Cell production apparatus, cell production method, computer-readable storage medium, and cell production system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12122989-B2
Application number	US-202117214908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2021
Priority date	Mar 30, 2020
Publication date	Oct 22, 2024
Grant date	Oct 22, 2024

Abstract

A protocol created in such a format that a series of operations in cell culture are executable by a robot 10 is acquired (S1). The robot 10 is controlled to implement the operations according to the protocol (S2). In order to modify the protocol after the implementation of the operations, modification information on at least one action among basic actions which serve as bases for implementing the operations and is performed on an instrument used by the robot 10 in the operations, and complementary actions which complement the basic actions is acquired (S5). The robot 10 is controlled to produce cells by using the protocol modified based on the modification information (S7).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cell production apparatus comprising:
at least one processor;
a protocol acquisition unit that uses the at least one processor to acquire a protocol created in such a format that a series of operations in cell culture are executable by a robot;
an implementation unit that uses the at least one processor to control the robot such that the robot implements the operations according to the protocol;
a protocol modification information acquisition unit that, in order to modify the protocol after the implementation of the operations, uses the at least one processor to acquire modification information on a complementary action which complements a basic action serving as a basis for implementing the operations and performed on an instrument used by the robot in the operations; and
a production unit that uses the at least one processor to control the robot such that the robot produces cells by using a protocol modified based on the modification information;
wherein
the basic action is an action that is specified by a value of a basic action parameter for each operation when the protocol is set, and
the complementary action is an action that is not included in a variable range of the basic action by changing the basic action parameter.

2. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire the modification information on the complementary action and modification information on the basic action including a parameter value of a basic action parameter of the basic action.

3. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the modification information on the complementary action is information on the complementary action to be added at a time of implementing the operations.

4. The cell production apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the modification information on the complementary action is information that changes a fixed value in program code to be executed by the robot according to the protocol.

5. The cell production apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the production unit uses the at least one processor to control the robot such that the robot produces the cells by using a protocol in which the fixed value is changed to another value based on the modification information on the complementary action.

6. The cell production apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the complementary action is an action that is newly added and different from a complementary action generated by changing the fixed value.

7. The cell production apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the production unit uses the at least one processor to control the robot such that the robot produces the cells by using a protocol to which a new action is added based on the modification information on the complementary action.

8. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the modification information on the complementary action is information that sets a basic action parameter of the basic action at a value exceeding a set range of the basic action parameter.

9. The cell production apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the production unit uses the at least one processor to control the robot such that the robot produces the cells by using a protocol in which the basic action parameter of the basic action is set at a value exceeding a predetermined limit value.

10. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire modification information on the basic action in a case where there is a basic action parameter of the basic action to try within a predetermined range in which the basic action parameter is changed, or in a case where no basic action parameter has been changed according to a design of experiments, and uses the at least one processor to acquire the modification information on the complementary action in a case where there is no basic action parameter to try.

11. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire modification information selected based on action category information from among modification information on a first-type complementary action being a complementary action that is generated by changing a fixed value, modification information on a second-type complementary action being a complementary action that is newly added, and modification information on a third-type complementary action that sets a basic action parameter of the basic action at a value exceeding a set range of the basic action parameter.

12. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire, two or more of modification information on a first-type complementary action being a complementary action that is generated by changing a fixed value, modification information on a second-type complementary action being a complementary action that is newly added, and modification information on a third-type complementary action that sets a basic action parameter of the basic action at a value exceeding a set range of the basic action parameter.

13. The cell production apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire the modification information on the first-type complementary action, the modification information on the second-type complementary action, and the modification information on the third-type complementary action.

14. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit that displays an item representing the complementary action in order to accept an input of the complementary action.

15. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cell culture includes treatment of a cell culture product.

16. The cell production apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
an evaluation unit that uses the at least one processor to evaluate a result of the implementation,
wherein the protocol modification information acquisition unit uses the at least one processor to acquire the modification information on the complementary action based on the evaluation by the evaluation unit.

17. A cell production system comprising:
the cell production apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
the robot.

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Natsume Tohru
• Matsukuma Kenji
• Yamaguchi Sakae

Classifications

• C12M41/48 Primary

  Automatic or computerized control (automatic analysis G01N35/00) · CPC title

• C12M29/12

  Pulsatile flow · CPC title

• C12M27/10

  Rotating vessel · CPC title

• C12M23/12

  Well or multiwell plates (C12M25/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N35/0099

  comprising robots or similar manipulators (robots per se B25J) · CPC title