Asahi Kasei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshinori Takenaka

Nobuaki Tsuda

Toru Kuroda

Leukocytes are separated from a leukocyte-containing suspension by bringing the leukocyte-containing suspension into contact with a leukocyte-separating material, whereby a substantial part of the leukocytes are entrapped in the leukocyte-separating material, and then, collecting the entrapped leukocytes. The leukocyte-separating material used comprises a fibrous material having a surface layer composed of a substance which is capable of being dissolved in water by degrees. Lymphocytes can also be separated in a manner similar to that mentioned above, from a lymphocyte-containing suspension having reduced contents of granulocytes and monocytes.

Separation of leukocytes or lymphocytes from leukocyte-containing

Leukocytes are advantageously separated from blood or other leukocyte-containing suspensions by causing the leukocyte-containing suspensions to flow through a filter unit comprising a container provided with inlet and outlet conduit means and with a mass of fibers packed therein. The mass of fibers is characterized as possessing a bulk density of from 0.02 to 0.40 gram/cubic centimeter, and each of the fibers is characterized as having an average diameter of from 3 to 10 microns. The fibers to be used are selected from synthetic fibers, semi-synthetic fibers, regenerated fibers and natural proteinaceous fibers.

Separation of leukocytes from leukocyte-containing suspension by

Lymphocytes are advantageously separated from blood or other lymphocyte-containing suspensions by a method wherein the lymphocyte-containing suspension is flowed through a second filter having a mass of fibers exhibiting an average fiber diameter of greater than 10 microns but not greater than 60 microns, thereby to entrap a substantial part of granulocytes and monocytes in the mass of fibers and to obtain a granulocyte-poor and monocyte-poor lymphocyte-containing suspension; and then, the obtained suspension is flowed through a first filter having a mass of fibers exhibiting a bulk density of 0.04 to 0.40 g/cm.sup.3 and an average fiber diameter of 5 to 20 microns, said average fiber diameter being less than that of the second filter, thereby to entrap a substantial part of lymphocytes in the mass of fibers; and finally, the lymphocytes entrapped in the mass of fibers of the first filter is collected. Alternatively, another method is employed wherein the lymphocyte-containing suspension is flowed through the first filter thereby to entrap a substantial part of leukocyte components therein; and the leukocyte components entrapped in the first filter is collected to obtain a leukocyte component-rich suspension; and finally, the leukocyte component-rich suspension is flowed through the second filter thereby to entrap a substantial part of granulocytes and monocytes in the second filter and to obtain a lymphocyte-rich suspension.

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Fuji, Japan

Yoshinori Takenaka