System and method for processing bone marrow

Patent Number: 7008394

Bone marrow transplants, as well as other bone marrow applications represent by far the largest use of stem cells in medicine. The process of harvesting bone marrow may be complicated and prone to contamination. Since bone marrow harvest is a painful and almost traumatic procedure, contamination of a bone marrow graft during harvest could be disasterous. The current invention teaches the use of a series of sealed containers so that during the process of harvesting cells are not exposed to open air for longer than necessary. The invention has one independent claim which is directed towards the sealed device in which the bone marrow is inserted during harvesting. The specific issue is that during harvest multiple punctures are made into the bone, and after each puncture the material has to be inserted into a container. The invention has the container closed, as well as the other containers in which heparin is added, closed so as to avoid contamination.

View this patent on the USPTO website.