Device and method for administering an anti cancer substance
View Patent ↗An anti-cancer substance is administered via the patient's blood ex vivo and in line by establishing a connection between the patient and a device having a chamber containing the anti-cancer substance. The patient's blood in the chamber and the anti-cancer substance interact so that immune cells in the blood (1) are activated to produce an immune response in the patient, or (2) are pre-armed by attaching to the cells antibodies, or (3) both. After activating or pre-arming the cells, the patient's treated blood is returned to the patient. The anti-cancer substance may be within the chamber prior to drawing the patient's blood into the chamber, may be introduced into the chamber after drawing the patient's blood into the chamber, or may be introduced into the chamber concurrent with the introduction of the patient's blood into the chamber. The connection is terminated after returning to the patient's blood including the activated or pre-armed cells.
1 . A medical device for introducing into the blood of a patient an anti-cancer substance, said device comprising
a chamber having a sidewall and opposed end walls enclosing an open space, first and second spaced apart ports in the sidewall, a third port in one end wall and a fourth port in the other end wall,
said chamber having a sidewall closed by end walls respectively at opposed ends of the chamber, said chamber having a total volumetric capacity from 50 to 1000 milliliters, and
an array of microtubules within an open space within the chamber in fluid communication with the first and second ports so that when the ports in the sidewall are connected to the patient blood from the patient flows through the chamber with the anti-cancer substance, wherein 200 to 1000 of the microtubules are of the same uniform length and having an inside diameter from 10 to 1000 microns, said microtubules bundled together to form said array and said array sized to be retained within the chamber,
said second and third ports being adapted to be placed in communication with a source of fluid in a manner enabling the fluid to flow through the open space concurrent with blood from the patient flowing through the chamber,
wherein the microtubules have a length substantially from 20 to 50 millimeters and an inside diameter substantially from 10 to 1000 microns.
2 . A medical device for introducing into the blood of a patient an anti-cancer substance so that immune cells in the blood contact and interact with antibodies in the blood to produce a beneficial response in the patient,
said device comprising
a chamber having a side wall and opposed end walls enclosing an open space,
first and second spaced apart ports in the side wall, a third port in one end wall, and a forth port in the other end wall, and
an array microtubules within an open space within the chamber in fluid communication with the first and second ports so that when the ports in the sidewall are connected to the patient blood from the patient flows through the chamber,
said second and third ports being adapted to be placed in communication with a source of fluid in a manner enabling the fluid to flow through the open space concurrent with blood from the patient flowing through the chamber,
said chamber ports and the array of microtubules configured so that the blood flowing through the device is retained in the chamber for a predetermined dwell time that is on average a minimum of 15 seconds so that immune cells in the blood contact and interact with the antibodies in the blood to produce a beneficial response in the patient.