Separation, dissociation and/or disaggregation of cells using shockwaves or mechanical impacts

Inventors

CHI, John • Chi, Ben-Chen

Assignees

Synova Life Sciences Inc

Abstract

Methods provided by the present disclosure utilize extracorporeal shockwaves, mechanical impacts and/or principles of lithotripsy to break up a tissue sample into smaller fragments—clusters of cells and/or single cells—after which a desired cellular fraction can be isolated from the sample. Devices provided by the present disclosure deploy focused and/or directed shockwaves, and/or focused and directed mechanical impacts, to break apart a tissue sample. The devices maintain the sample in a sterile, closed environment during exposure to the shockwaves or mechanical impacts. Therefore, the shockwaves and/or mechanical impacts are generated outside of a closed device and are transmitted through one or more walls of the device into its interior, where the sample is located.

Core Innovation

The disclosure relates to extracorporeal shockwave (ESW) and/or focused mechanical impacts that dissociate tissue into cell clusters and/or single cells for subsequent isolation of a desired cellular fraction, including a stromal vascular fraction and stem cells. The problem addressed is breaking down tissue into cell clusters and/or single cells while enabling isolation of the stromal vascular fraction and stem cells for downstream use. The described approach uses mechanical energy to disrupt tissue rather than relying on enzymatic breakdown as the primary mechanism for dissociation.

A key system aspect is a sterile, closed environment in which a shockwave/mechanical-energy source is kept outside a sealed device, while the energy is transmitted through the device walls to a processing container. The disclosure further describes mechanical impact generation via an impact arm on a controlled platform, including an impact-arm driven by a motor with articulation. The mechanical impacts are generated such that the impact arm makes physical contact with the processing container and does not physically contact the tissue.

The described processing architecture includes a processing container/cartridge configured to receive the tissue and enable force transmission for tissue breakdown, along with separation of the stromal vascular fraction from the tissue. The disclosure provides example comparison data between ESW disruption and collagenase digestion, reporting higher mesenchymal stem cell yields with ESW and quantifying yield ratios and an increase of about 164% over collagenase in the presented data.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim covers one inventive feature: a method of isolating a stromal vascular fraction from tissue using mechanical impacts generated by an impact arm, with the impact arm physically contacting the processing container but not physically contacting the tissue.

Overall, the claim set centers on container-contact mechanical impacts generated by an impact arm to break down tissue and separate the stromal vascular fraction, while preventing physical contact between the impact arm and the tissue.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications