Derived from the Greek word for "to take away," apheresis is a medical procedure used to selectively remove specific parts of the blood.

During the process, the patient is connected to a cell separation machine that uses a centrifuge to sort whole blood into its individual components - such as plasma, red cells, or stem cells.

The machine keeps the needed parts and returns the rest of the blood to the patient. This is used to either remove diseased components (plasma exchange) or collect healthy cells for future treatment (peripheral stem cell collection).

During peripheral stem cell collection, stem cells are collected (harvested) for patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplant. At the Gold Coast University Hospital autologous stem cell transplant is used to treat patients with certain blood cancers or lymphoma.

Apheresis and Cellular Therapies is located in the Cancer Day Unit on Ground Floor C Block at Gold Coast University Hospital.