Device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10066198-B2
Application number	US-201414916026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2014
Priority date	Sep 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs that includes a first body portion with at least one access chamber, a second body portion with at least one culturing chamber, and a culturing membrane dividing the at least one access chamber from the culturing chamber. The device further includes a third body portion with at least one actuation chamber having at least one limitation cavity, and an actuation membrane dividing the at least one culturing chamber from the at least one actuation chamber. With the device, a robust actuation system can be provided that does not depend on the mechanical properties of the actuation membrane material, nor on the pressure, and that allows to mimic three-dimensional deformations of the tissue, in particular of lung alveoli.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for in-vitro modelling in-vivo tissues of organs, the device comprising:
a first body portion with at least one access chamber;
a second body portion with at least one culturing chamber;
a culturing membrane dividing the at least one access chamber from the at least one culturing chamber;
a third body portion with at least one actuation chamber having at least one limitation cavity; and
an actuation membrane dividing the at least one culturing chamber from the at least one actuation chamber, wherein the culturing membrane is provided with three-dimensional deflection in relation to the at least one culturing chamber based on adjustment of a pressure in the at least one limitation cavity of the at least one actuation chamber.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a volume of the at least one limitation cavity of the at least one actuation chamber is adjusted to correspond to a predefined deflection of the culturing membrane into or from the at least one culturing chamber.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation chamber is connected to a deflection actuation channel.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuation chamber is connected to a deflection actuation port being connected to a pressure application means for adjusting the pressure inside the at least one limitation cavity of the at least one actuation chamber.

5. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a perfusion channel having an inlet, an outlet, and the at least one culturing chamber, wherein the inlet, the at least one culturing chamber, and the outlet are connected.

6. The device according to claim 5 , further comprising at least two valves to close the perfusion channel, wherein a first one of the at least two valves is arranged between the inlet, the outlet, and the at least one culturing chamber of the perfusion channel, and a second one of the at least two valves is arranged between the at least one culturing chamber and the outlet of the perfusion channel.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the culturing membrane is sandwiched between the first body portion and the second body portion, and the actuation membrane is sandwiched between the second body portion and the third body portion.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the culturing membrane is at least partially plasma treated or coated with cell adhesion molecules.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first body portion, the second body portion, and the third body portion is a microplate made of a biocompatible material.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one access chamber is formed by a through-hole in the first body portion limited by the culturing membrane.

11. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a medium source connected to the at least one culturing chamber, a medium sink connected to the at least one culturing chamber, and a charging structure adapted to provide a medium from the medium source to the medium sink via the at least one culturing chamber.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the medium source and the medium sink are one single physical entity.

13. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cell injector adapted to provide cells into the at least one culturing chamber.

14. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit adapted to adjust and monitor operation properties of the device.

15. The device according claim 14 , wherein the control unit is adapted to control cell injection into the at least one culturing chamber.

Assignees

• Univ Bern

Inventors

• Guenat Olivier Thierry
• Felder Marcel
• Stucki Andreas
• Stucki Janick Daniel
• Geiser Thomas

Classifications

• C12M35/08

  Chemical, biochemical or biological means, e.g. plasma jet, co-culture · CPC title

• C12M25/02

  Membranes; Filters (filters or filtration in general B01D24/00-B01D41/00) · CPC title

• C12M25/04

  in combination with well or multiwell plates, i.e. culture inserts · CPC title

• C12M29/10

  Perfusion · CPC title

• C12M41/40

  of pressure · CPC title