Magnetic extracorporeal circuit for removal of medical agents

A method for administering a targeted medical agent to a patient, such that the targeted medical agent is concentrated at a targeted location, and unused targeted medical agent is substantially removed from non-targeted locations within the patient, comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting a medical agent that is capable of inducing a desired effect at a targeted location in the patient;
• (b) combining said medical agent with a targeting component, producing a targeted medical agent;
• (c) adding a magnetically sensitive material to said combination, producing a magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent;
• (d) administering the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent to the patient;
• (e) enabling the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent to reach the targeted location;
• and
• (f) removing the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent from non-targeted portions within the patient by:
• (i) removing a portion of a bodily fluid from the patient, said bodily fluid carrying the unused magnetically sensitive target medical agent through the non-targeted locations in the patient;
• (ii) magnetically filtering said portion of the bodily fluid to remove the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent, producing filtered bodily fluid;
• (iii) returning the filtered bodily fluid to the patient;
• and
• (iv) repeating steps (i)-(iii) until the unused magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent has been substantially removed from the non-targeted locations in the patient.

A method for administering a medical agent to a patient, such that the medical agent is concentrated at a targeted location, but is substantially removed from non-targeted locations within the patient, comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting a medical agent that is capable of inducing a desired effect at the targeted location in a patient;
• (b) combining said medical agent with a targeting component that preferentially is attracted to tissue at the targeted location, producing a targeted medical agent;
• (c) adding a magnetically sensitive material to said targeted medical agent, producing a magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent;
• (d) administering the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent to apatient;
• (e) concentrating the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent at the targeted location;
• and
• (f) removing the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent from non-targeted portions of the patient to which it is systemically distributed, by:
• (i) removing a portion of a bodily fluid from the patient, said bodily fluid conveying the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent systemically within the patient;
• (ii) magnetically filtering said portion of the bodily fluid to remove the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent from said portion of the bodily fluid, producing filtered bodily fluid;
• (iii) returning the filtered bodily fluid to the patient;
• and
• (iv) repeating steps (i)-(iii) until the bodily fluid has been sufficiently filtered to substantially remove the magnetically sensitive targeted medical agent being systemically distributed within the patient.

A method for administering a medical agent to a patient, such that the medical agent is concentrated at a targeted location, but is substantially removed from non-targeted locations within the patient, comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting a medical agent that is capable of inducing a desired effect at a targeted location in the patient;
• (b) producing a magnetically sensitive medical agent by combining said medical agent with a magnetically sensitive material;
• (c) administering the magnetically sensitive medical agent to the patient;
• (d) concentrating the magnetically sensitive medical agent at the targeted location, by providing a magnetic field adjacent to the targeted location, said magnetic field attracting the magnetically sensitive material of the magnetically sensitive medical agent to the targeted location;
• and
• (e) removing the magnetically sensitive medical agent from non-targeted locations of the patient by:
• (i) withdrawing a portion of a bodily fluid from the patient, said bodily fluid including the magnetically sensitive medical agent;
• (ii) magnetically filtering said portion of the bodily fluid that has been withdrawn, to remove the magnetically sensitive medical agent from said portion of the bodily fluid producing filtered bodily fluid;
• (iii) returning the filtered bodily fluid to the patient;
• and
• (iv) repeating steps (i)-(iii) until the bodily fluid has been sufficiently filtered to substantially remove the magnetically sensitive medical agent being systemically distributed within the patient.

A method for reducing an amount of targeted medical agent systemically distributed in a patient, while enabling said targeted medical agent to concentrate at a target location in the patient, comprising the steps of:

• (a) administering targeted medical agent to the patient, said targeted medical agent comprising a medical agent, a magnetically sensitive component, and a targeting component;
• (b) allowing sufficient time to elapse for at least a portion of said targeted medical agent to become concentrated at the target location;
• and
• (c) extracorporeally magnetically filtering a bodily fluid withdrawn from the patient to reduce an amount of targeted medical agent systemically distributed in the patient.

A system for reducing a systemic concentration of a medical agent in a patient, comprising:

• (a) means for removing a bodily fluid from a patient, wherein said bodily fluid contains a medical agent that includes a magnetically attracted component;
• (b) a fluid volume having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet and outlet being adapted to couple in fluid communication with a patient and to convey a bodily fluid from and to a patient;
• and
• (c) a magnetic field generator disposed adjacent the fluid volume and thereby adapted to act on a bodily fluid removed from a patient that is contained within the fluid volume, said magnetic field generator producing a magnetic field adapted to attract a magnetically attracted component contained in a bodily fluid, so that a medical agent is filtered from a bodily fluid.

