Blood Purification

The present invention relates to the removal of pathogenic substances from blood.

Earlier work includes the treatment of blood to remove pathogenic material by a variety of physical means including, for example, dialysis techniques and the like. Hemodialysis, however is not a sufficiently specific procedure. Also if one removes smaller molecules such as salicylates or barbiturates by hemodialysis, the procedure is slow and incomplete because it depends upon the concentration of the poison in the blood plasma. Larger molecules, such as proteins, cannot be removed by dialysis, but only by plasmapheresis and exchange-transfusion procedures. Such procedures remove more of the blood than is actually required. Thus, in plasmapheresis, there is need for replacement fluid. In exchange transfusion, large amounts of blood are needed, and there remains the problem of dealing with antigens such as hepatitis virus from the transfused blood.

More recently, centrifugation of the circulating blood plasma and perfusion over an immunoabsorbent bed has been utilized, under experimental conditions, for the removal of antibodies by Protein A in cancer patients. This procedure requires a complex apparatus for the separation of plasma by centrifugation, separate passage of plasma over the absorbing bed, and subsequent reconsitution with the cellular elements of blood before returning the blood to the patient. The complexity of the process gives rise to errors, and limits its use to specific centers having equipment and necessary highly-trained technicians to operate the equipment. Also there is an undesirable risk of loss of blood components, of hemolysis, or other untoward reactions, particularly since a relatively high fraction of the patients' total blood volume is outside the body during the procedure.

In hindsight, review of other prior art now known to the inventors, it is noted that there are numerous membrane-moderated separation devices known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,414 to Strahilevitz discloses immobilizing immunoactive materials on the side of a membrane on which the fluid being treated is flowing or having the material carried in fluid on the opposite side of the membrane.

Breslau et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,026 disclose use of an anisotropic membrane, but they do not immobilize immunoactive materials within the membrane structure, an essential aspect of the present invention. Moreover, Breslau is not believed to teach a diffusion-only process but one wherein hydraulic pressure is used as a driving force to move mass across his membrane.

A need for an improved blood detoxification system has continued to exist. The present inventors have worked to provide such a system.

Processes for detoxification of blood through ultrafiltration membranes have been suggested in published art. One patent, that to Larsson et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,484) suggests that such processes can be suitably accelerated by reliance on a pumping action wherein the blood is constantly pushed into and pulled out of pores in the membrane. This type of mechanical action on blood platelets, resulting in constant changes in velocity and pressure, tends to promote platelet aggregation and rupture and increases the possibility of intravascular coagulation when the plasma containing platelet components are returned to the circulation. culation.

Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a relatively gentle blood-treating apparatus that minimizes damage to circulating cells while selectively removing pathogenic agents, including antigens, antibodies and antibody complexes from the bloodstream.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved means to immobiize a biologically-selective agent, exterior to the lumen surface of a hollow fiber, which will remove antigens, antigen-antibody complexes, and other harmful materials from the bloodstream.

It is another object of the invention to provide a high concentration gradient between said blood and the biologically-selective agent, thereby obtaining a faster reduction of toxins from the blood.

It is a further object of the invention to incorporate the unique selection diffusion properties of hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes into a compact, efficient, detoxification system which can be used in conjunction with instrumentation of the kind currently employed in hemodialysis by substituting the nonspecific hemodialysis membrane with a cartridge containing antigen-specific immunoabsorbents in combination with hollow-fiber membranes.

Other objects of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art on their reading of this application.

The above objects have been substantially achieved by the use of biospecific molecules, normally protein molecules called antibodies, but for some purposes, antigen molecules, exterior to the lumen surface of hollow fiber tubes. These biospecific molecules and the exterior of the tubes are also in a closed-volume system so that, steady-state, there is only diffusion flow through the membrane.

