The present disclosure describes a novel therapeutic apheresis system and, more specifically, methods and an apparatus for performing therapeutic apheresis. The present disclosure provides highly efficient methods for therapeutic apheresis that modulate the immune system, thereby resulting in treatment of one or more underlying immunological disease processes. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods return at least a portion of blood from an extracorporeal circuit to a patient in pulsatile flow, where the portion of blood that is returned is augmented. In other embodiments, the disclosed methods and apparatus use the central arterial system to exchange volumes of plasma to immunomodulate disease processes.

A device and method for purifying blood. The method includes the steps of separating the blood plasma from the blood cells, adjusting the pH of the blood plasma to a pH close to an isoelectric point of at least one predetermined protein, treating the blood plasma by ion-exchange chromatography, neutralizing the pH of the blood plasma, and pooling of the blood plasma and blood cells.

Biological filters for removing target components from biological fluids such as removal of pathogenic cells from whole blood, are described. The filters may include a medium comprising an inert surface, with capture material disposed on the inert surface. The filter may be configured to selectively recognize, capture, and remove target cells such as pathogenic cells associated with a disease, such as an autoimmune disease or cancer. Devices, systems, apparatuses, computer readable media, and methods associated with biological filtering are also provided.

The present invention relates to the use of alkali hydroxide for the regeneration of apheresis columns for the affinity chromatographic removal of CRP and a method for the simplified regeneration of apheresis columns for the affinity chromatographic removal of CRP with the use of an alkali hydroxide solution and apheresis devices which are designed in such a manner as to be resistant to alkali hydroxide solutions and to allow the regeneration of apheresis columns for the affinity chromatographic removal of CRP in continuous operation.

Systems and methods are disclosed for performing online extracorporeal photopheresis in which the needs of a particular patient as to the fluid balance to be achieved and the time allotted to perform the procedure can be prioritized. Whole blood is removed from a patient and introduced through a processing set into a separation chamber to separate the desired cell population from the blood. The separated cell population is processed through the set which is associated with a treatment chamber where the cells are treated. Once treated, the cells are returned to the patient.

A method of decreasing hypercoagulability and/or increasing plasma clotting time comprising removing red cell-derived particles (RCDP) from plasma.

A machine comprising a load-bearing body intended to receive a circuit for the extracorporeal circulation of a biological liquid, where the circuit comprises at least one bag containing the biological liquid, at least one collection container of the biological liquid to be treated, at least one transit duct of the biological liquid connected to at least the bag and to the collection container; a pumping unit/device/component/etc. of the biological liquid crossing the transit duct; an irradiation unit/device/component/etc. by way of UVA rays of the collection container; and at least one containment box defining a containment volume intended to house the collection container and at least one safety chamber arranged below the containment volume and communicating therewith, to collect any possible spillage of the biological liquid from the collection container where the safety chamber has at least one bottom wall and two side walls at which it is hermetically sealed.

A method and system is provided that measures plasma protein levels of whole blood while a plasma donor is connected to an apheresis machine. A refractometer associated with the apheresis machine is capable of receiving a portion of a disposable tubing set including an integrated cuvette and prism. The integrated cuvette of the disposable tubing set can be inserted into a receiving space of the refractometer associated with the apheresis machine such that the light source and the sensor are oriented relative to the prism and a sensing surface of the integrated cuvette in a precise alignment. Calibration of the refractometer is made using anticoagulant pumped through the disposable tubing set including the integrated cuvette and prism. Based on a light intensity associated with this calibration, whole blood is then measured to determine plasma protein levels and donor eligibility.

A technology that provides various modular biomimetic microfluidic modules emulating varieties of microvasculature in body. These microfluidic-base capillaries and lymphatic Technology modules are constructed as multilayered-microfluidic microchannels of various shapes, and aspect ratios using diverse biocompatible microfluidic polymers. Then, various semipermeable membranes are sandwiched in between these multilayered microfluidic microchannels. These membranes have different chemical, physical characteristics and MWCO values. Consequently, this design will produce much smaller dimension channels similar to human vasculature to achieve biomimetic properties like of human organs and tissues. By interchanging microfluidic-layers or the membranes various diverse modules are designed that act as building blocks for constructing various medical devices, various forms of dialysis devices including albumin and lipid dialysis, water purification, bioreactors, bio-artificial organ support systems. Connecting various modules in diverse combinations, permutations, in parallel and/or in series to ultimately design many unrelated medical devices such as dialysis, bioreactors and organ support devices.

A blood filtration system can reduce the amount of plasma constituents (e.g., water and/or electrolytes) in the blood of the patient, and accordingly increase the hematocrit value of the patient. The blood filtration system (e.g., a controller, or the like) can determine a hematocrit value of a patient. The blood filtration system can determine a venous pressure of vasculature of a patient. The blood filtration system can compensate for pressure head in a component of a blood circuit (e.g., a withdrawal line of a catheter), for example to improve the accuracy of the venous pressure determination. The blood filtration system can determine one or more resistance characteristics of a blood circuit for the blood filtration system. The resistance characteristics can correspond to a resistance to a flow of blood through a component of the blood circuit.