Cytapheresis

Apheresis (ἀφαίρεσις (aphairesis, 'a taking away')) is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation. It is thus an extracorporeal therapy. Apheresis (ἀφαίρεσις (aphairesis, 'a taking away')) is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation. It is thus an extracorporeal therapy. The apheresis machine was invented by American medical technologist Herb Cullis in 1972. One of the uses of apheresis is for collecting stem cells. Depending on the substance that is being removed, different processes are employed in apheresis. If separation by density is required, centrifugation is the most common method. Other methods involve absorption onto beads coated with an absorbent material and filtration.