apheresis

noun

aphe·​re·​sis ˌa-fə-ˈrē-səs How to pronounce apheresis (audio)
plural aphereses ˌa-fə-ˈrē-ˌsēz How to pronounce apheresis (audio)
: withdrawal of blood from a donor's body, removal of one or more blood components (such as plasma, platelets, or white blood cells), and transfusion of the remaining blood back into the donor

called also pheresis

Examples of apheresis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Patients first have their blood stem cells removed through a process called apheresis; the cells are then shipped off to a company-run manufacturing lab where they are edited. Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 8 Dec. 2023 Though, as of the 29th of March, several beta thalassemia patients have entered the apheresis process (extraction of cells for modification via gene therapy). Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 3 May 2023 For a patient receiving CAR T therapy, the process may begin with a medical professional drawing their blood and separating T cells from that sample using apheresis; this would be an autologous treatment, as the cells used originate from the same patient. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2022 The donor’s blood is taken from a vein in the arm and travels up a tube into an apheresis machine, removing the stem cells and returning the blood to the donor. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023 Some of the potential treatments are very impractical, like hyperbaric oxygen chambers or apheresis. Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2023 San Diego Blood Bank and many others use apheresis equipment made by Terumo Global Blood Solutions and that equipment, Morton said, requires a proprietary single-use double red cell kit which have been in limited supply all year. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2022 About a month passed between the apheresis and when the CAR T cells were ready to be infused. Debby Waldman, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apheresis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from -apheresis (as in plasmapheresis)

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of apheresis was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near apheresis

Cite this Entry

“Apheresis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apheresis. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

apheresis

noun
aphe·​re·​sis
ˌa-fə-ˈrē-səs
plural aphereses -ˌsēz How to pronounce apheresis (audio)
: withdrawal of blood from a donor's body, removal of one or more components (as plasma, blood platelets, or white blood cells) from the blood, and transfusion of the remaining blood back into the donor

called also pheresis

see leukapheresis, plasmapheresis, plateletpheresis

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