Method for separating pathogenic or toxic agents from a body fluid and return to body

• US 5,123,901 A
• Filed: 02/25/1988
• Issued: 06/23/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carew, E. Bayne
• Original Assignee: Carew, E. Bayne
• Inventors: Carew, E. Bayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Sam
• Application Number:
  US07/160,129
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 604/5, 604/6, 435/174, 436/806
• US Class Current: 604/5.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3618 Magnetic separation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/362 changing physical properties of target cells by binding them to added particles to facilitate their subsequent separation from other cells, e.g. immunoaffinity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3687 Chemical treatment A61M1/3675 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/806 Electrical property or magnetic property

Abstract

A method for removing or separating pathogenic or toxic agents from body fluids is provided. In substance, a fluid containing a preselected pathogenic or toxic agent is flowed into a mixing coil along with a plurality of paramagnetic beads. The paramagnetic beads include a coating which selectively binds the preselected pathogenic agent. By generating a magnetic field, the paramagnetic beads having the bound pathogenic agent are magnetically separated from the fluid. In one embodiment, the method includes the separation of HIV virus and/or HIV infected T-lymphocyte cells from blood. A continuous flow device for implementing the method of the present invention is also provided which includes in one embodiment a peristaltic pump which moves the subject liquid and paramagnetic beads through a mixing coil to promote contacting and binding of the paramagnetic bends to the pathogenenic agent. A magnetic separator in flow communication with the mixing coil is provided by which a magnetic field is generated which causes the paramagnetic beads with bound pathogenic agent to adhere magnetically to the wall of the separator. The method and apparatus of the present invention are particularly useful for the continuous purging of a preselected pathogen from the blood of a human subject.

Claims

1. A method for the substantially continuous-flow purification of whole blood by removing preselected cells or viruses from said blood, consisting essentially of the steps of:

substantially continuously flowing blood from a human subject through a mixing means, said blood being contaminated with preselected cells or viruses;

introducing from about 100,000 to about 1,000,000 paramagnetic beads per milliliter of said blood into said blood as said blood is flowed into said mixing means, said paramagnetic beads having a coating of antibodies which selectively bind to substantially only said cells or viruses, said paramagnetic beads having an average diameter of from about 0.01 microns to about 10.0 microns;

mixing said blood and said paramagnetic beads as said blood and said paramagnetic beads are flowed through said mixing means such that said paramagnetic beads contact and bind to said cells or viruses to form paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses;

flowing said blood having said paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses from said mixing means to means for magnetically restraining said paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses;

magnetically restraining said paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses in said magnetic restraining means while flowing said blood through said magnetic restraining means;

flowing said blood out of said magnetic restraining means while retaining said paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses in said magnetic restraining means such that said blood is purified by the removal of said cells or viruses; and

flowing said purified blood into said subject.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the paramagnetic beads complexed with said cells or viruses are discarded after the purified blood is returned to said subject.