Circulatory culture equipment

A circulatory culture apparatus for cultivating cells, comprising:

• a generally cylindrical vessel having an open top and a closed bottom and adapted for the circulation of a culture medium therein;
• a lid for enclosing said open top;
• a substratum disposed within the vessel and adapted for the growth of cell cultures thereon, said substratum defining at least one central vertical passage and a plurality of additional vertical passages radially spaced outward from the central vertical passage;
• a wall portion extending upwardly from the bottom of the vessel to the central vertical passage to define a circulation-inducing chamber communicating with said central vertical passage, said wall portion having a plurality of openings for the passage of the culture medium therethrough;
• rotator means disposed within the circulation-inducing chamber for circulating the culture medium throughout the vessel, such that rotation of the rotator means draws the culture medium down the central vertical passage into said chamber wherein centrifugal force is imparted to the medium by the rotator means and the medium flows out said openings and up through the radially spaced vertical passages in the substratum;
• a gas phase space defined between said lid and said substratum, said gas phase space being adapted for gas exchange between the culture medium and gas within said gas phase space,
• wherein said lid has a gas inlet and a gas outlet, whereby gas exchange occurs between gas supplied through the inlet and gases contained in the culture medium as it flows out of said radially spaced passages, through the gas phase space and into the central vertical passage;
• and
• means for facilitating circulation of gases in the gas phase space, including a member secured to and spaced away from said lid and defining a central opening for circulation of gasses therethrough.

A circulatory culture apparatus for cultivating cells, comprising:

• a culture vessel having an open top;
• a lid for enclosing said open top;
• a substratum comprising a strip of wrapped material, to which cells adhere and immobilize, which is spirally or concentrically wrapped around a frame means for supporting said strip of material with a distance maintained between adjacent layers of the wrapped material, disposed within said vessel, wherein said distance between adjacent layers defines a plurality of first vertical spaces for permitting circulation of a culture medium by ascent of the medium therethrough;
• a central part of said substratum not occupied by said wrapped material defining a second vertical space for permitting circulation of the medium by descent of the medium therethrough;
• a circulation-inducing chamber defined by a wall extending upwardly from the bottom of the vessel to the central part of the substratum, said wall having a plurality of openings for the passage of the culture medium therethrough for communicating with said first vertical spaces and said second vertical space;
• rotator means disposed within the circulation-inducing chamber for circulating the culture medium throughout the vessel by imparting centrifugal force to said culture medium to draw the culture medium down the second vertical space into said chamber and to expel the medium through said openings and force up through the first vertical spaces in the substratum;
• and
• a gas phase space defined between said lid and said substratum, said gas phase space being adapted for gas exchange between the culture medium and gas within said gas phase space.