The following specific embodiments of the invention are contemplated:

1. Immobilization of an antibody exterior to the lumen surface of the hollow fiber tube. In order to make the antibody spatially "available" for contact with the antigen, it is often desirable to have a molecular spacer segment forming means for spacing the antibody from the wall of the exterior porous side of the hollow fiber membrane. This general arrangement is preferred when the molecular weight of the antigen is large, e.g., 100,000 Daltons or higher in molecular weight. A convenient range of interior surface area of tubes present in a single parallel group and mounted within a single cartridge is from about 0.1 to 5 square meters. When the antigen, or toxic substance is of low molecular weight, as is the case with digoxin, quinidine, propoxyphene napsylate, barbiturates, salicylates, or theophylline, the hollow tube need only be permeable to small or medium size molecules. When the toxic substance is large, such as anti-insulin antibody, antihemophilic antibody or an immune complex such as those involved in rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, glomerulonephritis, lupus erythematosus or other immune complex or autoimmune diseases, the pores of the lumen must be of sufficient size to allow diffusion of the antibody or immune complex but small enough to prevent passage of the smallest blood cells, the thrombocytes or blood platelets. In most cases, it will be desirable to have an interior diameter of the hollow fiber from 100 to 400 micrometers and a tubular length of 7 to 50 cm. When a particular application requires, a six- or eight-carbon methylene group is convenient as a spacer or "handle" between antibody and tube wall.

2.Coating of the exterior porous surface of the membrane with albumin. When the antigen to be removed is readily absorbed by albumin or when the immunologically active antibody is more readily chemically reacted with albumin than with the material of the surface of the hollow fiber, the spacer molecule may be a protein such as albumin.

The outer surface of a membrane can be considered a relatively porous material compared to that of the interior surface which is normally the effective filter surface of an ultrafilter membrane of the asymmetric, sometimes called anisotropic, type. Thus, for example, the exterior, porous side of a hollow fiber membrane may be treated with a 17% human albumin solution in saline. The albumin will coat the surfaces within the porous zone of the membrane structure (i.e. the zone that underlies the barrier layer of the membrane) and, thereafter, a solution of protein (antibody) can be deposited upon the albumin. Often it is desirable to crosslink the protein somewhat (as with a dilute glutaraldehyde solution or some other such mild crosslink-inducing agent); this aids in anchoring the material in place on the hollow fiber surface.

When hollow fiber cartridges are prepared for the removal of substances with high albumin affinity, such as bilirubin, it is sufficient to "immobilize" high concentration of albumin on the outer, i.e. shell, side of the hollow fiber membranes with either of the methods described above.

It will be understood that, in the convention used in this Application, the troublesome blood component is called an antigen. In some cases this troublesome component may be known to the art as an "antibody". In such cases, it will be immobilized on a substrate which is immunoreactive with it, for example an antigen or an antihuman antibody, or sequestered in any of the other ways described herein as if it were an antibody.

(1) Immobilization of serum albumin for the removal of excess metabolites with high albumin affinity, such as bilirubin, for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia of hepatic origin in the neonate.

(2) Immobilization of specific antibodies for the removal of excess drugs, intoxicants, or toxins. These monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies are produced in cell culture systems or in animals according to procedures known in the art. Such antibodies, or their Fab fragments, can be used, e.g. for digoxin or quinidine overdose during treatment of cardiac patients or for accidental or intentional overdose of salicylates, theophyllines, analgesics, thyroxine-like compounds, barbiturates or tranquilizers, and for drugs of abuse.

(3) Immobilization of antibody directed toward a particular antigen, or toward an activated immunoglobulin bound to the particular antigen. For example, in patients with systemic Lupus Erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, and other such immune complex diseases, removal of circulating immunocomplexes which tend to cause multiple organ damage may be of great benefit. Presently, plasmapheresis is being employed in a number of medical centers for the removal of circulating immunecomplexes.

(4) Immobilization of "antigen" to remove "antibodies" in the circulation directed toward that antigen. One example of a disease in this category is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In this disease, circulating antibodies against thyroglobulin deposit in the thyroid gland and cause chronic goiter; removal of circulating anti-thyroid antibodies may be accomplished with specific antihuman antibodies immobilized in multitubular cartridges. Another example is a form of insulin-resistance diabetes. In this disease, high concentration of antibodies specific for insulin circulate in the blood and neutralize insulin that is administered. Selective removal of these antibodies using a bound insulin antigen in the exterior lumen of the device can be used to reduce the plasma level of those undesirable antibodies.

(5) Immobilization of bioactive proteins with affinity toward pathogenic immunoglobulins, e.g. immobilization of Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus for the removal of tumor associated blocking antibodies in patients with colon carcinoma, melanoma, etc. These blocking antibodies interfere with the action of regular immunologic forces of the patients against tumor cells.

