Asahi Medical Co., Ltd.

Junsuke Suemitsu

Makoto Yoshida

Hirokazu Onodera

Ushio Iwamoto

A filter for filtering blood includes a coiled core with a hollow center. The core has only two layers that are coiled atop one another, the two layers being a blood filter layer and a spacer layer where blood flows more easily through the spacer layer than through the filter layer. An outer side of one of the spacer layer, and the filter layer defines an outer circumference of the core. The filter and spacer layers are coiled so that both sides of the filter layer directly contact respective sides of the spacer layer. A casing for the core has a blood inlet in fluid communication with the outer circumference of the core and a blood outlet in fluid communication with the hollow center. Blood entering the inlet travels to the outlet within the spacer layer and transversely across the filter and spacer layers.

Filter device and method for processing blood

A material comprising a biologically active substance (or ligand) to be sterilized, including proteins (e.g., antibodies and enzymes), peptides, DNA, RNA, and glycoproteins, with or without a carrier, and sterilization-protecting agent comprising a trisaccharide or higher saccharide (&ldquo;polysaccharide&rdquo;) having a positive charge, is provided. The skeletal background of the polysaccharide confers stability to the ligand and its positive charge traps destructive radicals produced during the sterilization process. The molecular weight ratio of sterilization-protecting agent to the ligand should be at least {fraction (1/500)} but less than &frac12; to protect the ligand effectively without obstructing the ligand's activity. In particular, polysaccharides, such as chitosan (a polymer of D-glucosamine) and chitin which is partially converted into chitosan, are preferable as a sterilization-protecting agent. The biologically active substance in such a material is stabilized against various sterilization methods, including irradiation, wet heat, and chemical sterilization, either in a wet state or a dry state. Further, a method for sterilizing a biologically active substance in the presence of the above-described sterilization-protecting agent is provided.

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Oita, Japan

Junsuke Suemitsu