IBM Blood Cell Processor - going strong for 50+ years
The development of IBM’s Blood Cell Separator and Blood Cell Processor is one of those singularly unique events that happens in science. George Judson, an IBM Glendale engineer, applied his talents to address his son’s leukemia, creating a technology that continues to produce significant results in healthcare world.
Blood Cell Processor team members Bob Kellogg & Alan Jones
The IBM 2991 has been known as the COBE 2991 since the 1990s.
Today, uses of the IBM/COBE 2991 far exceed the original purpose of the IBM 2991 was for thawing frozen red cells. The blood cell separator is used often for plasma pheresis and plasma exchange, to aid in treating insulin resistance and Rh disease in pregnancy. The device can be taken into the operating room to provide autotransfusion by recovering shed blood
The COBE 2991 has been the industry standard for a variety of cell processing functions.
The increase in global cell therapy research, cutting-edge clinical trials and advances in laboratory operations all give rise to the importance of the straightforward, single platform with the variable span times and the speeds necessary for automatic component centrification.
Alan L. Jones, 1988, The IBM Blood Cell Separator and Blood Cell Processor: A Personal Perspective
Journal of Clinical Apheresis 4:171-182
IBM, 1979 IBM 2991 Model 1-Model 2 Blood Cell Processor Processing Sets Price List
COBE 2991 Cell Processor – marketing materials