The Use of Hollow Fiber Bioreactors for Blood and Plasma Purification

AbstractThe same hollow fiber dialyzers widely used for acute and chronic hemodialysis were shown to be suitable supports for covalent immobilization of enzymes or bioactive proteins, thus facilitating the preparation of devices for selective remonal/demolition of specific molecules through antigen/antibody interaction or enzymatic degradation. Such reactors must be biocompatible, sterile and pyrogen free; must have stable chemical bonds between the hollow fibers and the active proteins, and must be capable of being manufactured in standard form with reproduceable activity. Devices meeting these criteria were prepared for:(1) The enzymatic degradation of asparagin by the use of the immobilized asparaginase;(2) the adsorption of hepatitis B surface antigen with immobilized monoclonal antibodies.Both devices are currently undergoing preliminary clinical trials.