Charles Michael Heldebrant

6348336, Feb 19, 2002

Jul 1, 1997

08/886330

H. Edward Matveld - North Hollywood CA
Lorraine B. Peddada - Arcadia CA
Andrew J. Conrad - Los Angeles CA
Charles M. Heldebrant - Arcadia CA

Alpha Therapeutic Corporation - Los Angeles CA

C12P 1934

435 912, 435 6, 435 911

A process is provided for preparing samples of blood, blood plasma, blood serum, or plasma proteins, including blood factor products, for PCR testing which minimizes contaminants which may interfere with the analysis. The process includes centrifugation of the initial sample to form a sample pellet, removing at least a portion of the supernatant from the pellet, and washing the pellet with an aqueous buffer. The buffer and washed pellet are then centrifuged, and a portion of the remaining supernatant is removed along with any contaminants contained therein. The clean, substantially contaminant-free pellet is then processed for PCR analysis.

6566052, May 20, 2003

Apr 14, 2000

09/549477

Lorraine B. Peddada - Arcadia CA
Charles M. Heldebrant - Arcadia CA
Andrew J. Conrad - Malibu CA
Peter Schmid - Los Angeles CA

Alpha Therapeutic Corporation - Los Angeles CA

C12Q 170

435 5, 435 6, 435 912, 536 253

Systems, processes, and devices are provided which are useful for testing blood or plasma donations to detect those specific donations which are contaminated by a virus above a predetermined level. An apparatus and process is described which forms individual, separately sealed and connected sample containers from a flexible hollow tubing segment connected to a fluid donation container. The tubing segment is sealed at spaced-apart intervals along its length, with tubing segment portions in the intervals between the seals defining containers, each of which holds a portion of a plasma sample. The contents of the containers are formed into pools which are subsequently tested for virus contamination by a high-sensitivity test such as PCR. The pools are tested in accordance with an algorithm by which a sample from each donation is mapped to each element of an N-dimensional matrix or grid. Each element of the matrix is identified by a matrix identifier, X , where rcs defines the dimensional index.

8158341, Apr 17, 2012

Mar 9, 2006

11/374484

Lorraine B. Peddada - Arcadia CA, US
Charles M. Heldebrant - Arcadia CA, US
Andrew J. Conrad - Malibu CA, US
Peter Schmid - Los Angeles CA, US

Baxter International Inc. - Deerfield IL

C12Q 1/70
C12Q 1/68

435 5, 435 912, 536 253

A method is provided for identifying viral positive biological fluid donations in the fewest number of test cycles. The method comprises providing biological fluid donations and defining an n-dimensional matrix comprising a multiplicity of elements, each element being identified by a matrix notation comprising an index for each dimension of the array. Samples are taken from each fluid donation and mapped to a matrix element with each sample identified by its corresponding element's notation; n aliquots being taken from each sample and subpools formed from the aliquots with each subpool containing an aliquot from all samples mapped to elements in which one of the dimensional indices is fixed. Subpools are tested for viral indication and the dimensional index of each subpool that returns a positive viral indication is determined. The dimensional indices are combined to identify a subset of matrix elements that contain a viral positive sample.

20030161756, Aug 28, 2003

Feb 22, 2002

10/080836

Charles Heldebrant - Arcadia CA, US
Stephan Abramson - Altadena CA, US

A61L002/08

422/022000, 422/024000, 261/115000, 250/435000

A device and method for non-destructively inactivating microorganisms, and more particularly for non-destructively inactivating microorganisms by subjecting a microdispersion of biological or other pharmaceutical material to short-duration, high-intensity pulses of an energetic emission is provided. The microdispersion treatment device comprises an emitter; a power supply coupled to the emitter; a flow chamber designed to produce a microdispersion of the material across an exposure region such that the material is substantially non-destructively exposed to an emission emitted from the emitter.