Blocking antibodies were shown to be a particularly important feature in certain types of cancer. Removal of blocking antibodies frees the immune system to exert its antitumor activity.

In this Application and accompanying drawings there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention and suggested various alternatives and modifications thereof, but it is to be understood that these are not intended to be exhaustive and that other changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. These suggestions herein are selected and included for the purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art will more fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and will be able to modify it and embody it in a variety of forms, each as may be best suited to the condition of a particular case.

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic view of an apparatus useful in practice of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged cross-section of a hollow-fiber membrane structure constructed according to the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that a blood processing cartridge 10 is formed of an interior, blood-processing chamber 12 formed of interior glass wall 14. Around chamber 12 is an optional exterior chamber 16 which may be utilized to control the temperature in chamber 12; the temperature of which is kept constant. A temperature-controlling fluid would be passed into chamber 16 through lower conduit 18 and passes out of the chamber through upper conduit 20. Chamber 12 contains about five hundred tubular, anistropic, ultrafiltration membranes 22 of the type generally called "hollow-fiber membrane". In fact, these membranes are about 0.3 millimeters in inside diameter an 0.5 millimeters in outside diameter. They have interior retentive membrane walls of about 1 micron in thickness and have a nominal central conduit path of about 8 inches.

The membranes are sealed together in matrices of resin 30 at the inlet port 32 and outlet port 34. The resin effectively seals any crossectional area which may be left between the membranes and assures all blood entering the apparatus through inlet 32 flows into the tubular membranes 22.

Immobolized on the exterior of membranes 22 is the antibody or other suitable toxin-attractive material.

In all the cases cited below, polymers are activated, i.e. made susceptible for combining chemically with an antibody, by using processes known in the art. Several useful polymers are cited, but since the polymer acts as a carrier rather than a physiological agent, any number of other polymers may be used as the substrata for carrying the antibodies. The primary requirement is that the antibody can conjugate thereto in a way which allows those molecular characteristics, which give the antibody its physiologically specific character, are left spatially free to interact with an antigen.

(1-a) A soluble, or at least dispersible antibody is prepared by any of the number of methods including the following: An antibody suitable for any particular application is dissolved in a concentration of 50-200 mg./ml. with human serum albumin in a phosphate-buffered aqueous medium of pH 7.0, all according to procedures known in the art.

Gluteraldehyde in a concentration of 0.05-10% (depending on the protein) is added to the solution which is then incubated 12 hours at 4.degree. C. Excess gluteraldehyde that remains in the reaction mixture is conveniently removed by addition of glycine to the solution at the end of incubation. This solution is then diafiltered through a membrane having a minimal rententivity value of 50,000 molecular weight (50,000 Daltons). The diafiltered antibody-bearing product is dissolved in saline or dialysis fluid.

(1-b) To obtain a reactive polymer, polyacrylic acid polymer (e.g. with molecular weight of about 1,000,000) is activated by the azide procedure (Erlanger B C, Isambert M F, and Nichelson A M: Biochem. Biophys.Res.Commun.40, 70, 1970; Wilchek M, and Miron T Molecular & Cellular Biochem.4, 181, 1974). When the finely dispersed reactive polymer is suspended in a buffered saline solution of the antibody of choice, the protein antibody will be bound to the polymer. It is important that the ratios of antibody to reactive polymer be selected to avoid excessive reaction which may result in an insoluble product. If this ratio is appropriately adjusted, the spacing of the antibody along the polymer chain will allow a binding of the antibody with the antigen without untoward steric hindrances and the antibody conjugate remains soluble.

(1-c) A copolymer of ethylene and maleic acid anhydride, for example of molecular weight 1,200,000, is partially hydrolyzed by incubating in a chamber with controlled humidity and temperature and reacted with an antibody in e.g. saline solution. Then the resulting soluble protein-polymer conjugate is used as a specific binding agent in a solution contained in the cylinder surrounding the outer walls of hollow-fiber membranes.

(1-d) Dextran (Mw 10,000-40,000 Pharmacia Fine Chemicals, Piscataway, N.J.) is activated by the cyanogen bromide method (Axon et al: Nature 214, 1302,1967) and reacted with the antibody in physiological saline media. The molecular weight of the conjugate obtained by this reaction is preferably higher than 1,000,000.

