Methods and apparatus for separation of particles
AssigneeGambro Bct, Inc.
InventorsGlen Delbert Antwiler, Linda A. Taylor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method and system that separates first particles from second particles, or white blood cells from red blood cells, by sedimentation in a fluid chamber with debulking of one of the first or second particles or red blood cells through the inlet of the fluid chamber. The method and system further includes fractionation of the remaining particles or white blood cells into selected subsets. In one embodiment of the instant invention a blood product containing white blood cells is loaded in a separation chamber, a diluting or sedimenting agent is added to encourage rouleaux formation of any red blood cells, the cells are sedimented and the red blood cells are removed.
Claims30
A method of fractionating a blood product comprising
- loading a fluid chamber through its inlet with a blood product having at least first and second particles;
- adding a low density fluid to the loaded blood product in the fluid chamber;
- sedimenting the particles in the fluid chamber in accordance with their sedimentation velocities;
- and
- removing at least one of the first or second particles having the greater sedimentation velocity through the inlet of the fluid chamber leaving the other of the first and second particles in the fluid chamber.
A method of debulking red blood cells from white blood cells comprising
- loading a fluid chamber with a blood product containing at least white blood cells and red blood cells;
- adding a low density fluid to the loaded blood product to encourage rouleaux of the red blood cells and to increase their sedimentation velocity;
- sedimenting the red blood cells from the white blood cells under a centrifugal force;
- and
- removing the sedimented red blood cells from the white blood cells.
The method of separating first and second particles by sedimentation comprising
- providing a fluid from a source wherein said fluid contains the first and second particles;
- mounting a fluid chamber on a centrifuge rotor for rotation;
- loading the fluid from the source into the fluid chamber;
- rotating the fluid chamber;
- adding a low density fluid to increase the sedimentation velocity of the particles;
- sedimenting the first and second particles;
- and
- removing the particles having the increased sedimentation velocity.
A system for debulking first particles from second particles in a blood product comprising
- a source of fluid having at least first and second particles;
- a low density fluid source;
- a fluid chamber having an inlet;
- p1 a first conduit fluidly connecting the fluid source having particles and the low density fluid source to the inlet of the fluid chamber;
- a debulking conduit fluidly connected to the inlet of the fluid chamber for receiving first particles debulked from the fluid chamber;
- and
- a debulking container connected to the debulking conduit for receiving the debulked first particles.
A disposable particle separation system comprising
- a first coupling adapted to be connected to a source of particles to be separated;
- a second coupling adapted to be connected to a source of low density fluid;
- a first conduit fluidly connected to the first and second couplings;
- a fluid chamber fluidly connected to the first conduit, wherein the fluid chamber further comprises
- an inlet;
- an outlet;
- a wall having a smooth interior surface extending between the inlet and outlet;
- a maximum cross-sectional area in the wall wherein the wall tapers from the maximum cross-sectional area to the inlet and from the maximum cross-sectional area to the outlet;
- and
- a particle concentrator fluidly connected to the outlet of the fluid chamber.
A method of separating a white blood cell product having white blood cells and red blood cells into white blood cell subsets comprising
- loading a fluid chamber through its inlet with the white blood cell product;
- adding a low density fluid to the white blood cell product;
- sedimenting the white blood cells and the red blood cells in the white blood cell product in the fluid chamber;
- removing the sedimented red blood cells through the inlet of the fluid chamber to separate the red blood cells from the white blood cells;
- and
- collecting the separated white blood cells.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.