In numerous diseases such as malaria or cancer, diseased and healthy blood and body cells differ in their degree of hardness. Now, they can be easily separated from each other by a new physical effect. In the process, flow through microchannels ensure that the cells separate out into streams of harder and softer cells. This has now been discovered by an international research team led by Bayreuth physicist Prof. Dr. Walter Zimmermann. In the journal Physical Review Letters, the scientists present their fundamental findings and demonstrate their potential for medical applications.