Cell culturing structure including growth medium and non-growth medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12098415-B2
Application number	US-202318449087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2023
Priority date	Aug 8, 2017
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A structure for culturing cells includes growth medium regions on a surface of the structure. Each of the growth medium regions includes a growth medium surface configured to receive and promote growth in a cell that is being cultured. The structure includes a non-growth medium. The non-growth medium includes a non-growth medium surface configured to receive the cell that is being cultured.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structure for monitoring cultured cells, the structure comprising:
growth medium regions formed in a plurality of pores on a surface of the structure, wherein each of the growth medium regions includes a growth medium surface configured to receive and promote growth in a cell that is being cultured;
a non-growth medium comprising the plurality of pores, the non-growth medium further comprising an electrically insulating material, wherein sidewalls of the pores are coated with a hydrophilic coating, and wherein a topmost surface of the non-growth medium is coated with a hydrophobic coating;
a first electrode at a first location on a surface of the structure;
a second electrode at a second location on the surface of the structure, the second electrode positioned with respect to the non-growth medium such that a conductive path does not exist between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a detector configured to detect a lowering of electrical impedance between the first electrode and the second electrode when a conductive colony of cells provides the conductive path across the non-growth medium.

2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the non-growth medium surface separates a first growth medium surface of the growth medium regions from a second growth medium surface of the growth medium regions.

3. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the non-growth medium surface surrounds a growth medium surface of at least one of the growth medium regions.

4. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the growth medium regions comprise agar.

5. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the growth medium regions comprise discrete interdigitated trenches.

6. The structure of claim 1 , wherein a distance between adjacent growth medium regions is configured and arranged to be less than a size of a cell that has been targeted for culturing using the structure.

7. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the growth medium surface of each of the growth medium regions is separated from a nearest growth medium surface by about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

8. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the non-growth medium comprises anodized alumina.

9. The structure of claim 8 , wherein the growth medium regions fill a self-assembled array of pores in the anodized alumina.

10. The structure of claim 1 , wherein each pore of the plurality of pores comprises an upper portion and a lower power, the upper portion having a larger diameter than the lower portion.

11. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the second electrode comprise titanium nitride.

12. The structure of claim 1 , further comprising one or more alignment marks positioned to align culture lines with respect to the first electrode and the second electrode.

13. The structure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises a growth medium region.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Cahan Amos
• Cohen Guy M
• Van Kessel Theodore G
• Zafar Sufi

Classifications

• G01N27/02

  by investigating impedance · CPC title

• C12M31/02

  located outside the reactor · CPC title

• C12M1/18

  Multiple fields or compartments · CPC title

• C12M3/00

  Tissue, human, animal or plant cell, or virus culture apparatus · CPC title

• C12M23/34

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title