AUTOMATED METHOD FOR STERILE PROCESSING OF CELLS BY CENTRIFUGATION AND COLUMN CHROMATOGRAPHY

摘要

The invention relates to a system, comprising: a) a sample processing unit, comprising an input port and an output port coupled to a rotating container having at least one sample chamber, the sample processing unit configured provide a first processing step to a sample or to rotate the container so as to apply a centrifugal force to a sample deposited in the chamber and separate at least a first component and a second component of the deposited sample; and b) a sample separation unit coupled to the output port of the sample processing unit, the cell separation unit comprising separation column holder (42), a pump (64) and a plurality of valves (1-11) configured to at least partially control fluid flow through a fluid circuitry and a separation column (40) positioned in the holder, the separation column configured to separate labeled and unlabeled components of sample flowed through the column.

主权项

1. An automated computer-controlled process for sterile handling of a sample of blood or bone marrow cells in a cell separation apparatus, the process comprising:
(a) flowing cells from the sample into a centrifuge chamber; (b) centrifuging the cells in the chamber about a rotational axis; (c) optically observing the cells in the chamber during the centrifuging to determine when to stop the centrifuging or harvest the cells; (d) transferring a population of cells that have been centrifuged in the centrifuge chamber to a cell separation column; (e) passing the population of cells transferred in step (e) over the cell separation column so as to separate the cells into a first separate cell population and a second separate cell population; and (f) delivering the first separate cell population and the second separate cell population into different output containers; wherein the automated process is conducted in a manner that maintains sterility of cells from the sample throughout the process.