Automated cell culture incubators comprising selectively permeable cell culture vessel storage compartments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018320122-A1
Application number	US-201615773787-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2015
Publication date	Nov 8, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

In some aspects, the invention relates to selectively permeable cell culture vessel storage containers and their methods of use. In some embodiments, the containers comprise a gas-permeable membrane that is selectively impermeable to water vapor.

First claim

1 . A cell culture incubator comprising:
an incubator cabinet comprising a temperature controlled internal chamber; and one or more cell culture vessel containers, wherein each container comprises a compartment having one or more walls configured to enclose a cell culture vessel within a compartment interior, wherein a portion of at least one wall of the compartment comprises a gas permeable membrane that is selectively impermeable to water vapor.

2 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 further comprising one or more cell culture vessels, wherein each of the cell culture vessels is housed in the each of the one or more cell culture vessel containers.

3 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane is permeable to O 2 and CO 2 .

4 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane has a thickness in a range of 0.1 μm to 200 μm.

5 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane is composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP).

6 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane is hydrophobic.

7 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane is connected to a support structure having one or more passages to the compartment interior wherein the gas permeable membrane covers the passages.

8 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the gas permeable membrane is readily detachable.

9 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein at least one wall of the compartment comprises:
a passage configured for removing from the compartment and/or introducing into the compartment a cell culture vessel; and a moveable structure configured for opening and closing the passage.

10 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the moveable structure comprises a seal configured to interface with a surface of the container that surrounds the passage.

11 . The cell culture incubator of claim 9 , wherein the moveable structure comprises a hinge connected to the compartment and configured to permit the moveable structure to rotate between an open position to a closed position.

12 . The cell culture incubator of claim 9 , wherein the moveable structure is configured to automatically transition between an open position to a closed position in response to an input signal from a remote control unit.

13 . The cell culture incubator of claim 9 , wherein the moveable structure is optically transparent.

14 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more walls are optically transparent.

15 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises at least one exterior portion configured to interface with a second container.

16 . The cell culture incubator of claim 1 , wherein the container is a modular unit configured to physically interface with a plurality of other containers to form a rack of containers.

17 . (canceled)

18 . A method for culturing cells, the method comprising:
culturing cells in a within a cell culture vessel, wherein the cell culture vessel is present within a container, the container comprising a compartment having one or more walls configured to enclose the cell culture vessel within a compartment interior, wherein a portion of at least one wall of the compartment comprises a gas permeable membrane that is selectively impermeable to water vapor.

19 - 33 . (canceled)

34 . A container for enclosing a cell culture vessel, the container comprising: a compartment having one or more walls configured to enclose a cell culture vessel within an interior, wherein a portion of at least one wall of the compartment comprises a gas permeable membrane that is selectively impermeable to water vapor.

35 - 49 . (canceled)

50 . A plurality of containers, wherein each container is a container as described in claim 34 , and wherein each container of the plurality is physically connected to at least one other container of the plurality.

51 - 53 . (canceled)

54 . An incubator comprising the container of claim 34 .

Assignees

• Thrive Bioscience Inc

Inventors

• Blanchard Alan

Classifications

• C12M41/14

  Incubators; Climatic chambers (per se B01L1/00) · CPC title

• C12M37/04

  Seals · CPC title

• C12M23/50

  Means for positioning or orientating the apparatus (C12M41/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C12M41/36

  of biomass, e.g. colony counters or by turbidity measurements (electrooptical investigation of individual particles G01N15/14, flow cytometers G01N15/1404) · CPC title

• C12M23/44

  Multiple separable units; Modules · CPC title