It is to be understood that when one activates a polymer, rather than starting with a pre-activated polymer of known molecular size, it is preferable to filter the activated product to remove undesired low molecular weight material which may have been created during the activation procedure.

This process for purifying blood of a living animal by passing the blood through an extracorporeal shunt device that includes an apparatus as described herein for selectively absorbing undesirable substances from the blood can have many therapeutic uses including: (a) removal of red blood cell auto-antibody for treatment of lymphocytic leukemia and auto-immuno hemolytic anemia, (b) removal of tumor specific antigen for treatment of colon carcinoma and melanoma, (c) removal of multiple myeloma specific immunoglobulin G for relief of hyperviscosity in patients with multiple myeloma, etc.

As known in the art, factor Protein A can be isolated from the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (NCTC 8530) and the activity of the protein is measured by immunodiffusion. The product so obtained specifically binds to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin G subclones 1, 2 and 4 of man.

The cellulosic hollow fibers with an ID of 200 microns and inner wall thickness of 30 micrometers are potted to form a cartridge having a total tube inner-surface area of 0.6 square meter. The inner walls are washed with 0.2M sodium hydroxide solution, and after drying, are perfused with a 0.1M solution of bromoacetylchloride in acetonitrile and the solution is recirculatd for 2 hours at room temperature. Thereafter the inner walls are thoroughly washed with acetonitrile to remove excess reagent and dried in a nitrogen stream. Subsequently, the hollow fibers are perfused with a solution of Protein A in saline buffered with borate to maintain pH 8.5. After three hours of recirculation, the cartridge is washed extensively with saline. The solution is assayed for Protein A by immunodiffusion technique, known to the art, before and after the recirculation step in order to evaluate the degree of protein uptake by the fiber wall. Finally, the cartridge is washed with a streptomycin solution. Subsequently the cartridge is dried in a nitrogen stream, placed in a plastic bag and sealed.

Then, Protein A in a concentration of 50-200 mg/ml solution is incubated with a 0.05-10% glutaraldehyde solution in order to obtain soluble macro molecular aggregates having a molecular weight over 1,000,000. After removal of small species by diafiltration, the super-Protein A molecules are stored in saline solution at 4.degree. C.

A cartridge containing 1,000 asymmetric hollow fibers having a cut-off pore-size at 500,000 Dalton MW and inner diameter of 150-200 microns is washed by pumping saline solution through the fiber walls from the outside in "reverse" ultrafiltration mode. Thereafter a 1% solution of human serum albumin is pumped through the fiber wall in the same way in order to deposit a monomolecular layer of albumin at the porous surface of the outer side (shell side) of the tubular membrane. Thereafter the solution of super-Protein A is filtered through the walls of hollow fibers in "reverse" direction so that the crosslinked macromolecular aggregates of the biospecific binding agent are deposited directly at the shell side of the membrane or in close promixity of the membrane in the shell region. The activity of the solution before filtration and that of the filtrate leaving the lumen is assayed for Protein A. The balance gives the amount of immunological activity deposited in the cartridge. After flushing the lumen space of the hollow fiber with streptomycin and saline, the cartridge is placed into a plastic bag and sealed. Cartridges so prepared are used in extracorporeal shunts.

A specific antibody containing cartridge for use in the extracorporeal shunt treatment of patients suffered from toxic levels of therapeutic drugs was prepared:

Hollow fiber cartridges having lengths of 250 mm and containing 535 hollow fibers were supplied by Amicon. The fiber dimensions are: I.D. 180 micron and O.D. 360 micron, and the total contact surface area in the cartridge is 750 cm.sup.2.

The hollow fibers were first washed with 300 ml of distilled water in the reversed ultrifiltration mode in order to remove glycerol used to maintain wettability of the polysulfone hollow fiber membranes during storage and shipment. 500 mg. of human serum albumin (supplied by Sigma) are dissolved in 250 ml 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7. An aliquot of 50 ml of albumin solution is pumped, in a reverse mode, through ports of the housing into what will be closed space around the hollow fiber membranes to deposit a thin albumin layer on the surface of the porous sponge structure surrounding each membrane. Thereafter a solution of digoxin antibody capable of binding 750 micrograms of digoxin is made in 50 ml of 0.01M phosphate solution, pH 7, and loaded into the cartridge in the same way as the albumin in the previous step. Thereafter, 200 ml more of the albumin solution is filtered into the outerspace of the hollow fibers.

Glutaraldehyde was dissolved in 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, in order to obtain 1% (w/v) solution. 25 ml of the glutaraldehyde solution was pumped into the extrafiber space of the cartridge and filtered through the fiber walls into the lumen over a period of ten minutes. Then 500 ml of saline was pumped through the cartridge in the reversed ultrafiltration mode to remove unreacted glutaraldehyde.

After this treatment, the filtrate emerging from the lumen of the hollow fiber contained no traces of glutaraldehyde. The ports of the housing of the cartridge were closed with plexiglass disks and the lumen and lumen-access compartments were prepared by washing with one liter of pyrogen free sterile saline solution. The cartridge, still wet with the saline solution, was sealed into a plastic container and sterilized by exposure to a gas mixture containing 7% ethylene oxide in carbon dioxide.

Sheep antidigoxin antibody, as described above, was immobilized within the cartridge and exterior to the interior lumen of the hollow fiber membranes. To 150 ml., of human blood was added 11,000 nanograms per millimeter of digoxin. After connecting the antibody containing cartridge to a fluid circulating system designed to permit passage of blood into the center conduit of the multi-hollow fiber cartridge, digoxin containing blood was circulated through the system at a rate of 100 ml. per minute. Samples of blood were removed for assay of digoxin at times 0, 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after the start of the circulation treatment. It was found that the concentration of digoxin in the circulating human blood was significantly reduced after 5 and 15 minutes of circulating through the system. After 60 minutes of treatment of digoxin concentration of the blood was reduced from the initial 11,000 nanograms per millimeter to 8,350 nanograms per millimeter which corresponds to a total of 400,000 nanograms of digoxin removed from the 150 ml. of blood.

A drug specific antibody cartridge similar to that employed in Example 3 (but immobilizing a quinidine antibody) for use in the treatment of patients suffering from toxic levels of therapeutic drugs was prepared and utilized in a manner similar to that described. To 200 ml of human blood was added 35,000 nanograms of the cardiac drug quinidine. The blood was circulated through the cartridge for one hour and samples of the blood were removed at intervals. The concentration of quinidine in the blood was found to be: Initial concentration, 174 nanograms per ml., 5 minutes treatment sample, 153 nanograms per ml., 15 minutes treatment sample, 153 nanograms per ml., 30 minutes treatment sample, and 148 nanograms per ml. which corresponds to a total of 5,200 nanograms of quinidine removed from the 200 ml. of blood.

A drug specific antibody cartridge similar to that employed in Example 3, but proposed for treatment of patients suffering from toxic blood levels of drugs of abuse such as barbiturates, tranquilizers and analgesics was prepared utilizing sheep anti-barbiturate antibodies. To 200 ml. of human blood was added 8.8 mg. phenylbarbitol sodium. After treatment of the blood and analyzing the blood, it was found that the concentration of barbiturate in the blood at the various sample times was as follows: Initial, 44 micrograms per ml., and 60 minutes, 37 micrograms per ml. Therefore the cartridge removed a total of 1,400 micrograms of barbiturate from the 200 ml. of blood.

A drug specific antibody cartridge similar to that employed in Example 3, but proposed for treatment of patients suffering from toxic blood levels of drugs of abuse was prepared utilizing antibodies to the propoxyphene napsylate sold under the trade designation Darvon. To human blood was added propoxyphene napsylate monohydrate. After treatment of the blood, it was found that the concentration (micrograms per deciliter) of drug in the blood at the various sample times was a follows: Initial, 240, fifteen minutes, 90, thirty minutes, 10.

Examples of diseases characterized by excess antibodies or antigen-antibody complexes are lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthemia gravis, Factor VIII resistant hemophilia and insulin resistant diabetes. To illustrate the use of this invention in the reduction of blood antibodies and antigen-antibody complexes, a cartridge was prepared as follows:

15 g silica gel (SMR-1-89C, Davison Chemical) having mean pore and particle diameters of 300 A and 10 micron, respectively, were slurried in 100 ml of 1M hydrochloric acid and after overnight stay filtered and washed with distilled water until the filtrate was chloride free. Thereafter the silica was washed on the filter twice with 50 ml of acetone, sucked dry and kept in the oven at 100.degree. C. for 12 hours.

