Modular Extracorporeal Systems and Methods for Treating Blood-Borne Diseases

Abstract

Extracorporeal systems and methods for treating blood-borne diseases in a subject or for developing drugs to treat blood-borne diseases include various environmental and treatment modules that can be tailored to a specific disease or infection. In certain embodiments of the systems and methods, a blood sample is treated with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, sonification, radiation, or a combination thereof, under environmental conditions that are effective for the treatment.

1 .- 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . An extracorporeal method for treating a blood-borne disease comprising the steps of:
 a) removing blood from a subject;   b) contacting the blood with an anticoagulant;   c) optionally separating the blood into two or more blood fractions;   d) modifying the environment of the blood or a blood fraction;   e) treating the blood or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a pharmaceutical agent, centrifugation, microwave, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof; and   f) returning at least a portion of the blood or blood fraction to the subject.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the anticoagulant is heparin or sodium citrate. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the blood is separated into a red blood cell fraction, a buffy coat fraction, a platelet fraction, a plasma fraction, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of modifying the environment of the blood or a blood fraction comprises at least one of modifying the pH, modifying the temperature, modifying the oxygenation, modifying the available nutrients, modifying the carbon dioxide, modifying the osmolality, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the modifying the environment step comprises lowering the pH, and wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with a pharmaceutical agent that is effective in an acidic environment. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the modifying the environment step comprises increasing the pH of the blood or blood fraction, and wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with a pharmaceutical agent that is effective in a basic environment. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the modifying the environment step comprises reducing the blood or blood fraction temperature to about 30° C. to about 36° C. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the modifying the environment step comprises increasing the blood or blood fraction temperature to about 37° C. to about 42° C. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of modifying the environment comprises adding or removing glucose to the blood or blood fraction. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of modifying the environment comprises increasing the carbon dioxide in the blood or blood fraction. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure at a pressure range from about 50 MPa to about 1,000 MPa. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the step of modifying the environment comprises reducing the temperature of the blood or blood fraction, and wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with a pulsed electrical field and a pharmaceutical agent. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of modifying the environment comprises reducing the blood or blood fraction temperature, and wherein the treating step comprises treating the blood or blood fraction with microwaves. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising a step of irradiating the blood or blood fraction after the treating step. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising a step of removing toxins from the blood or blood fraction after the treating step, wherein the step of removing toxins comprises filtering the blood or blood fraction, dialyzing the blood or blood fraction, chelating the blood or blood fraction, absorbing toxins from the blood or blood fraction, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         21 . An extracorporeal system comprising:
 a) a blood removal port;   b) an anticoagulant module;   c) a module adapted to modify the environment of blood or a blood fraction;   d) at least one treatment module adapted to administer hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof; and   e) a blood return port.   
     
     
         22 . The extracorporeal system of  claim 21 , wherein the environmental module comprises at least one of a pH-modifying module, a deoxygenation module, a temperature adjustment module, a carbon dioxide module, and an osmolality module. 
     
     
         23 . The extracorporeal system of  claim 21 , wherein the environmental module is a pH-modifying module, and wherein the treatment module is adapted to administer a pharmaceutical agent that is effective at a certain pH range. 
     
     
         24 . A method for developing a new drug or treatment regimen in an extracorporeal system for the treatment of a subject, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) obtaining a blood sample that contains a known concentration of pathogens;   b) optionally separating the blood sample into a red blood cell fraction, a buffy coat fraction, a plasma fraction, or a combination thereof;   c) modifying the environment of at least a portion of the blood sample or a blood fraction;   d) treating the blood sample or blood fraction with hydrostatic pressure, a pulsed electrical field, a pharmaceutical agent, microwave, centrifugation, radiation, sonification, or a combination thereof; and   e) determining the concentration of pathogens in the blood sample or blood fraction after the treating step, wherein the treatment is successful for the pathogen if it eliminates or reduces the concentration of the pathogens in the blood sample or blood fraction when compared to the known concentration from step a).