Suitable hollow fibre immunobioreactors for specific ex vivo removal of antibodies and antigens from plasma.

Studies were undertaken to determine the applicability and effectiveness of a new immunoadsorbent, constituted of cellulose hollow fibres chemically modified (BrCN) to link selected proteins. The method has been assayed on a simple model of antibody elimination: myeloma IgG or BSA as antigens were covalently linked to cellulose; such an immunoadsorbent can selectively and efficiently deplete circulating antibodies in vitro and ex vivo (on immunized dogs) from whole blood, without releasing linked protein into the hosts' circulation. The original approach of using this method to remove antibodies has been extended to specifically remove antigens (for this purpose, antibodies were conjugated to cellulose), in order to investigate an immunoadsorption therapy in familial hypercholesterolemia, characterized by a plasmatic overload of low-density-lipoproteins (LDL), of which apolipoprotein B is the major protein. After covalent linkage of isolated anti-apolipoprotein B antibodies to cellulose, human plasma LDL levels were effectively and specifically reduced by this procedure.