Systems, methods, and devices for removing circulating tumor cells from blood
AssigneeOnco Filtration, Inc.
InventorsStephen S. Keaney, Katherine J. Soojian, Russell W. Bowden, Ilan K. Reich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A crossflow filter includes a rigid cylindrical inner wall and a rigid cylindrical outer wall inner with an inelastic filter membrane positioned therebetween defining a retentate channel inside the filter membrane and a permeate channel outside the filter membrane. Further, the filter includes transition channels shaped and connected to the inner and outer walls to deliver a flow of fluid from an inlet port to the retentate channel and to capture flow flowing longitudinally along the cylindrical inner and outer walls from both the retentate and permeate channels to respective outlet ports.
Claims29
A method of removing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood, the method comprising:
- flowing the whole blood along a retentate channel of a cross-flow module, a wall of the retentate channel being formed by a first surface of a filter membrane, the filter membrane separating the retentate channel from a permeate channel of the cross-flow module and being arranged parallel to a direction of fluid flow through the retentate channel, a wall of the permeate channel being formed by a second surface of the filter membrane opposite to the first surface;
- at the same time as the flowing along the retentate channel, flowing fluid along the permeate channel, the fluid having passed through the filter membrane into the permeate channel and including at least red blood cells from the whole blood;
- and
- controlling a flow rate of the flowing along the retentate channel and/or a flow rate of the flowing along the permeate channel such that a per-pore flow rate of red blood cells through the filter membrane is less than a characteristic red blood cell passage rate for said filter membrane, wherein the filter membrane has an array of tapered pores extending from one of the first and second surfaces to the other of the first and second surfaces, each pore having a first cross-width dimension at said one of the first and second surfaces of the filter membrane greater than a nominal cross-width dimension at said other of the first and second surfaces of the filter membrane, each pore being sized to obstruct passage of CTCs therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.