Exposure apparatus

An exposure apparatus for carrying out in vitro experiments with technical replicates of at least one biological test system, to which replicates an exposure medium can be applied by perfusion, forming an exposure atmosphere on or above the biological test system, the exposure apparatus comprising:

• a standard multiwell plate,
• an exposure cap, which is dimensioned in such a manner that the exposure cap can be set onto the standard multiwell plate and connected with the standard multiwell plate via a plurality of connection elements,
• wherein the exposure cap has multiple line elements, each having at least one feed line and at least one discharge line for an exposure medium,
• wherein each line element projects out of a side of the exposure cap that faces the standard multiwell plate and is assigned to a specific well of the standard multiwell plate to form the exposure atmosphere within the specific well,
• wherein the wells are holders that are already integrated into the standard multiwell plate, or holders that are accommodated, as separate culture vessels into existing integrated wells or into correspondingly disposed recesses of the standard multiwell plate,
• wherein the exposure cap has a cap holder frame that can be set onto the standard multiwell plate and connected with the standard multiwell plate via the plurality of connection elements and a movable cap head disposed on the cap holder frame and connected with the cap holder frame,
• wherein the line element assigned to a specific well, in each instance, can be moved into the specific well after the exposure cap has been set onto the standard multiwell plate, by moving the cap head that interacts with the line elements in a direction of the cap holder frame or the standard multiwell plate, and the line element assigned to the specific well can be introduced in such a manner that a circumferential sealing means provided on the outside of the line element and surrounding the line element seals the line element off tightly relative to an inner wall of the well, to form an exposure atmosphere that is sealed off during an in vitro experiment, within each specific well,
• wherein the exposure medium can be supplied and discharged only by way of the line element that is assigned to the exposure medium, in each instance, wherein the cap head can be locked into the cap holder frame via locking and unlocking elements for a purpose of carrying out the in vitro experiment or while the in vitro experiment is being carried out, in such a manner that the line elements are fixed in place, wherein the locking elements hold the cap head and the cap holder frame together, and wherein the cap head can be unlocked from the cap holder frame after the in vitro experiment has been conducted, via the locking and unlocking elements, in such a manner that the line elements, together with the circumferential sealing means, can be released from the wells as the cap head is moved in a direction opposite the direction of the cap holder frame or the standard multiwell plate.