A system for reducing a systemic concentration of a medical agent in a patient, comprising:

• (a) a fluid line adapted to couple in fluid communication with a patient, to enable a bodily fluid to be removed from a patient through said fluid line;
• (b) means for magnetically filtering medical agent from a bodily fluid that has been removed from a patient, wherein the medical agent includes a component attracted to a magnetic field, said means for magnetically filtering comprising:
• (i) a housing defining a fluid volume and having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being coupled in fluid communication with said fluid line;
• and
• (ii) a magnetic field generator disposed proximate to said fluid volume, producing a magnetic field that extends into said fluid volume;
• and
• (c) a filtered fluid line in fluid communication with said outlet, said filtered fluid line being adapted to couple in fluid communication with a patent to return a filtered bodily fluid to a patient.

A system for administering a medical agent to a patient, such that a first portion of said medical agent is concentrated at a target location, and a second portion of said medical agent that is not disposed at the target location is substantially removed from the patient;

• comprising:
• (a) a targeted medical agent comprising a therapeutic component, a targeting component that causes said targeted medical agent to be concentrated at a target location within a patient, and a magnetically sensitive component;
• (b) means for administering said targeted medical agent to a patient;
• (c) means for removing a bodily fluid from a patient, wherein said bodily fluid contains at least a portion of the targeted medical agent administered to a patient;
• (d) a fluid line adapted to couple a patient in fluid communication with said means for removing a bodily fluid from a patient;
• (e) means for magnetically filtering targeted medical agent from a bodily fluid withdrawn from a patient, said means for magnetically filtering comprising
• (i) a fluid volume having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being in fluid communication with said fluid line;
• and
• (ii) a magnetic field generator disposed proximate said fluid volume and producing a magnetic field extending into said fluid volume, a strength of said magnetic field being sufficient to immobilize substantially all targeted medical agent within said fluid volume;
• and
• (f) a filtered fluid line adapted to couple a patient in fluid communication with said outlet, to convey a magnetically filtered bodily fluid from which said targeted medical agent has been substantially removed, back into a patient.

A system for reducing a systemic concentration of a medical agent incorporating a magnetically sensitive component in a patient, comprising:

• (a) a first fluid line adapted to couple in fluid communication with a patient, such that a bodily fluid can be removed from a patient through said first fluid line;
• (b) means for magnetically filtering the medical agent from a bodily fluid, said means for magnetically filtering comprising:
• (i) a fluid volume having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being in fluid communication with said first fluid line;
• and
• (ii) a magnetic field generator disposed proximate to said fluid volume, producing a magnetic field substantially extending into said fluid volume, a strength of said magnetic field being sufficient to immobilize substantially all medical agent conveyed by a bodily fluid into said fluid volume, producing a filtered bodily fluid;
• (c) a second fluid line in fluid communication with said outlet;
• (d) a fluid reservoir for temporary storage of the filtered bodily fluid;
• and
• (e) a pump operatively coupled to one of said first and second fluid lines, said pump withdrawing a bodily fluid from a patient through said fluid volume and into said fluid reservoir, and drawing filtered bodily fluid from said fluid reservoir for return to a patient.

A system for reducing a systemic concentration of a medical agent in a patient, said medical agent being attracted to a magnetic field, comprising:

• (a) means for removing a bodily fluid from a patient, wherein said bodily fluid contains at least a portion of a medical agent in a patient;
• (b) a magnetic filter for magnetically filtering the medical agent from a bodily fluid that has been withdrawn from a patient, said magnetic filter comprising:
• (i) a magnetic separator chamber comprising a generally annular volume defined between a generally cylindrical inner component and a generally cylindrical outer component, said generally annular volume having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet being generally disposed at opposing ends of said generally annular volume and in fluid communication with said means for removing a bodily fluid;
• and
• (ii) a magnetic field generator disposed adjacent to said generally annular volume and producing a magnetic field having an intensity of about at least 0.1 Tesla within said annular volume, said magnetic field filtering the medical agent from the bodily fluid, producing a magnetically filtered bodily fluid;
• and
• (c) means for returning a magnetically filtered bodily fluid to a patient, wherein such a magnetically filtered bodily fluid contains substantially less medical agent than was present in an unfiltered bodily fluid removed from a patient.