I saw on the SENS website news about a senescent T-cell scrubber working successfully, which is great news.
http://sens.org/rc/projects/scrubber1
A core theory of SENS, ImmunoSENS, posits that the removal of senescent T-cells from the blood could highly increase the ratio of working to senescent T-cells and in the process, rejuvenate the immune response of the subject. Senescent T-cells are characterized by the presence of a protein called KLRG1 that increases with age. The goal was to single out T-cells expressing this protein and remove them.
One of the projects that was completed in 2009 at the SENSF-RC was the first scrubber. This was an experiment to provide a proof of concept for the initial stages of ImmunoSENS. Specifically, to determine if the removal of senescent T-cells from the systems of middle-aged subjects could be automated. The primary aims: speed and stress minimization to the subject.
The technique for accomplishing this was magnetic cell sorting. Micron-sized particles coated with streptavidin were conjugated with anti-KLRG1 antibodies. We created a robot that could selectively remove senescent t-cells by means of a magnet.
The model organisms selected for this project were mice. Each mouse was fitted with a jugular catheter. Prior to application of the machine each mouse had its blood tested with a flow cytometer to determine the ratio of cell types it possessed. The device was then attached to the mouse's catheter and in operation performed the following steps ten times:
1) removed 280uL of blood.
2) inversion stirred the blood with the paramagnetic anti-KLRG1 particles.
3) introduced a strong magnetic field to the blood sequestering the particles and senescent T-cells.
4) infused the cleansed blood back into the mouse
5) allowed time for the cleansed blood to homogeneously mix with the mouse's blood.
Following the operation each mouse was once again given flow cytometer readings. The results definitively proved that the machine removed the vast majority of the selected cells.
They created a robot, people!
It doesn't say the mass of the mouse in question, but if it was average then by my calculation 280uL is 20% of its blood volume, so doing this 10 times, provided step 5, would be the same as performing it on 90% of the mouse's blood.