune cells

  • Stem cells

  • Dissociated neurons

  • Pancreatic islet-derived cells

4. Improves consistency in flow cytometry

Flow cytometers are sensitive to clogs, and even mild clumping changes signal patterns.
A clean single-cell suspension directly improves:

  • Data quality

  • Fluorescence intensity precision

  • Gating accuracy

  • Sorting efficiency

Multi-mesh filtration ensures the suspension behaves uniformly.

5. Provides better recovery of specific fractions

Some workflows require not only clean single cells but also the ability to capture certain sizes of material. With the reversible pluriStrainer® design, labs can collect:

  • Organoids

  • Spheroids

  • Bead-bound cell complexes

  • Large immune cell aggregates

  • Tissue microfragments

The tool supports both directions of filtration.

A Practical Multi-Mesh Workflow Using pluriStrainer®

Below is a clear example of how labs can use pluriStrainer® to move from raw tissue to a high-quality single-cell suspension. This process works for mammary tissue, spleen, thymus, lymph node, pancreas, or similar samples.

Step 1: Sample digestion

Digest tissue using your preferred protocol (enzymes, incubation, gentle mechanical disruption).

Step 2: Pre-clear with large mesh (300–500 µm)

Attach a 500 µm or 300 µm pluriStrainer® to a 50 mL tube.
Load the digested sample onto the mesh.

This removes:

  • Undigested chunks

  • Fibrous connective tissue

  • Large debris

If the large fraction is needed (e.g., organoids), reverse the strainer and recover them.

Step 3: Intermediate filtration (200–100 µm)

Stack a 200 µm strainer on top of a fresh tube. Filter the material to remove medium-sized clusters. This step improves clarity significantly.

Step 4: Final single-cell filtration (70 µm or 100 µm)

Place a 70 µm or 100 µm pluriStrainer® on a new tube. Filter the remaining material to achieve a clean single-cell suspension.

Optional: Low-pressure support

Attach a syringe via the Connector Ring and gently pull the piston. This helps for:

  • Tougher samples

  • Viscous solutions

  • Dense cell mixtures

Step 5: Collect cells and proceed to analysis

The resulting suspension is ready for:

  • Flow cytometry (FACS™)

  • Cell culture

  • pluriBead® cell enrichment

  • RNA extraction

  • Organoid seeding

  • Downstream assays

How pluriStrainer® Supports Specific Lab Applications

1. Single-cell suspension after tissue digestion

Tissues such as mammary gland, spleen, lymph node, pancreas, and thymus yield better suspensions when filtered through multiple mesh sizes. The improved ventilation of the pluriStrainer® prevents clogging, which helps deal with messy digests.

2. pluriBead® cell enrichment

The pluriStrainer® is part of the pluriBead® workflow. After bead-bound target cells are captured, the strainer physically separates them from unbound cells. A clean single-cell suspension improves the accuracy of the enrichment step and speeds up washing.

3. Flow cytometry sample preparation

Flow cytometry requires smooth suspensions free from debris. The stackable multi-mesh process ensures that only cells within the desired size range reach the sorter or cytometer.

4. Primary tissue dissociation workflows

Using the Connector Ring to block flow allows:

  • Short reagent incubations

  • On-mesh dissociation

  • Cytokine treatments

  • Buffer exposure

This reduces handling steps while improving yield.

5. Filtration of viscous or complex liquids

With the help of vacuum or low pressure, even challenging liquids such as thick digests, high-EV fractions, or viscous organoid preparations can be processed.

6. Incubation on mesh for special treatments

Researchers can briefly expose cells to reagents such as:

  • TRIzol®

  • Buffer RLT

  • Cell lysis reagents

  • Dissociation enzymes     

The mesh retains the sample for a short time, and then flow is reopened for the filtration step.

Why Multi-Mesh Filtration Matters for Businesses and Research Labs

More predictable workflows

Labs that process multiple samples every day need tools that perform consistently.
pluriStrainer® reduces troubleshooting, sample loss, and downtime.

Better sample quality improves data reliability

High-quality single-cell suspensions lead to clearer results and fewer repeat experiments.
This saves time, reagents, and labor costs.

Supports scalable lab operations

Whether processing a single biopsy or routine batches, multi-mesh setups are easy to standardize across teams.

Compatible with existing lab equipment

pluriStrainer® fits all major 50 mL conical tubes, funnels, and standard workflows without requiring specialized devices.

Ideal for both small and large sample volumes

The funnel option expands capacity to support larger workloads—a benefit for clinical research labs or high-throughput environments.

Tips for Getting the Best Results With pluriStrainer®

  • Always start with the largest mesh to prevent smaller meshes from clogging during filtration.

  • Use the funnel for large volumes to keep the filtration flow smooth and consistent.

  • Stack multiple meshes when separating various cell sizes or maintaining an organized workflow.

  • Reverse the strainer to easily recover large fragments like organoids or bead-bound complexes.

  • Use the Connector Ring with a syringe to gently apply low pressure for tough samples.

  • Control flow speed by adjusting the Luer-Lock opening according to your sample’s needs.

  • Handle delicate cells gently by avoiding force; allow gravity flow to protect cell integrity.

How the pluriStrainer® Stands Out in Multi-Mesh Filtration

Many laboratories rely on basic cell strainer, but the pluriStrainer® offers features that genuinely elevate everyday workflows. Its range of mesh sizes makes it easy to design true multi-mesh filtration steps, giving users more control when preparing single-cell suspensions. You can begin with a larger mesh to remove bulky debris and gradually transition to finer meshes—all within one streamlined setup.

Improved ventilation is another key advantage. Better airflow means fewer clogs, smoother filtration, and less time spent troubleshooting flow interruptions. The ability to stack pluriStrainer® units adds convenience, allowing multiple mesh sizes to be used in sequence without transferring material between tubes. This reduces handling steps and helps minimize the risk of contamination.

The reversible design is equally practical. Turning the device upside down and flushing it allows users to quickly recover organoids, tissue fragments, bead-bound complexes, or other materials that should not pass through the mesh. For high-volume samples, the funnel compatibility ensures that large loads can be processed efficiently without spillover.

The Connector Ring adds control by regulating flow speed and enabling gentle low pressure when needed. And because the pluriStrainer® fits standard 50 mL centrifuge tubes, it integrates seamlessly into most lab setups. Together, these features make it a flexible and dependable tool for modern single-cell preparation.

Conclusion

Multi-mesh filtration remains one of the most straightforward and reliable ways to improve the quality of single-cell suspensions. By passing samples through a series of mesh sizes, researchers can efficiently remove debris, limit cell clumping, and create cleaner preparations that perform better in downstream applications such as flow cytometry, culture, analysis, or enrichment. This step not only improves data consistency but also helps protect instruments and reduces the need for repeated processing.

The pluriStrainer® brings practicality to this workflow with its smart, user-friendly design. Its stackable format allows filtration through multiple meshes without repeated transfers, while the reversible feature helps recover valuable material that would normally be lost. Improved ventilation minimizes clogging, keeping the process smooth even with challenging samples. With options for flow regulation and gentle low pressure using the Connector Ring, researchers gain more control over how their samples move through the mesh. Its compatibility with standard 50 mL tubes also makes it easy to plug into existing lab routines.

For laboratories aiming to simplify sample preparation, increase reproducibility, and reduce hands-on handling, the pluriStrainer® offers a dependable and efficient way to adopt multi-mesh filtration. It provides a practical, consistent solution that supports cleaner, more reliable single-cell suspensions every day.