Modular extracorporeal systems and methods for treating blood-borne diseases
AssigneeSomerset Group Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsDavid G. Greenberg, Scott Puritz, Tatiana Koutchma, Juan N. Walterspiel
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Abstract
Extracorporeal systems and methods for treating blood-borne diseases in a subject or for developing drugs to treat blood-borne diseases include various environmental and treatment modules that can be tailored to a specific disease or infection. In certain embodiments of the systems and methods, a blood sample is treated with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, sonification, radiation, or a combination thereof, under environmental conditions that are effective for the treatment.
Claims43
An extracorporeal method for treating a blood-borne disease comprising the steps of:
- a) removing blood from a subject;
- b) contacting the blood with an anticoagulant;
- c) optionally separating the blood into two or more blood fractions;
- d) modifying the environment of the blood or a blood fraction by deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- e) treating the blood or blood fraction with a first pharmaceutical agent that is effective in anaerobic conditions;
- f) modifying the environment of the blood or blood fraction, wherein this second step of modifying the environment does not comprise deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- g) treating the blood or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a second pharmaceutical agent, centrifugation, microwave, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof;
- and
- h) returning at least a portion of the blood or blood fraction to the subject.
A method for developing a new drug or treatment regimen in an extracorporeal system for the treatment of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a blood sample that contains a known concentration of pathogens;
- b) optionally separating the blood sample into a red blood cell fraction, a buffy coat fraction, a plasma fraction, or a combination thereof;
- c) modifying the environment of at least a portion of the blood sample or a blood fraction by deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- d) treating the blood or blood fraction with a first pharmaceutical agent that is effective in anaerobic conditions;
- e) modifying the environment of the blood or blood fraction, wherein this second step of modifying the environment does not comprise deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- f) treating the blood sample or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a second pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof;
- and
- g) determining the concentration of pathogens in the blood sample or blood fraction after the treating steps, wherein the treatment is successful for the pathogen if it eliminates or reduces the concentration of the pathogens in the blood sample or blood fraction when compared to the known concentration from step a).
A method for treatment of a blood sample or blood fraction prior to transfusion to a subject, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a blood sample or blood fraction;
- b) optionally separating the blood sample or blood fraction into a red blood cell fraction, a buffy coat fraction, a plasma fraction, or a combination thereof;
- c) modifying the environment of at least a portion of the blood sample or the blood fraction by deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- d) treating the blood or blood fraction with a first pharmaceutical agent that is effective in anaerobic conditions;
- e) modifying the environment of the blood or blood fraction, wherein this second step of modifying the environment does not comprise deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- f) treating the blood sample or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a second pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof;
- and
- g) determining the concentration of pathogens in the blood sample or blood fraction after the second treating step.
An extracorporeal method for treating a blood-borne disease comprising the steps of:
- a) removing blood from a subject;
- b) contacting the blood with an anticoagulant;
- c) optionally separating the blood into two or more blood fractions;
- d) deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction by passing the blood or blood fraction through a membrane exchanger to remove oxygen;
- e) treating the blood or blood fraction with a first pharmaceutical agent that is effective in anaerobic conditions;
- f) optionally modifying the environment of the blood or blood fraction, wherein this optional second step of modifying the environment does not comprise deoxygenating the blood or blood fraction;
- g) optionally treating the blood or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a second pharmaceutical agent, centrifugation, microwave, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof;
- and
- h) returning at least a portion of the blood or blood fraction to the subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.