EP3389867A1

EP3389867A1 - Device suitable for centrifuging and method using same

Info

Publication number: EP3389867A1
Application number: EP16826108.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alexandra ALARZA; Julien BILLON
Original assignee: LFB SA
Current assignee: LFB SA
Priority date: 2015-12-18
Filing date: 2016-12-16
Publication date: 2018-10-24
Also published as: FR3045417B1; FR3045417A1; WO2017103524A1; US20180361374A1; CA3008320A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for treating a biological fluid containing cells suspended in a liquid. The treatment device is intended to be used during a centrifuging step for separating the cells from the liquid. The treatment device includes: a pouch suitable for receiving the biological fluid, the pouch having top and bottom edges that are separated from each other along a longitudinal axis, the pouch being formed of two flexible layers that are placed one on top of the other and are rigidly interconnected along a rigid-connection area, the rigid-connection area being provided so as to form, between both layers, an inner space for receiving the biological fluid and at least one opening suitable for placing the inner space in communication with an outer environment, and at least one sealing member placed in the opening so as to selectively open and close the opening. The treatment device is characterized in that the inner space has: a top portion formed near the top edge and intended for receiving the supernatant liquid of the biological fluid after the centrifuging step, and a neck formed near the bottom edge and intended for receiving a residue of cells from the biological fluid after the centrifuging step. The top portion and the neck each have widths that are measured transversely relative to the longitudinal axis. The width of the neck is less than the width of the top portion.

Description

Device adapted for centrifugation and method using it

The invention relates to a device adapted to receive a cell culture or a cell suspension, and adapted for centrifugation of said cells.

In the field of biological analyzes and cell therapy, many methods of treating the biological starting material (ie the sample of a patient) exist, and aim at recovering the elements necessary for the intended purpose (ie analytic or therapeutic, respectively). Most often, these necessary elements are constituted by the cells of the patient.

Amongst the different steps of the existing processes, it is known to use centrifugation as a means of separating cells from a liquid, with a view to their subsequent use. For this purpose, said cells are packaged in a particular device and then subjected to centrifugation. Classically, after this step, we obtain two phases:

a solid lower phase, called pellet, which contains the cells; and an upper liquid phase, called a supernatant.

In particular, depending on the nature of the cells, the centrifugal force used and the type of liquid in which the cells are in suspension, the homogeneity of the cell pellet may vary.

Indeed it may happen that after centrifugation, non-firm cell pellets are formed. In such cases, the pellets obtained are not clearly distinct from the supernatant. This is particularly the case for certain cell types used in therapy. Resuspension of the cells in the supernatant or at the interface between the supernatant and the pellet may then take place during the subsequent manipulation of the device used for centrifugation, in particular the use of a plasma press which may lead to imperfect separation of the phases, and thus a loss of profitability of the process.

There is therefore a need for a device capable of centrifuging and concentrating a maximum amount of cell pellet in a simple and easy manner, even for cases where the formed pellets are not firm.

The invention aims to overcome the problems mentioned above. Indeed, the device according to the invention, by its particular form, avoids these problems. It makes it possible to recover, after centrifugation, easily, both the supernatant and the cell pellet formed. It also allows better cell concentration after centrifugation.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a device for treating a biological fluid comprising cells suspended in a liquid, the treatment device being intended to be used during a centrifugation step to separate the cells from the liquid, the treatment device comprising:

- A pocket adapted to receive the biological fluid, the bag having upper and lower edges spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis, the bag consisting of two flexible layers, superimposed and secured to one another according to a securing zone, the fastening zone being designed to form between the two layers an interior space for receiving the biological fluid and at least one opening adapted to put the internal space in communication with an external environment,

at least one closure member disposed in the opening for selectively opening and closing the opening,

in which the interior space presents:

an upper portion formed in the vicinity of the upper edge and intended to receive the supernatant fluid of the biological fluid after the centrifugation step, and

a neck formed near the lower edge and intended to receive a pellet of cells of the biological fluid after the centrifugation step,

the upper part and the neck respectively having widths measured transversely to the longitudinal axis, the width of the neck being less than the width of the upper part.

The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device as described above, providing the steps of:

forming a pocket adapted to receive a biological fluid comprising cells suspended in a liquid and having upper and lower edges spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis, by superimposing and joining two flexible layers one to the other; another according to a securing zone, the fastening zone being provided to form between the two layers an interior space for receiving the biological fluid and at least one opening adapted to place the space in communication interior with an exterior environment, the interior space having an upper portion formed adjacent the upper edge and for receiving the supernatant fluid of the biological fluid after the centrifugation step, and a neck formed adjacent the lower edge and for receiving a pellet of cells of the biological fluid after the centrifugation step, the upper part and the neck respectively having widths measured transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis, the width of the neck being less than the width of the upper part,

- Have at least one closure member disposed in the opening for selectively opening and closing the opening.

