Method of harvesting rare blood products

Abstract

The present invention provides methods of harvesting rare cells from blood products and/or obtaining products of the rare cells. The method includes contacting a blood product containing rare cells with a porous medium, and selectively retaining rare cells of interest on the porous medium. The porous medium can be contacted with an elution fluid wherein a population of the rare cells is eluted from the porous medium. Rare cells selectively retained on the porous medium can be cultured on the porous medium, and products of the rare cells can be obtained.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of harvesting stem cells from a blood product comprising: 
 contacting a blood product comprising stem cells with a porous medium comprising a fibrous web;    selectively retaining the stem cells on the porous medium;    backflushing the porous medium with an elution fluid at a temperature of between about 5-37° C.; and    selectively eluting the stem cells from the porous medium.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blood product is prepared by leukopheresis.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the elution fluid is at a temperature of between about 20-30° C.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the elution fluid is backflushed through the porous medium at a flow rate in the range of from about 1.5-7 L/min/m 2 .  
     
     
         5 . A method of obtaining products of rare cells comprising: 
 contacting a blood product containing rare cells with a porous medium wherein the rare cells are selectively retained on the porous medium,    contacting the porous medium with a nutrient-rich culture solution wherein a population of the rare cells is cultured on the porous medium so as to produce products of the rare cells, and    isolating the products of the rare cells from the culture solution.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the culture solution comprises a factor for activating lymphocytes.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the rare cells comprise leukocytes.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the rare cells comprise lymphocytes and the method further includes harvesting interferon from the leukocytes.  
     
     
         9 . A method of harvesting rare cells from a blood product comprising: 
 contacting a blood product containing rare cells with a porous medium;    selectively retaining the rare cells on the porous medium;    contacting the porous medium with an elution fluid at a temperature of between about 5-37° C.; and    selectively eluting the rare cells from the porous medium.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the elution fluid is at a temperature of between about 15-35° C.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein contacting the porous medium with the elution fluid comprises backflushing the porous medium with the elution fluid.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the elution fluid is backflushed through the porous medium at a flow rate in the range of from about 1.5-7 L/min/m 2 .  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the rare cells comprise leukocytes.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the blood product is prepared by leukopheresis.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the blood product comprises buffy coat.  
     
     
         16 . A method of harvesting rare cells from a blood product comprising: 
 contacting the blood product containing the rare cells with a porous medium;    selectively retaining first and second populations of the rare cells on the porous medium,    contacting the first and second populations of rare cells with a factor which promotes the first population to adhere more strongly to the porous medium in comparison with the second population, and    contacting the porous medium with an elution fluid comprising a solution physiologically compatible with the first and second populations wherein the second population of the rare cells is eluted from the porous medium to a greater extent than the first population of rare cells.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the factor is secreted by the first population of the rare cells.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the factor is interleukin-II.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the factor is an antibody.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the factor is a ligand.