# US 2020/0399580 A1 · Systems, apparatus and methods for controlling a movement of a cell culture to optimize cell growth

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- Number: US 2020/0399580 A1
- Document ID: US20200399580A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/007,957
- Filed: 2020-08-31
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-14
- Assignees: Vbc Holdings LLC
- Applicants: VBC Holdings LLC
- Inventors: Francesco ARMANI; Giacomo CATTARUZZI; Francesco CURCIO; Massimo MORETTI; Antonio SFILIGOJ; Piero FISSORE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200399580A1

## CPC

- C12M 41/36: {of biomass, e.g. colony counters or by turbidity measurements (electrooptical investigation of individual particles G01N15/14, flow cytometers G01N15/1404)}
- C12M 23/04: {Flat or tray type, drawers (C12M23/10, C12M23/12, C12M23/16 take precedence)}
- C12M 27/16: {Vibrating; Shaking; Tilting}
- C12M 41/48: {Automatic or computerized control (automatic analysis G01N35/00)}
- C12Q 3/00: Condition responsive control processes (apparatus therefor C12M1/36; controlling or regulating in general G05)
- G06V 20/69: Microscopic objects, e.g. biological cells or cellular parts
- G06T 7/44: using image operators, e.g. filters, edge density metrics or local histograms
- G06T 7/62: of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
- G06T 2207/30242: Counting objects in image
- C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS}
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A system for controlling a motion of a cell culture includes a tray adapted to hold a cell culture, a camera adapted to capture an image of the cell culture, and a device adapted to control a movement of the tray. The system also includes a processor adapted to determine a first movement of the tray, receive from the camera data representing an image of the cell culture, determine a characteristic of the cell culture based on the image data, determine a second movement of the tray based on the characteristic, the second movement being different from the first movement, and cause the tray to move in accordance with the second movement.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
providing a cell culture in need of cell growth optimization, the cell culture being provided in a cell culture container configured to grow cells;
generating an image of the cell culture;
determining a characteristic of the cell culture to facilitate cell growth optimization based on the image; and
adjusting at least one tilting or shaking motion of the cell culture container based on the characteristic to facilitate cell growth optimization.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a sensor, motion data indicating a motion of the cell culture container;
determining a first movement of the cell culture container based on the motion data;
adjusting the motion of the cell culture container by determining a second movement of the cell culture container based on the characteristic, the second movement being different from the first movement.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic comprises a measure of cell density.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
using a camera to capture the image of the cell culture; and
analyzing the image data to determine the measure of cell density.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the measure of cell density comprises a second measure of average cell density.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein determining the measure of cell density comprises determining a count of cell clusters.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
determining whether the measure of cell density exceeds a predetermined limit; and
adjusting a movement of the cell culture in response to determining that the measure of cell density exceeds the predetermined limit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein determining the measure of cell density comprises:
identifying one or more cell morphologies among cells in the cell culture; and
determining one or more second measures of cell densities based on the one or more cell morphologies.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cell culture container is disposed on a tray configured to receive the cell culture container and configured to tilt or shake the cell culture container.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein:
adjusting the tilting motion of the cell culture container includes causing the cell culture container on the tray to tilt back and forth at one of a lower rate and a higher rate;
adjusting the shaking motion of the cell culture container on the tray to shake back and forth at one of a lower rate and a higher rate; or
adjusting both the tilting motion and shaking motion of the cell culture container.

### Claim 11

An apparatus comprising:
a first device configured to:
hold a cell culture container containing a cell culture in need of cell growth optimization, the cell culture container being configured to grow cells; and
cause a movement of the cell culture container;
a second device configured to generate an image of the cell culture; and
at least one processor configured to:
determine a characteristic of the cell culture to facilitate cell growth optimization based on the image; and
cause the first device to adjust at least one tilting or shaking motion of the cell culture container based on the characteristic to facilitate cell growth optimization.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the characteristic comprises a measure of cell density.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a measure of average cell density based on the image.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a count of cell clusters based on the image;
determine the measure of cell density based on the count of cell clusters; or
determine both the count of cell clusters and the measure of cell density.

### Claim 15

A system comprising:
a tray configured to hold a cell culture container containing a cell culture in need of cell growth optimization, the cell culture container being configured to grow cells;
a camera configured to capture an image of the cell culture;
a device configured to control a movement of the tray; and
a processor configured to:
determine a first movement of the tray;
receive from the camera data representing an image of the cell culture;
determine a characteristic of the cell culture to facilitate cell growth optimization based on the image data;
determine a second movement of the tray based on the characteristic, the second movement being different from the first movement; and
cause the device to cause the tray to move in accordance with the second movement to facilitate cell growth optimization.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, further comprising:
a sensor configured to obtain motion data indicating a motion of the tray,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive the motion data from the sensor; and
determine the first movement of the tray based on the motion data.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the characteristic comprises a measure of cell density.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a second measure of average cell density based on the image data.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a count of cell clusters;
determine the measure of cell density based on the count of cell clusters; or
determine both the count of cell clusters and the measure of cell density.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine that the measure of cell density exceeds a predetermined limit;
determine the second movement in response to the determination that that the measure of cell density exceeds the predetermined limit; or
determine both the measure of cell density exceeds a predetermined limit and the second movement.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:
adjust at least one tilting or shaking motion of the tray to determine the second movement of the tray.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to perform one of the following:
cause the tray to tilt back and forth at one of a lower rate and a higher rate;
cause the tray to shake back and forth at one of a lower rate and a higher rate; or
cause the tray to both tilt back and forth and shake back and forth.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises cell morphology.

### Claim 24 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises cell growth patterns.

### Claim 25 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises cell morphology.

### Claim 26 (depends on 11)

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises cell growth patterns.

### Claim 27 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises cell morphology.

### Claim 28 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the characteristic determined from the image comprises growth patterns.