Apparatus and method for killing unwanted cells

• US 4,395,397 A
• Filed: 09/17/1981
• Issued: 07/26/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sidney Farber Cancer Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sidney Farber Cancer Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Shapiro, Howard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Turk, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US06/303,141
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 422/21-25, 435/2, 435/3, 435/261, 435/289, 435/311, 435/813, 435/34, 435/29, 435/291, 435/173, 424/95, 424/101, 356/36, 356/39, 250/492.1
• US Class Current: 424/577
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/17 by ultraviolet [UV] or infrared [IR] light, X-rays or gamma rays
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 35/02 Electrical or electromagnetic means, e.g. for electroporation or for cell fusion
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/06 Hydrolysis; Cell lysis; Extraction of intracellular or cell wall material lysis of microorganisms C12N1/06; extracting or separating nucleic acids from biological samples C12N15/1003

Abstract

Method and apparatus for removing, from a flowing liquid stream containing a suspension of living cells, a subpopulation of unwanted cells having one or more characteristics distinguishing them from the rest of the living cells. The method includes detecting the presence of the unwanted cells, generating signals in response to the presence of the unwanted cells, and providing pulses of laser light, in response to the generated signals, to impinge on and kill the unwanted cells.

Claims

1. Apparatus for killing, in a flowing liquid stream containing a suspension of living cells, a subpopulation of unwanted cells having one or more characteristics distinguishing them from the rest of said living cells, said apparatus comprising

means for detecting the presence of unwanted cells in a flowing stream containing a suspension of living cells,

means for generating signals in response to the presence of said unwanted cells in said flowing stream, and

means downstream from said detecting means and responsive to said generated signals, for providing pulses of laser light focused on said flowing stream to impinge on and kill said unwanted cells in said flowing stream.

2. A method for killing, in a flowing liquid stream containing a suspension of living cells, a subpopulation of unwanted cells having one or more characteristics distinguishing them from the rest of said living cells, said method comprising

detecting the presence of unwanted cells in a flowing stream containing a suspension of living cells,

generating signals in response to the presence of said unwanted cells in said flowing stream, and

in response to said signals, providing pulses of laser light focused on said flowing stream to impinge on and kill said unwanted cells in said flowing stream.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said unwanted cells are cancer cells, and

said cancer cells are labelled with attached fluorescent antibody.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

said cancer cells are leukemia cells, and

said antibody is a monoclonal antibody specific for said leukemia cells.