A process for the sequential processing of opaque and transparent biological fluids such as whole blood, apheresis blood, bone marrow blood, umbilical cord blood, buffy coat or cultured cells by processing steps in a hollow cylindrical centrifugal processing chamber (300) which is part of a disposable set. At least three different procedures selected from washing, incubation, transduction, separation, density gradient separation, dilution and volume adjustment are each carried out once or repeated a number of times according to a given processing profile in the processing chamber. Each procedure involves an input into the processing chamber, an operation in the processing chamber and an output from the processing chamber by displacement of a piston (310). The at least three different procedures are sequentially chained one after the other to constitute an overall sequential operation in the processing chamber and its disposable set. A first application is incubation for binding magnetic beads with human blood cells or stem cells. A second application is transduction by which foreign genetic material is inserted into human blood cells or stem cells by a virus. A third application is reconditioning biological fluids to achieve reproducible concentration and volumes of blood cells or stem cells.

A blood separation system is provided that includes a blood separation device that includes a centrifugal separator and a spinning membrane separator drive unit incorporated into a common case and a fluid flow circuit having both a separation chamber configured to be mounted in the centrifugal separator of the blood separation device and a spinning membrane separator configured to be received in the spinning membrane separator drive unit. In an exemplary procedure, the system is used to collect concentrated platelets and/or concentrated platelets and plasma, and to further permit harvesting of the mononuclear cells from the centrifugal separator at the conclusion of platelet collection, and transfer of the mononuclear cells to the spinning membrane separator.

Systems and methods are provided for depleting platelets from blood. The system includes a multi-stage blood separation chamber in which blood is separated into red blood cells and platelet-rich plasma. The platelet-rich plasma is conveyed from a first stage of the chamber to a second stage, where it is separated into platelets and platelet-poor plasma. The platelet-poor plasma is conveyed out of the chamber while the platelets are allowed to accumulate in the second stage of the chamber. When a controller of the system has determined that the maximum chamber capacity of platelets has been accumulated in the second stage of the chamber, the platelets are conveyed out of the chamber to a waste container. The cycle of separating blood into its components, accumulating platelets in the chamber, and then flushing the platelets from the chamber is repeated until a target platelet concentration of the blood is achieved.

Systems and methods are provided for separating blood into two or more components for collection of red blood cells, plasma, or both red blood cells and plasma. A blood separation system includes a blood separation device and a fluid flow circuit configured to be mounted to the blood separation device. The blood separation device includes a centrifugal separator and a spinning membrane separator drive unit, with the blood being separated into its constituents by the centrifugal separator. Separated plasma may be collected following separation by the centrifugal separator or may first be conveyed from the centrifugal separator into the spinning membrane separator drive unit to separate cellular blood components from the plasma prior to collection of the filtered plasma. The cellular blood components filtered from the plasma may be retained in the circuit as a waste product or may be flushed out of the circuit to a recipient.

A blood product (10), a method for preparing the blood product, a blood product obtainable by the method and a blood product preparing container means. The blood product comprises components from whole blood, especially fibrin, thrombocytes and leukocytes. The blood product (10) comprises a first layer (21), a second layer (22) and a third layer (23). The second layer (22) is adjacent to the first layer (21) and the third layer (23). The first layer (21) defines a first outer surface (24) of the blood product (10) and the third layer (23) defining a second outer surface (25) of the blood product (10). The first layer (21) comprises a majority of fibrin, the second layer (22) comprises a majority of thrombocytes and the third layer (23) comprises a majority of leukocytes.

The present invention provides a filter element for a blood processing filter, comprising a nonwoven fabric, wherein the quantity of crystallization heat of the uncrystallized portion of the nonwoven fabric is 5 J/g or smaller before steam heat treatment.

A system and associated method for concentrating and separating components of different densities from fluid containing cells using a centrifuge includes a container defining a cavity for receiving the fluid. The container has a top, a sidewall extending from the top, and a bottom disposed opposite the top and in sealing engagement with the sidewall. An insert is slidably disposed in the cavity of the container and defines a lumen through the insert. The lumen, which includes a hole and a funnel-shaped upper portion in fluid communication with the hole, forms an open fluid path between opposite ends of the insert. The insert has a density such that upon centrifugation a selected component of the fluid resides within the lumen. A container port is disposed in the top of the container to transfer the fluid into the container and to withdraw a fluid component other than the selected component from the container. The system includes a manifold that includes a manifold port, a vent to vent the container, and a connector to couple to the container port. A cannula is receivable in the manifold port and extendable through the container port into the container and into the lumen of the insert to withdraw the selected component from the lumen.

Provided is an accelerated method for preparing platelet rich plasma (PrP) without centrifugation or filtration. The method comprises contacting a sample of whole blood with an anti-coagulant and an inducer of Rouleaux formation; allowing the mixture to stand thereby depleting the sample of RBCs, and collecting the platelet-rich plasma fraction. The PrP volume obtained by the present method is about 10-60% of the volume of the starting whole blood sample, and contains less than 200,000 RBCs and at least 100,000 platelets per microliter.

Provided is a biological fluid-treating filter for treating a biological fluid containing erythrocytes, which has a matrix and a polymer retained by the matrix, the polymer having a zwitterion-containing functional group and a basic nitrogen-containing functional group. By using the filter in which the polymer has the zwitterion-containing functional group and the basic nitrogen-containing functional group, it is possible to treat the biological fluid containing erythrocytes without adversely affecting the erythrocytes.

A method for collecting plasma includes determining the weight and hematocrit of a donor, and inserting a venous-access device into the donor. The method then withdraws blood from the donor through a draw line connected to a blood component separation device, and introduces anticoagulant into the withdrawn blood. The blood component separation device separates the blood into a plasma component and a second blood component, and the plasma component is collected from the blood component separation device and into a plasma collection container. The method may then calculate (1) a percentage of anticoagulant in the collected plasma component, and (2) a volume of pure plasma collected within the plasma collection container. The volume of pure plasma may be based, at least in part, on the calculated percentage of anticoagulant. The method may continue until a target volume of pure plasma is collected within the plasma collection container.