Plasma or serum separation membrane and filter apparatus including the plasma or serum separation membrane

• US 7,927,810 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nittobo Medical Co., Ltd. (Nitto Boseki Company Limited), Sekisui Medical Company Limited (Sekisui), Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nittobo Medical Co., Ltd. (Nitto Boseki Company Limited), Sekisui Medical Company Limited (Sekisui), Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Ryusuke, Togawa, Katsuya, Isogawa, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cook; Lisa V
• Application Number:
  US10/533,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20060029923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,709 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68.1, 435/4, 435/287.1, 435/287.7, 435/287.8, 435/288.5, 436/174, 436/175, 436/177, 436/178, 210/435, 210/482, 210/446, 210/448, 210/451, 210/489, 210/500.21
• US Class Current: 435/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/18 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/02 characterised by their properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/047 Additional chamber, reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502 with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures centrifugal-type cuvettes G01N21/07; analysis by separation into components G01N30/00; automatic analysers G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5082 Test tubes per se
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/491 by separating the blood components G01N15/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25125 Digestion or removing interfering materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/255 including use of a solid sorbent, semipermeable membrane, or liquid extraction

Abstract

A Plasma or serum separation membrane that enables omitting centrifugal separation, is free from hemolysis attributed to destruction of red blood cells and realizes easy and rapid separation of plasma or serum from blood; and a filter apparatus including the plasma or serum separation membrane. In particular, a plasma or serum separation membrane being a membrane for separation of plasma or serum from blood and having a void ratio of 30% or below; and a filter apparatus comprising a filter member capable of attaining movement of plasma swifter than movement of blood cells and a plasma or serum separation membrane connected in series with a rear side of the filter member.

Claims

1. A filter apparatus comprising:

a first filter member through which plasma can move faster than corpuscles, said first filter member being made of fibers having a mean fiber diameter of from 0.2 to 3.0 μ

m and having a filled density of from 0.1 to 0.5 g/cm³, said first filter member having an upstream part and a downstream part, said downstream part having a packing density higher than a packing density of the upstream part; and

a plasma or serum separating membrane for separating plasma or serum from blood, said separating membrane having a porosity of not more than 25% and a mean surface roughness of not more than 100 nm, and being serially connected in a subsequent stage with the first filter member.

2. The filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a blood accommodation part is provided at an upstream side of the first and second filter members;

and an aqueous solution having an osmotic pressure of 200 to 300 mOsm/kg is added to at least a part of the section from the blood accommodation part to the first and the second filter members.

3. The filter apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aqueous solution contains an internal standard substance.

4. The filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first filter member through which plasma can move faster than corpuscles has a property of adsorbing fibrinogen contained in blood, plasma or a fibrinogen solution.

5. The filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus further comprises a container having an internal space therein;

and an anticoagulant component is stored in at least a part of the internal space of the filter apparatus where filter members are accommodated or an upstream side of the part in the internal space.

6. The filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filter apparatus further comprises a container having an internal space therein;

and an accelerator for accelerating coagulation of blood is stored in at least a part of the internal space downstream of the filter members in the internal space.

7. A blood testing container including the filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a strip of immunochromatographical diagnostic agent to be added to the separated plasma or serum is stored in the blood testing container.

8. The filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first filter member is made of polyester-based resin.