Cell culture apparatus
AssigneeCellex Biosciences, Inc.
InventorBruce P. Amiot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compact, easily assembled cell culturing device comprising at least one cell culturing envelope, the interior of which defines a cell culturing space. The cell culturing envelope is retained within a pair of rigid plates having various reliefs which, in turn, form cavities when the plates are placed together. The cell culturing envelope includes a plurality of hollow fibers disposed in the culturing space formed between upper and lower membrane sheets which are sealed together. Tubes communicate with the culturing space. Accordingly, greater amounts of oxygen are provided to the cells at a faster rate to produce cells and/or cell products more economically and in higher yield.
Claims14
A cell culture device comprising:
- (a) at least one envelope having first and second external surfaces each having first and second lateral and longitudinal edges, wherein the envelope comprises a first, substantially flat membrane sheet sealed to a second, substantially flat membrane sheet along said first and second lateral and longitudinal edges, respectively, to define a cell culturing space therebetween, said first and second membrane sheets being porous and substantially permeable to gasses, but substantially impermeable to cells and liquids;
- (b) a first delivery means for delivering nutrient media to the cell culturing space;
- (c) a second delivery means for delivering cells to the cell culturing space;
- (d) a third delivery means for delivering a gas to said external surfaces of said at least one envelope;
- (e) a first removal means for removing liquid metabolic waste products from the cell culturing space;
- (f) a second removal means for removing cells and/or cell products from the cell culturing space;
- (g) a third removal means for removing gaseous waste products from said external surfaces of said at least one envelope;
- and
- (h) an upper rigid plate and a lower rigid plate for retaining said envelope, said upper and lower rigid plates having cavities for accommodating said envelope when said upper and lower rigid plates are placed together, wherein said upper rigid plate and said lower rigid plate physically restrain said first and second membrane sheets so as to control said cell culturing space to a distance in a range of 225 to 1000 microns;
- wherein said first delivery means and said first removal means comprise a plurality of capillaries having liquid permeable walls disposed within said envelope and open ends extending outwardly from between said sealed lateral edges of said envelope such that said capillaries communicate with said cell culturing space only through the walls of said capillaries, said capillaries being disposed substantially equally spaced and substantially parallel to each other at a distance of from about 100 microns to about 1000 microns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.