After the silica was cooled to room temperature, it was suspended in 60 ml of toluene containing 7.5 g of gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (Petrarch) and under stirring the suspension was heated and kept on reflux over ten hours. After the suspension was cooled to room temperature it was filtered and washed with 50 ml of toluene, 50 ml of methanol and finally with 50 ml of acetone. The product was dried in the oven at 50.degree. C. for three hours.

0.75 g of bovine insulin supplied by Sigma was dissolved in 7.5 ml of 0.05M phosphoric acid. Then a concentrated sodium bicarbonate solution was added dropwise from a burette to the insulin solution under stirring and the pH was monitored. When the pH of the solution reached 4.5 the solution became cloudy. The addition of sodium bicarbonate continued until pH of the insulin solution reached 6.6 and thereafter the solution was stirred for five hours until it became clear again.

The aminopropylsilica described above was suspended in 50 ml of 5% (w/v) glutaraldehyde solution in 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, and stirred for 20 minutes. Subsequently the suspension was filtered and washed with the above phosphate buffer until no glutaraldehyde was found in the filtrate.

The wet filtercake of the glutaraldehyde-treated aminopropylsilica was suspended in the above described insulin solution and stirred for 40 minutes. Therafter the slurry was filtered and washed extensively with 750 ml 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. The filtercake was resuspended in 50 ml of phosphate buffer, stirred for 20 minutes and centrifuged. This treatment was repeated four times and testing of the last supernatant for insulin was negative.

A hollow fiber cartridge sold under the designation "Plasmaflux P2" by Fresenius was used which has the following specifications:

Membrane: polypropylene

Inner diameter 330 micron

Wall thickness: 150 micron

Contact surface area: 0.5 m.sup.2

Priming volume lumen: 52 ml

Extrafiber space: 195 ml

Housing material: SHN/PC

Potting material: Polyurethane

was washed with one liter of saline solution to remove the glycerol used in maintaining the wettability of the asymmetric polysulfone hollow fibers. Thereafter the silica particles containing the immobilized insulin were dispersed in 500 ml saline solution and pumped into the extrafiber space of the cartridge which was gently shaken during this process. The reversed ultrafiltration of the slurry resulted in a deposition of the siliceous affinity absorbent particles on the outer shell of the hollow fibers. After a uniform distribution of the particles was accomplished, first, 1.5 L of sterile, pyrogen-free saline solution was filtered from the extrafiber space into the lumen of the hollow fibers, then 1.5 L of pyrogen-free sterile saline was pumped through the lumen compartment.

Subsequently the ports of the housing of the cartridge were closed, the cartridge was sealed into a plastic container and sterilized by ethylene oxide.

The cartridge is then connected to a circulatory system and used to purify blood from a diabetic patient with a high blood plasma insulin antibody titer. Such a treatment will cause the removal of important quantities of the insulin antibody (an "antigen-antibody") from the patient's blood.

In an experiment, where 93 ml blood, diluted with an anticoagulant, was recirculated through a hemopurifier with immobilized insulin, the following changes were observed in insulin-antibody titer, as measured by agglutination of insulin-coated sheep red cells by the tested serum: Initial titer: higher than 1:10 dilution at 30 minutes, the 1.4 dilution was positive, 1:5 was negative. Thus, the hemopurifier cartridge had removed 60% of the circulating insulin antibody.

An albumin containing cartridge was prepared as follows:

Hemoflow F-60 capillary dialyzer (obtained from the supplier, Freseneus of Germany) was used. The specifications of the hollow fiber cartridges are as follows:

Membrane material: polysulfone

Housing material: polycarbonate

Potting compound: polyurethane

Net weight: 165 g

Inside diameter/wall thickness: 200/40 micron

Surface area: 1.25 m.sup.2

Priming volume blood: 75 ml

Priming volume dialysate: 230 ml

Flow resistance blood: 40 mm Hg

The protective glycerol coating of the fibers was removed by washing the cartridge with 1.5 liters of saline solution by passing the solution through it as if it were to be ultrafiltered.

A quantity of 10 g of bovine serum albumin, Fraction V Powder (supplied by Sigma), were dissolved in 1 Liter of 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, and pumped through the two ports of the housing into the hollow fiber cartridge in order to deposit the protein in the spongelike outer shell of the polysulfone fibers by a filtration in the reverse direction. The flow rate was 10 ml per minute and slight vacuum was applied to both ends of the lumen compartment of the cartridge.

