Isolation of Preformed Antibodies from Whole Blood by Integrating Acoustics and Microfluidics in Sensitized Animal Model
1Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, 2Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Duke University, Durham, NC
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: D-334
Keywords: Alloantibodies, Plasmapheresis
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session D: B-cell / Antibody /Autoimmunity
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: Apheresis therapy refers to the separation, removal and/or exchange of unwanted blood components (red cells, white cells, platelets and/or plasma) by centrifugation and return of remaining constituents to the patient, is used for a variety of medical disorders, ranging from sickle cell diseases to treatment of rejection in organ transplantation. Current plasmapheresis instruments are designed to process adult blood volumes, and thus are not suitable for treating neonates or infants with smaller blood volumes. In addition, safety and therapeutic efficacy in pre-clinical animal models are unable to be evaluated.
*Methods: We have developed and evaluated a novel sound-based technology to perform antibody separation. The prototype acoustic apheresis (AF-apheresis) machine controls and separates blood components continuously and precisely using microfluidic technology. Fractionation occurs by acoustic radiation in a label-free and flow through manner. We measured donor-specific antibody before and after AF-apheresis using sensitized monkey blood in vitro as well as sensitized mouse in vivo.
*Results: AF-apheresis device is capable of efficient plasma separation (including antibody) using small extracorporeal volumes (100-200μl). The AF-apheresis system demonstrated successful transfer of blood cells and platelets to varied buffer fluids with ~95% recovery rate. Furthermore, the returned blood components were characterized to be functioning well after AF-apheresis. The device also allows us to separate exogenous anti-MAMU A001 antibody in A001 negative monkey blood or entire preformed Ab against previous donor. Finally, we confirmed the feasibility, efficacy and safety of this AF-apheresis device using sensitized mouse model which showed ~50% reduction of preformed antibody (Figure 1).
*Conclusions: This method, as the first apheresis apparatus for small animals, fulfils the demand for a variety of fundamental studies and therapeutic applications. It is a reliable method that opens up potential to investigate previously unfeasible hematology and circulation related research topics including transplantation.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Kwun J, Gu Y, Manook M, Wu M, Yoon J, Knechtle S, Huang TJ. Isolation of Preformed Antibodies from Whole Blood by Integrating Acoustics and Microfluidics in Sensitized Animal Model [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/isolation-of-preformed-antibodies-from-whole-blood-by-integrating-acoustics-and-microfluidics-in-sensitized-animal-model/. Accessed May 31, 2025.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress