Apparatus for therapeutic immunodepletion

Claim 2

A therapeutic apparatus for the removal of a harmful agent from blood, blood plasma or serum, said therapeutic apparatus comprising a bundle (10;16) of parallel hollow fibers, a header (12,14;18;20) at each end of said bundle connecting said fibers to a flow passage at each end; and a coating of an immunoadsorbent for the harmful agent, said immunoadsorbent being covalently bound to the interior surfaces of said hollow fibers.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising two or more of said bundles (10;16) of hollow fibers, each bundle having a separate header (12,14;18,20) and flow passage at each end, the separate flow passages at each end communicating with a common flow passage.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising valve means (22;24) for diverting the flow of blood, blood plasma or serum from one hollow fiber bundle (10;16) to another hollow fiber bundle (16;10) and for selectively introducing a regenerating fluid through one or more bundles from which the blood, blood plasma or blood serum flow has been diverted.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 or 3 wherein each of said bundles (10,16) comprises two hundred or more : separate hollow fibers.

Claim 8

A process for the removal of a harmful agent from blood, blood plasma or serum comprising: a) providing an array of hollow fiber bundles connected in parallel to a single inlet for the blood, blood plasma or serum to be treated and a single outlet for the treated blood, and an immunoadsorbent coating the interior surfaces of the fibers of said bundles and means for isolating individual bundles from the blood flow and for regenerating the isolated bundle; b) introducing the blood, blood plasma or serum into said inlet, routing the blood so introduced through at least a first fiber bundle until the immunoadsorbent capacity of that first fiber bundle has been reduced to a predetermined value or until said first fiber bundle has been in service for a predetermined period of time, and collecting the treated blood emanating from said first fiber bundle; c) diverting the blood flow through said first fiber bundle to at least a second fiber bundle upon the immunoadsorbent capacity of said first fiber bundle being reduced to said predetermined value or at said predetermined time, and collecting the blood emanating from said second fiber bundle; and d) passing a regenerating solution through said first fiber bundle to restore said immunoadsorbent capacity and then repeating step b).

Claim 9

A process for the removal of a harmful agent from blood, blood plasma or serum comprising: a) providing an array of hollow fiber bundles connected in parallel to a single inlet for the blood, blood plasma or serum to be treated and a single outlet for the treated blood, and an immunoadsorbent coating the interior surfaces of the fibers of said bundles and means for isolating individual bundles from the blood flow and for regenerating the isolated bundle; b) introducing the blood, blood plasma or serum into said inlet, routing the blood so introduced through at least a first fiber bundle until the immunoadsorbent capacity of that first fiber bundle has been reduced to a predetermined value or until said first fiber bundle has been in service for a predetermined period of time, and collecting the treated blood emanating from said first fiber bundle; c) diverting the blood flow through said first fiber bundle to at least a second fiber bundle upon the immunoadsorbent capacity of said first fiber bundle being reduced to said predetermined value or at said predetermined time, and collecting the blood emanating from said second fiber bundle; and d) passing a regenerating solution through said first fiber bundle to restore said immunoadsorbent capacity and then repeating step b).

Claim 10

The process of claim 7 further comprising washing said first fiber bundle with a sterile balanced salt solution prior to regenerating and after regenerating, prior to returning said first fiber bundle to service in removing the harmful agent.

Claim 11

The process of claim 7 or 8 wherein said regenerating solution is a low pH buffer.

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein said regenerating solution is a buffer of a pH of approximately 2.5.