US 12,487,232 B2
Vacuum-assisted plasma separation
Michael S. Wilson, Waltham, MA (US); Jay Li, Franklin, MA (US); and Kenneth P. Galano, Wrentham, MA (US)
Assigned to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY (US)
Filed by Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/226,492.
Application 17/226,492 is a division of application No. 15/329,795, granted, now 10,989,706, previously published as PCT/US2015/042838, filed on Jul. 30, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/031,908, filed on Aug. 1, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2021/0231643 A1, Jul. 29, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 33/49 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/491 (2013.01) 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
providing a blood sample to a blood separation well of a plasma separation system, the plasma separation system comprising:
a housing supporting or encompassing the blood separation well, the blood separation well containing a filter and a separation membrane, the blood separation well connected to a plasma collection vessel by a first channel encompassed by the housing, and the plasma collection vessel connected to a second channel with an outlet port, the outlet port of the second channel connected to a vacuum source;
wherein the blood sample wicks into the filter for a first pre-determined time interval, the blood separation well, the plasma collection vessel, the first channel, and the second channel being contained within the housing;
actuating the vacuum source to apply a vacuum to the blood separation well via the outlet port and the second channel to draw plasma from the blood sample through the filter and separation membrane providing filtered plasma, and to draw the filtered plasma through the first channel into the plasma collection vessel;
removing filtered plasma from the plasma collection vessel; and
performing an assay using the filtered plasma removed from the plasma collection vessel.