Cell culture apparatus, cell culture system and cell culture method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9441193-B2
Application number	US-45048108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2008
Priority date	Apr 27, 2007
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

By maintaining the cell density during culture at an appropriate level and eliminating the procedure of transferring cells from a container to another container when a large amount of cells are cultured, damage on cells can be reduced, risk of contamination can be lowered, labor saving can be attained and automation can be attained.
A cell culture apparatus including: a culture container 11 formed of a soft packing material and having an enclosure part 11 - 1 in which a culture medium and/or cells being cultured are enclosed is placed; a container table 12 on which the culture container 11 is placed; a roller 13 which is placed on the upper surface of the culture container 11 and divides the enclosure part 11 - 1 into two or more chambers; and a driving means 15 which relatively moves the roller 13 or the culture container 11 , thereby to change the volume of the culture part 11 - 11 in the enclosure part 11 - 1 in which a culture medium or cells being cultured are enclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cell culture method comprising:
placing on an upper surface of a container table a culture container formed of a soft packing material;
dividing an enclosure part of the culture container into two or more chambers by placing on an upper surface of the culture container a movable partition roller so as to form a culture part for enclosing a culture medium and/or cells being cultured;
pressing the upper surface of the culture container with the partition roller such that a first inner surface of the culture container contacts a second inner surface of the culture container opposite the first inner surface so as to segregate the two or more chambers from each other; and
changing a volume of the culture part by moving a rotation axis of the partition roller with the partition roller in a radial direction relative to the culture container, while allowing the partition roller to rotate and maintaining the partition roller to press the upper surface of the culture container such that the first inner surface of the culture container contacts the second inner surface of the culture container,
wherein the two or more chambers comprise an extensible part, and the partition roller segregates the extensible part from the culture part so as to enclose an interior space of the culture part from the extensible part, and
wherein a volume of an interior space of the culture part changes in a continuous manner while moving the partition roller and/or the culture container.

2. The cell culture method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
moving the partition roller towards a tube for harvest that is attached to the culture container; and
pushing the culture medium and/or the cells being culture enclosed in the enclosure part to the tube for harvest so as to send the culture medium and/or the cells being cultured to a harvest container connected to the tube for harvest.

3. The cell culture method according to claim a 1 , wherein the two or more chambers are not intercommunicative by the culture medium and/or the cells from each other.

4. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the culture container comprises an opening, and at least a tapered form in which a cross-section of an interior space of the culture container becomes gradually narrower towards the opening.

5. The cell culture method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
measuring a condition of the culture medium and/or cells being cultured; and
moving the partition roller and/or the culture container based on measurement results obtained by the measuring.

6. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the dividing is performed by holding the culture container between the partition roller and a trough-like member, and
wherein the trough-like member has an arc-shaped cross section and is provided outside an outer peripheral surface of the partition roller.

7. The cell culture method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
pushing the enclosure part using an outer wall of the trough-like member when the partition roller moves.

8. The cell culture apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the trough-like member has a cylindrical shape, and an arc of the trough-like member and an outer peripheral circumference of the roller are concentrically formed.

9. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer periphery of a cross section in a radial direction of the partition roller has a teeth-like structure, and each mountain part and each valley part of the teeth-like structure are in a straight line or in a curved line in an axial direction of the partition roller.

10. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the dividing is performed by holding the culture container between two partition rollers.

11. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pressing is performed by applying a pressure of 0.1 MPa or more when the partition roller is placed on the upper surface of the culture container.

12. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer peripheral surface of the partition roller is formed of at least one selected from the group consisting of urethane rubber, silicone rubber, and a thermoplastic resin.

13. The cell culture method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
removing creases from the culture container placed on the upper surface of the container table using a holder.

14. The cell culture method according to claim 13 ,
wherein the holder holds two sides of the culture container in an extensible part thereof to remove the creases.

15. The cell culture method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
keeping the culture medium and or the cells being cultured enclosed within the culture container uniform.

16. The cell culture method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a hardness of an outer peripheral surface of the partition roller is at least 90 or smaller when measured by a type A durometer in accordance with JIS K 6253.

Assignees

• Tanaka Satoshi
• Ishizaki Yoichi
• Suenaga Ryo
• Tokita Yoriko
• Kogure Masahito
• Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Satoshi
• Ishizaki Yoichi
• Suenaga Ryo
• Tokita Yoriko
• Kogure Masahito

Classifications

• C12M23/34 Primary

  Internal compartments or partitions · CPC title

• C12M23/14 Primary

  Bags · CPC title

• C12M33/18

  Rollers · CPC title

• C12M29/00

  Means for introduction, extraction or recirculation of materials, e.g. pumps (pumps per se F04B) · CPC title

• C12M27/02

  Stirrer or mobile mixing elements · CPC title