In embodiments, the invention may include one or more of the following provisions:

The biological fluid present in the device according to the invention may be a sample of blood, plasma, bone marrow, but also a cell culture sample or a cell suspension of all types. For example, the biological fluid may be a sample of stem or somatic cells genetically modified or not; an immune cell culture, such as a B cell and / or T cell culture; or adipose tissue samples or stromal vascular fractions, as well as the cells derived therefrom. Among the stem or somatic cells, and the immune cells that may be used, mention may be made of myoblasts and / or their precursors, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells and their derivatives, dendritic cells, natural killer (NK) cells.

Preferably, the treatment device according to the invention is such that the layers consist of at least one film of heat-sealable material, the layers being heat-welded according to the bonding zone formed by a weld bead. The heat-sealable material may be chosen from conventional materials known from the prior art, and in particular from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), perfluoroethylene propylene (FEP) and polyolefins.

Preferably, the securing zone comprises a restriction delimiting the upper portion along the longitudinal axis at a distance from the upper edge, the restriction presenting a convergence towards the neck. Preferably, the neck is formed in the longitudinal extension of the lower edge.

The shape and the size of the neck thus make it possible to recover the cellular pellet. This is optimized by the converging restriction to the bottleneck. The latter makes it possible to improve the concentration of the cells during centrifugation.

Preferably, the upper part and the neck respectively have volumes, the volume of the neck being between 5% and 100% of the volume of the upper part, preferably from 5% to 50%, preferably from 15% to 30% .

Preferably, the width of the neck is between 5% and 80% of the width of the upper part, preferably from 10% to 40%. More preferably, the width of the neck is between 1 and 7 cm, preferably between 1 and 5 cm, preferably between 3 and 4 cm. More preferably, the width of the upper part is between 7 and 10 cm, preferably between 8 and 9 cm.

Preferably, the upper part and the neck respectively have lengths measured along the longitudinal axis, the length of the neck is between 5% and 100% of the length of the upper part, preferably between 10% and 50%. More preferably, the length of the neck is between 1 and 9 cm, preferably between 4 and 5 cm. More preferably, the length of the upper part is between 8 and 15 cm, preferably between 9 and 12 cm. Preferably, the restriction converging towards the neck is inclined at an angle α along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This angle a is preferably between 10 ° and 80 °, preferably between 20 ° and 40 °. More preferably, this angle a is around 30 °. The device according to the invention comprises at least one opening. Preferably, said at least one opening comprises a lower opening formed on the lower edge in the neck.

Preferably, said at least one opening comprises an upper opening formed on the upper edge in the upper part. Preferably, the device comprises at least one upper opening formed on the upper edge in the upper part, and at least one lower opening formed on the lower edge in the neck. Finally, preferably, the bag comprises a fastening member to a centrifugation device. This hooking member may be, for example, a perforated tongue, a clamp, or a clamping device between two plates or between two foams, for maintaining the pocket.

Preferably, the pocket comprises two lateral edges, said lateral edges extending parallel to one another, between the upper and lower edges, and the neck is along one of the lateral edges.

More preferably, the attachment member is along the side edge located opposite the side edge comprising the neck. Preferably, according to this embodiment, the neck is located at the end of the lateral edge closest to the axis of rotation of centrifugation. Thus, according to this embodiment, the neck is located towards the inside, close to the centrifugation rotor. The device of the invention is indeed intended to be placed in a centrifugation apparatus to be rotated about a centrifugation axis. With respect to this axis, the neck has a preferential position. The neck is thus preferably located on the inner side edge, the closest to the axis of rotation of centrifugation.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device according to the invention, providing the steps of:

forming a pocket adapted to receive a biological fluid comprising cells suspended in a liquid and having upper and lower edges spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis, by superimposing and joining two flexible layers one to the other; another according to a zone of attachment, the zone of attachment being provided to form between the two layers an interior space for receiving the biological fluid and at least one opening adapted to communicate the interior space with an external environment, the space interior having an upper portion formed adjacent the upper edge and adapted to receive liquid from the supernatant biological fluid after the centrifugation step, and a neck formed adjacent the lower edge and adapted to receive a cell pellet from the biological fluid after the 'step centrifugation, the upper part and the neck respectively having widths measured transversely to the longitudinal axis, the width of the neck being less than the width of the upper part,

This process is preferably such that the layers consist of at least one film of heat-sealable material and providing, during the step of forming the pocket, to heat-seal the layers according to the bonding zone by forming a bead. Welding.

The subject of the invention is also a method of treating a biological fluid implementing a treatment device according to the invention.

Preferably, the treatment method provides the steps of:

placing in the internal space of the bag a biological fluid comprising cells suspended in a liquid,

separating the cells from the liquid by subjecting the treatment device to a centrifugation step,

recovering the liquid from the supernatant biological fluid in the upper part, and

recovering a pellet of cells from the biological fluid in the neck.

Preferably, in the first step, the biological fluid is placed in the interior space of the pocket. Then a centrifugation step takes place. This centrifugation can be carried out by any known and commercially available centrifuge. At the end of the centrifugation, a supernatant constituted by the liquid of the biological fluid is thus obtained. The base is located in the lower part of the pocket, at the neck. The optional recovery of the pellet or the supernatant is thus easy.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of particular embodiments of the invention given by way of non-limiting example, the description being made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a representation of the device according to the invention.

