Cell culture system and cell culture device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713440-B2
Application number	US-201916723416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Dec 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a cell culture system includes: a cell culture container; a liquid storage part configured to store a liquid including a culture medium or a reagent to be supplied to the cell culture container; and a cell collection part configured to collect cells cultured in the cell culture container, wherein the cell culture container, the liquid storage part, and the cell collection part are connected by spatially closed-system lines at least during a period from feeding of the liquid to the cell culture container to removal of the cultured cells, and wherein the cell culture container is arranged in an incubator in a form of a multistage shelf including a liquid supply/discharge port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cell culture system, comprising:
a plurality of cell culture containers, each of which includes a liquid supply/discharge port and is configured as a multistage shelf, the plurality of cell culture containers being disposed in an incubator, wherein at least the cell culture containers are directly connected to each other via spatially closed-system lines to enable subculture of cells cultured in the cell culture containers between the cell culture containers;
a driver configured to change a posture of each of the cell culture containers between a posture for distributing a liquid to each shelf through the liquid supply/discharge port and a posture for collecting and discharging the liquid from each shelf through the liquid supply/discharge port while the connection of the cell culture containers to each other via the closed-system lines is maintained, wherein the driver includes:
a first driver configured to rotate each of the cell culture containers about a first axis, and positioned in a direction extending along the first axis from each of the cell culture containers; and
a second driver configured to rotate each of the cell culture containers about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, disposed in a vicinity of the first driver, and connected to the second axis via a transmission part configured to transmit power to the second axis along a direction parallel to the first axis; and

a liquid storage configured to store a liquid including a culture medium or a reagent to be supplied to the cell culture containers,
wherein the cell culture containers and the liquid storage are connected by the closed-system lines at least during a period from feeding of the liquid to the cell culture containers to removing cultured cells out of the cell culture containers.

2. A cell culture device, comprising:
a plurality of multistage shelf cell culture containers, each of which includes a liquid supply/discharge port, the plurality of multistage shelf cell culture containers being disposed in an incubator, wherein at least the cell culture containers are directly connected to each other via spatially closed-system lines to enable subculture of cells cultured in the cell culture containers between the cell culture containers;
a driver configured to change a posture of each of the cell culture containers between a posture for distributing a liquid to each shelf through the liquid supply/discharge port and a posture for collecting and discharging the liquid from each shelf through the liquid supply/discharge port while the connection of the cell culture containers to each other via the closed-system lines is maintained, wherein the driver includes:
a first driver configured to rotate each of the cell culture containers about a first axis, and positioned in a direction extending along the first axis from each of the cell culture containers; and
a second driver configured to rotate each of the cell culture containers about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, disposed in a vicinity of the first driver, and connected to the second axis via a transmission part configured to transmit power to the second axis along a direction parallel to the first axis; and

a liquid supply/discharge tube configured to be kept connected to the liquid supply/discharge port while driving each of the cell culture containers.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the liquid supply/discharge port serves as a liquid supply port configured to supply the liquid to each shelf and a liquid discharge port configured to discharge the liquid from each shelf, and the driver is configured to drive each of the cell culture containers so that a posture of each of the cell culture containers when the liquid is supplied is different from a posture of each of the cell culture containers when the liquid is discharged.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein each of the cell culture containers includes a communication portion corresponding to each of shelf spaces at a side of one end edge of each shelf constituting a multistage shelf structure,
wherein the shelf spaces are partitioned from each other in portions other than the communication portion,
wherein the one end edge is provided with an upstanding wall for storing the liquid on a shelf surface when the shelf is horizontal, and
wherein the driver is configured to drive each of the cell culture containers to sequentially take a liquid supply posture in which each shelf surface is erected so that the communication portion is positioned downward and the liquid is uniformly introduced to each shelf, an intermediate posture in which the liquid in each shelf space is separated by rotating each of the cell culture containers from the liquid supply posture so that the communication portion is positioned upward, and a culture posture in which the liquid is equally distributed on each shelf surface by subsequently rotating each of the cell culture containers so that the shelf surface of each shelf is horizontal.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein a controller is configured to control the first driver and the second driver.

6. The device of claim 2 , further comprising:
an automatic winder configured to wind up an extra length of the liquid supply/discharge tube while applying a certain tension to the liquid supply/discharge tube with respect to each of the cell culture containers whose posture is changed in a state in which the liquid supply/discharge tube is connected to each of the cell culture containers.

Assignees

• Sinfonia Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Horii Daichi
• Tsuji Kazuhiro
• Nishikawa Yoshihiko
• Takeuchi Haruki

Classifications

• C12M27/10

  Rotating vessel · CPC title

• C12M23/00

  Constructional details, e.g. recesses, hinges (flow directing inserts in C12M27/18-C12M27/24; apparatus for chemical or physical processes in general B01J, chemical or physical laboratory apparatus in general B01L) · CPC title

• C12M23/34

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title

• C12M23/04 Primary

  Flat or tray type, drawers (C12M23/10, C12M23/12, C12M23/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• C12M33/00

  Means for introduction, transport, positioning, extraction, harvesting, peeling or sampling of biological material in or from the apparatus (chemical or physical laboratory apparatus in general B01L, devices for taking cell samples A61B10/0045, withdrawing or distributing predetermined quantities of fluid B01L99/00) · CPC title