Fluidic Culture Device

A fluidic culture device comprising a substrate made of a transparent polymeric material and having a bottom surface, a top surface and at least one end surface and comprising:

• an open culture chamber present in the form of a hollow in said bottom surface and arranged for housing a culture matrix;
• a first fluid channel flanking a first side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• a second fluid channel flanking a second, opposite side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• a first removable channel plug removably arranged in a portion of said first fluid channel adjacent to said first side of said open culture chamber;
• and
• a second removable channel plug removably arranged in a portion of said second fluid channel adjacent to said second, opposite side of said open culture chamber.

A culturing method comprising:

• providing a fluidic culture device comprising a substrate made of a transparent polymeric material and having a bottom surface, a top surface and at least one end surface and comprising:
• an open culture chamber present in the form of a hollow in said bottom surface and arranged for housing a culture matrix;
• a first fluid channel flanking a first side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• a second fluid channel flanking a second, opposite side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• a first removable channel plug removably arranged in a portion of said first fluid channel adjacent to said first side of said open culture chamber;
• and
• a second removable channel plug removably arranged in a portion of said second fluid channel adjacent to said second, opposite side of said open culture chamber;
• pouring a liquid gel suspension into said open culture chamber and allowing said gel to polymerize to form a culture matrix;
• adding a biological sample to said gel prior, during or after polymerization of said gel;
• removing said first removable channel plug from said first fluid channel and said second removable channel plug from said second fluid channel;
• reversibly attaching said bottom surface of said substrate to a transparent cover disk to enclose said open culture chamber and said culture matrix and prevent leakage of fluid out of said first fluid channel and said second fluid channel;
• and
• connecting a first fluid reservoir containing a fluid to said inlet of said first fluid channel and a second fluid reservoir containing a fluid to said inlet of said second fluid channel.

A culture system comprising:

• a fluidic culture device comprising a substrate made of a transparent polymeric material and having a bottom surface, a top surface and at least one end surface and comprising:
• a culture chamber present in the form of a hollow in said bottom surface and housing a culture matrix containing a biological sample;
• a first fluid channel flanking a first side of said culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• and
• a second fluid channel flanking a second, opposite side of said culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• and
• a transparent cover disk having a flat surface reversible connected and reversibly attached to said bottom surface to prevent leakage of fluid present in said first fluid channel and said second fluid channel.

A method of producing a fluidic culture device comprising:

• providing a casting master having a chamber defining structure flanked on either sides of respective channel defining structures;
• adding a transparent polymeric material to said casting master and allowing said polymeric material to polymerize to form a transparent substrate with an open culture chamber present in the form of a hollow in a bottom surface of said substrate and arranged for housing a culture matrix, a first fluid channel flanking a first side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in a top surface of said substrate or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate, and a second fluid channel flanking a second, opposite side of said open culture chamber and having an inlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate and an outlet provided in said top surface or in an end surface of said substrate;
• removing said substrate from said casting master;
• and
• removably arranging a first removable channel plug in a portion of said first fluid channel adjacent to said first side of said open culture chamber and a second removable channel plug in a portion of said second fluid channel adjacent to said second, opposite side of said open culture chamber.