In the figure, the same references designate identical or similar elements. The device according to the invention comprises a pocket (1). This pocket itself comprises an upper edge (10) and a lower edge (11), said edges being spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis.

In addition, the pocket consists of two flexible layers, superimposed and secured to one another according to a zone of attachment, the zone of attachment being provided to form between the two layers an interior space ((6) and (7) )) to receive the biological fluid.

The pocket comprises at least one opening adapted to communicate the interior space with an external environment. Preferably, as mentioned above, said opening comprises a lower opening (5) formed on the lower edge in the neck. According to another variant, preferably, said opening comprises an upper opening (4) formed on the upper edge in the upper part. Finally, according to another variant, preferably, the bag comprises at least one upper opening (4) formed on the upper edge in the upper part, and at least one lower opening (5) formed on the lower edge in the neck.

The opening may comprise at least one closure member (2) or (3) for selectively opening and closing the opening. Finally, the interior space presents:

an upper part (7) formed in the vicinity of the upper edge and intended to receive the liquid from the supernatant biological fluid after the centrifugation step, and

a neck (6) formed near the lower edge and intended to receive a pellet of cells of the biological fluid after the centrifugation step,

the upper part (7) and the neck (6) respectively having widths measured transversely to the longitudinal axis, the width of the neck being less than the width of the upper part.

Thanks to these dimensions, the neck is thus adapted to receive the cell pellet during the centrifugation step. The upper part of the interior space, meanwhile, will contain only the supernatant.

Optimal recovery of the pellet is obtained thanks to the presence of a restriction (8) converging towards the neck. This restriction reinforces the delimitation between the supernatant and the pellet. The restriction (8) converging towards the neck is typically inclined at an angle of between 10 ° and 80 °, relative to an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The pocket (1) according to the invention may comprise a fastening member (9), in particular to a centrifugation device.

Preferably, the volume of biological fluid used, present in the interior space ((6) and (7)), is between 20mL and 3L.

Example 1

The following protocol makes it possible to show that the use of the pocket according to the invention, for the centrifugation of cells, offers a better solution for the recovery of unstable cell pellets after centrifugation compared with the use of a conventional centrifugation pocket ( for example a Macopharma pouch).

This study can be performed on several cell types: B and / or T lymphocytes, UCB (Unit Cord Blood) and adherent cells. The centrifugation program (speed, duration, acceleration and brake) can be adapted according to the cell type.

The comparison between the 2 pockets is made on the basis of the criteria below:

the yield (number of cells after recovery of the pellet after centrifugation / number of cells before centrifugation)

cell viability after using the pouch

phenotyping according to the cells used and

the volume remaining after recovery of the caps

The results obtained make it possible to show that the yield, the phenotyping or the volume remaining after centrifugation are in favor of the use of the pouch according to the invention. The cell viability remains substantially the same regardless of the pocket used.

We can conclude that the asymmetric bag according to the invention is a better solution than a conventional symmetrical bag for cell centrifugation and more specifically for cells that give unstable pellets.

Claims

A biological fluid treatment device comprising cells suspended in a liquid, the treatment device being for use during a centrifugation step to separate the cells from the liquid, the treatment device comprising:

the treatment device being characterized in that the interior space has:

2. Treatment device according to claim 1, wherein the layers consist of at least one film of heat-sealable material, the layers being heat-welded according to the bonding zone formed by a weld seam.

3. Processing device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the securing zone comprises a restriction defining the upper portion along the longitudinal axis away from the upper edge, the restriction having a convergence towards the neck.

4. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the upper part and the neck respectively have volumes, the volume of the neck being between 5% and 100% of the volume of the upper part, preferably from 5% to 50%, preferably from 15% to 30% of the volume of the upper part.

5. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the width of the neck is between 5% and 80% of the width of the upper part, preferably 10% to 40%.

6. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the upper part and the neck respectively have lengths measured along the longitudinal axis, the length of the neck is between 5% and 100% of the length. from the upper part.

7. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said at least one opening comprises a lower opening formed on the lower edge in the neck.

8. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said at least one opening comprises an upper opening formed on the upper edge in the upper part.

9. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the bag comprises a fastening member to a centrifuge device.

10. Processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pocket comprises two lateral edges, said lateral edges extending parallel, relative to each other, between the upper and lower edges, and wherein the neck is along one of the side edges.

11. Processing device according to claim 9 and 10, wherein the fastening member is along the side edge located opposite the side edge comprising the neck.

12. Processing device according to any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the restriction converging towards the neck is inclined at an angle along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis between 10 ° and 80 °, preferably between 20 ° and 40 °.

13. A method of manufacturing a treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, providing the steps of:

14. The manufacturing method according to claim 13, wherein the layers consist of at least one film of heat-sealable material and providing, during the step of forming the pocket, to heat-seal the layers according to the zone of bonding by forming a weld bead.

15. A method of treating a biological fluid implementing a treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the treatment method comprising the steps of:

recovering a pellet of cells from the biological fluid in the neck.