Systems and methods for returning treated mononuclear cells to a blood source
A method for treating mononuclear cells for an extracorporeal photopheresis procedure, driven and adjusted by a microprocessor-based controller, comprising the steps of priming a fluid circuit with priming fluid, directing whole blood derived from a blood source into the fluid circuit, separating the whole blood into a red blood cell component, a mononuclear cell component, and a plasma component, returning a first portion of the red blood cell component and a first portion of the plasma component to the whole blood, adding a photoactivation agent to the mononuclear cell component to create an agent-added mononuclear cell component, irradiating the agent-added mononuclear cell component to create a photoactivated mononuclear cell component, and incubating for a period of time a first portion of the photoactivated mononuclear cell component to create an incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component.
1 . A method for treating mononuclear cells for an extracorporeal photopheresis procedure, driven and adjusted by a microprocessor-based controller, comprising the steps of:
priming a fluid circuit with priming fluid;
directing whole blood derived from a blood source into the fluid circuit;
separating the whole blood in a separation chamber of the fluid circuit into a red blood cell component, a mononuclear cell component, and a platelet/plasma component;
returning a first portion of the red blood cell component and a first portion of the platelet/plasma component to the whole blood at the same time as the mononuclear cell component is accumulating in the separation chamber;
adding a biological agent to the mononuclear cell component in an illumination container fluidically connected to the separation chamber to create an agent-added mononuclear cell component;
irradiating the agent-added mononuclear cell component in an illumination container of the fluid circuit; and
after irradiation of the agent-added mononuclear cell component has ended, incubating for a period of time a first portion of the agent-added mononuclear cell component in the illumination container to create an incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component, with the blood source being disconnected from the fluid circuit for at least a portion of the period of time, wherein
the period of time is sufficiently long to allow for apoptotic T-cells generated in the agent-added mononuclear cell component by irradiation to induce differentiation of monocytes in the first portion of the agent-added mononuclear cell component into dendritic cells, and
a single fluid circuit is used for both separating the whole blood and incubating the first portion of the agent-added mononuclear cell component.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
retaining a second portion of the red blood cell component and a second portion of the platelet/plasma component within the fluid circuit prior to adding the biological agent; and
reinfusing into the blood source the second portion of the red blood cell component and the second portion of the platelet/plasma component.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priming fluid comprises at least one of albumin and a blood component.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the priming fluid comprises saline.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
the biological agent comprises a photoactivation agent,
the agent-added mononuclear cell component is irradiated to create a photoactivated mononuclear cell component prior to incubation, and
said incubating for a period of time a first portion of the agent-added mononuclear cell component in the illumination container to create an incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component comprises incubating for said period of time a first portion of the photoactivated mononuclear cell component in the illumination container to create an incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising retaining a second portion of the red blood cell component and a second portion of the platelet/plasma component within the fluid circuit without returning to the blood source.
7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising disconnecting the blood source from the fluid circuit while incubating said first portion of the photoactivated mononuclear cell component.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising reinfusing a portion of the incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component into the blood source.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising washing at least a portion of the incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising returning a portion of the priming fluid to the blood source.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reinfusing a second portion of the agent-added mononuclear cell component.
12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reinfusing a first portion of the incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component to the blood source.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising collecting a second portion of the incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component without reinfusion to the blood source.
14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reinfusing none of the incubated agent-added mononuclear cell component to the blood source.
15 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising
retaining a second portion of the red blood cell component and a second portion of the platelet/plasma component within the fluid circuit prior to adding the photoactivation agent, and
reinfusing into the blood source the second portion of the red blood cell component and the second portion of the platelet/plasma component at the same time as irradiating the agent-added mononuclear cell component.
16 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising reinfusing a second portion of the photoactivated mononuclear cell component.
17 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising reinfusing a first portion of the incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component to the blood source.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising collecting a second portion of the incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component without reinfusion to the blood source.
19 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising reinfusing none of the incubated photoactivated mononuclear cell component to the blood source.
20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein
the whole blood is directed into the fluid circuit via an access device of the fluid circuit connected to the blood source, and
the blood source is disconnected from the access device of the fluid circuit for said at least a portion of the period of time.