Glutaraldehyde (Fisher) was dissolved in 500 ml of 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7, in order to obtain a 1% (w/v) glutaraldehyde solution.

After the albumin solution was filtered into the hollow fibers the glutaraldehyde solution was pumped into the cartridge in the same way. The flow rate was 15 ml/minute. Upon contact with the glutaraldehyde, the bovine serum albumin deposited at the outer surface of the capillary membrane proper in the porous shell became crosslinked and thereby immobilized at the polysulfone surface.

The cartridge was washed with 1.5 L of pyrogen-free and sterile saline solution, first in the reversed ultrafiltration mode, then through the lumen compartment. Thereafter, the cartridge with hollow fibers still wetted by saline use was sealed into a plastic container and sterilized by ethylene oxide.

The albumin cartridge was connected to a circulating system and 100 ml of blood obtained from a patient suffering from hyperbilirubinemia was pumped through the system. The initial concentration of total bilirubinemia in the blood was 29 milligrams per deciliter blood. After treatment for 100 minutes the concentration of bilirubinemia had decreased to 19 milligrams per deciliter which corresponds to a total of 10 milligrams of bilirubin removed from the 100 ml of blood.

A column was prepared, according to the procedure of Example 3 but using a specific antibody to 1-thyroxine as the immunoreactive agent on the exterior side of a membrane device as described above. The membranes were of the nominal 10,000-Dalton cutoff type. Into a quantity of 175 ml of human blood, was added 72 micrograms of Na 1-thyroxine. The initial concentration in the blood was 0.41 micrograms per milliliter. After 60 minutes of treatment, the concentration had dropped to 0.348 micrograms per ml. Thus 11 micrograms of Na 1-thyroxine was removed from the 175 ml of blood.

In appraising the advantages of the invention, it appears that the particularly beneficial properties are achieved by providing a steady-state diffusion process across the wall of the membrane whereby a high concentration gradient is maintained across the membrane by the placement of the antigen-attracting material deposited on the exterior of the membrane. Because the volume of the container of the membranes is both closed and of very limited volume, there are only trivial quantities of relatively small blood chemicals lost during the start-up of operation of the cartridge. Thereupon, a diffusion equilibrium (steady-state) is established with respect to such chemicals and no substantial further net loss of such chemicals occurs excepting, of course, the antigens rejected by the immunoabsorbent.

It will be apparent that the optimum size of the membrane pores will differ from application-to-application, but in no event will they be large enough to admit the formed elements of the blood. Hydraulic flow, as opposed to diffusive flow, does not take place at all once steady-state operation is established. In particular, the push-pull action of blood components in the pores of the membrane (as proposed by Larsson et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,484) is wholly avoided because the closed, constant-volume container for the membranes permits no functional hydraulic pulse to be transferred therethrough.

It is also to be noted that bacteria can also be attracted across the membrane and immobilized outside the blood stream.

The antibody can be linked to a spacer molecule. Such spacers are usually the length of several carbon atoms, say up to about 20 but often about 4 to 12 carbons in length.

Depending on the nature of the antigen to be removed, the nominal pore size can be quite large, but never large enough to admit blood cells. Nominal pore sizes (globular-molecule separation test known in the art) of 50,000 are effective in the antibody applications disclosed herein but antigen-antibody-type toxins require pore sizes that are up to about 500 millimicrons in nominal diameter. For some smaller antibodies, a pore size of only about 10,000 Daltons is acceptable. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, not only will blood cells be prevented from passing through the membrane, but all formed elements of the blood, i.e. the erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes, will be maintained exclusively on the barrier side of the membrane.

Mixtures of antibodies can usually be used in a substantially additive way. In such a case the removal of a plurality of antigens appears to be essentially non-competitive.

Albumin, besides being an easily-immobilized collector of some toxins from the blood, is also a good material by which to bind or immobilize other antibodies. For example antidigoxin antibodies can be bound to such blood. Sometimes it is desirable to polymerize antibodies for immuno-scavenging use. Antidigoxins is an example of this. By doing so, one can allow use of larger effective diffusion pores in the membrane without danger of back diffusion of the immunoscavenging means.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which might be said to fall therebetween.