20030204321, Oct 30, 2003

May 20, 2003

10/442780

Lorraine Peddada - Arcadia CA, US
Charles Heldebrant - Arcadia CA, US
Andrew Conrad - Malibu CA, US
Peter Schmid - Los Angeles CA, US

C12Q001/68
G06F019/00
G01N033/48
G01N033/50

702/020000, 435/006000

Systems, processes, and devices are provided which are useful for testing blood or plasma donations to detect those specific donations which are contaminated by a virus above a predetermined level. An apparatus and process is described which forms individual, separately sealed and connected sample containers from a flexible hollow tubing segment connected to a fluid donation container. The tubing segment is sealed at spaced-apart intervals along its length, with tubing segment portions in the intervals between the seals defining containers, each of which holds a portion of a plasma sample. The contents of the containers are formed into pools which are subsequently tested for virus contamination by a high-sensitivity test such as PCR. The pools are tested in accordance with an algorithm by which a sample from each donation is mapped to each element of an N-dimensional matrix or grid. Each element of the matrix is identified by a matrix identifier, X, where rcs defines the dimensional index. An aliquot is taken from each sample, and subpools are formed, each subpool comprising aliquots of samples in which one dimensional index is fixed. All of the subpools are tested in one PCR test cycle. The dimensional indicia of each positive subpool is evaluated mathematically in accordance with a reduction by the method of minors, thereby unambiguously identifying a unique element in the grid, thereby unambiguously identifying a uniquely positive blood or plasma donation.

20060136148, Jun 22, 2006

Dec 23, 2005

11/318128

Lorraine Peddada - Arcadia CA, US
Charles Heldebrant - Arcadia CA, US
Andrew Conrad - Malibu CA, US
Peter Schmid - Los Angeles CA, US

G06F 19/00

702020000

Systems, processes, and devices are provided which are useful for testing blood or plasma donations to detect those specific donations which are contaminated by a virus above a predetermined level. An apparatus and process is described which forms individual, separately sealed and connected sample containers from a flexible hollow tubing segment connected to a fluid donation container. The tubing segment is sealed at spaced-apart intervals along its length, with tubing segment portions in the intervals between the seals defining containers, each of which holds a portion of a plasma sample. The contents of the containers are formed into pools which are subsequently tested for virus contamination by a high-sensitivity test such as PCR. The pools are tested in accordance with an algorithm by which a sample from each donation is mapped to each element of an N-dimensional matrix or grid. Each element of the matrix is identified by a matrix identifier, X, where rcs defines the dimensional index. An aliquot is taken from each sample, and subpools are formed, each subpool comprising aliquots of samples in which one dimensional index is fixed. All of the subpools are tested in one PCR test cycle. The dimensional indicia of each positive subpool is evaluated mathematically in accordance with a reduction by the method of minors, thereby unambiguously identifying a unique element in the grid, thereby unambiguously identifying a uniquely positive blood or plasma donation.

20090263788, Oct 22, 2009

Jun 29, 2009

12/493622

Lorraine B. Peddada - Arcadia CA, US
Charles M. Heldebrant - Arcadia CA, US
Andrew J. Conrad - Malibu CA, US
Peter Schmid - Los Angeles CA, US

C12Q 1/70

435 5

Systems, processes, and devices are provided which are useful for testing blood or plasma donations to detect those specific donations which are contaminated by a virus above a predetermined level. Samples are formed into pools which are subsequently tested for virus contamination by a high-sensitivity test such as PCR. The pools are tested in accordance with an algorithm by which a sample from each donation is mapped to each element of an N-dimensional matrix or grid. Each element of the matrix is identified by a matrix identifier, X, where rcs defines the dimensional index. An aliquot is taken from each sample, and subpools are formed, each subpool comprising aliquots of samples in which one dimensional index is fixed. All of the subpools are tested in one PCR test cycle. The dimensional indicia of each positive subpool is evaluated mathematically in accordance with a reduction by the method of minors, thereby unambiguously identifying a unique element in the grid, thereby unambiguously identifying a uniquely positive blood or plasma donation.

H19607, Jun 5, 2001

Jul 11, 1997

8/893869

Andrew J. Conrad - Los Angeles CA
Charles M. Heldebrant - Arcadia CA
Shawn D. Latham - Sierra Madre CA
Lorraine B. Peddada - Arcadia CA

Alpha Therapeutic Corp.

G01N 3500

7386482

An automated system and process is provided for pooling samples from a multiplicity of blood or plasma donations for subsequent testing to uniquely identify any such blood or plasma donations which may be infected with a particular virus. The system includes an autosampler needle which is directly inserted into a blood or plasma sample aliquot container in order to withdraw an aliquot portion of the contents for forming a sample pool with aliquot portions of other blood or plasma samples. The autosampler comprises a tubular piercing member having a hollow interior bore and a tubular shroud surrounding the piercing member.