US 6,391,638 B1 · Cell/tissue culturing device and method

A disposable device for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in at least one cycle, said device comprising a sterilisable disposable non-rigid container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, said container having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:

(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissues and quantity of cells, when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining in said device from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided.

2 more elements

A disposable device for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in at least one cycle, said device comprising a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, said container having a top end and a bottom end, said device further comprising a substantially boxlike geometrical configuration, having an overall length, height and width, wherein the height-to-length ratio is between about 1 and about 3, said device further comprising a support aperture substantially spanning the depth of said device, said aperture adapted to enable said device to be supported on a suitable pole support wherein said container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:

(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) at least one air inlet means for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium through a first inlet opening, said at least one air inlet means comprising at least one air inlet pipe connectable to a suitable air supply and in communication with a plurality of secondary inlet pipes, each secondary inlet pipe extending to a location inside said container, via a suitable inlet opening therein, for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium, and
(iv) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissues and quantity of cells, when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided.

3 more elements

A disposable device for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in at least one cycle, said device comprising a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:

(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) at least one air inlet means for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium through a first inlet opening, said at least one air inlet means comprising at least one air inlet pipe connectable to a suitable air supply and in communication with a plurality of secondary inlet pipes, each secondary inlet pipe extending to a location inside said container, via a suitable inlet opening therein, for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium, said device further comprising a support structure for supporting said device;
and
(iv) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissues and quantity of cells, when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided.

4 more elements

A battery of disposable devices, comprising at least two of said disposable devices for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in at least one cycle, each of said devices comprising a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:

(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissue and quantity of cells when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle, and
(iv) an air inlet means for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium through a first air inlet opening, said air inlet means connectable to a suitable air supply,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided.

3 more elements

A method for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in a disposable device comprising the steps of:

a) providing said device which comprises a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and other sterile required additives, said container comprising:
(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
(iii) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissue and quantity of cells when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive cycle, wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previously harvested cycle may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided;
b) providing axenic inoculant via said harvesting means;
c) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives via said additive inlet means;
d) optionally illuminating said container with external light means;
e) allowing at least one of said cells and tissue to grow in said medium to a desired yield;
f) allowing at least one of excess air and waste gases to leave said container continuously via said gas outlet means;
g) checking for at least one of contaminants and the quality of at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced in said container:
if contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality, the device and its contents are disposed of;
if contaminants are not found, step h) is executed;
h) harvesting said desired portion of said medium containing at least one of cells and tissue, while leaving said remainder of medium containing at least one of cells and tissue in said container, wherein said remainder of medium serves as inoculant for a next culture/harvest cycle;
i) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives for the next culture/harvest cycle via said additive inlet means;
j) repeating steps d), e), f), g), h) and i) a plurality of times until in g) the said contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality, whereupon the device and its contents are disposed of.

12 more elements

A method for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in a battery of disposable devices comprising the steps of:

a) providing a battery of devices,
said battery comprising at least two devices, at least one of said devices comprising a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:
(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissue and quantity of cells when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle, and
(iv) an air inlet means for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium through a first inlet opening, wherein said air inlet means is connectable to a suitable air supply,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided, and
said harvesting means of each device is suitably connected to a common harvesting piping having a free end optionally comprising suitable aseptic connecting means thereat and said harvesting means further comprises a contamination prevention means for substantially preventing introduction of contaminants into said container via said common harvesting piping, said contamination prevention means comprising a U-shaped fluid trap, said fluid trap having one arm thereof free and further having an opening and wherein the other end of said contamination prevention means is aseptically mountable to said free end of said common harvesting piping via suitable aseptic connection means
and for at least one said device thereof:
b) providing axenic inoculant to said device via said common harvesting piping;
c) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives to said device via said common additive inlet piping;
k) optionally illuminating said device with external light means;
l) allowing at least one of said cells and tissue in said device to grow in said medium to a desired yield;
m) allowing at least one of excess air and waste gases to leave said device continuously via said common gas outlet piping;
n) checking for at least one of contaminants and the quality of at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced in said device:
if in said device contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality, said harvesting means of said device is closed off preventing contamination of other said devices of said battery;
if in all of said devices of said battery contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced therein are of poor quality, all the devices and their contents are disposed of;
if contaminants are not found and the quality of at least one of the produced cells and tissues is acceptable, the device is considered harvestable and step h) is executed;
o) for each said harvestable device of step g), harvesting said desired portion of said medium containing at least one of cells and tissue via said common harvesting piping and said contamination prevention means to a suitable receiving tank, while leaving said remainder of medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue in said container, wherein said second portion of medium serves as inoculant for a next culture/harvest cycle;
p) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives for the next culture/harvest cycle via said additive inlet means;
q) repeating steps d), e), f), g), h) and i) a plurality of times until in g) said contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality for all of said devices of said battery, whereupon said contamination prevention means are disconnected from said common harvesting means and said devices and their contents are disposed of.

19 more elements

A method for axenically culturing and harvesting at least one of tissue and a quantity of cells in a battery of disposable devices comprising the steps of:

a) providing a battery of devices,
said battery of devices comprising at least two disposable devices, at least one of said devices comprising a sterilisable disposable container which is at least one of transparent and translucent, having a top end and a bottom end, which container may be at least partially filled with at least one of a suitable sterile biological cell culture medium, a suitable sterile biological tissue culture medium, axenic inoculant, sterile air and required other sterile additives, said container comprising:
(i) gas outlet means for removing at least one of excess air and waste gases from said container;
(ii) additive inlet means for introducing at least one of said inoculant, said culture medium and said additives into said container;
and characterized in further comprising
(iii) at least one air inlet means for introducing sterile air in the form of bubbles into said culture medium through a first inlet opening, wherein said air inlet means is suitably connected to a common air inlet piping having a free end optionally comprising suitable aseptic connecting means thereat, which is further connectable to a suitable air supply;
(iv) reusable harvesting means comprising suitable flow control means for enabling harvesting of at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said tissues and quantity of cells when desired, thereby enabling said device to be used continuously for at least one further consecutive culturing/harvesting cycle,
wherein a remainder of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue, remaining from a previous harvested cycle, may serve as inoculant for a next culture and harvest cycle, wherein at least one of said culture medium and said required additives are provided;
and for at least one said device thereof:
b) providing axenic inoculant to said device via said common harvesting piping;
c) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives to said device via said common additive inlet piping;
d) providing sterile air to said device via said common air inlet piping;
e) optionally illuminating said device with external light means;
f) allowing at least one of said cells and tissue in said device to grow in said medium to a desired yield;
g) allowing at least one of said excess air and waste gases to leave said device continuously via said common gas outlet piping;
h) checking for at least one of contaminants and the quality of at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced in said device:
if in said device contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality, said harvesting means of said device is closed off preventing contamination of other said devices of said battery;
if in all of said devices of said battery contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced therein are of poor quality, all the devices and their contents are disposed of;
if contaminants are not found and the quality of at least one of the produced cells and tissues is acceptable, the device is considered harvestable and step i) is executed;
i) for each of said harvestable device of step h), harvesting at least a desired portion of said medium containing at least one of said cells and tissue via said common harvesting piping and said contamination prevention means to a suitable receiving tank, while leaving said remainder of medium containing at least one of the cells and tissue in said container, wherein said remainder of medium serves as inoculant for a next culture/harvest cycle;
j) providing sterile at least one of said culture medium and said additives for the next culture/harvest cycle via said additive inlet means;
k) repeating steps d), e), f), g), h), i) and j) a plurality of times until in h) said contaminants are found or at least one of the cells and tissues which are produced are of poor quality for all of said devices of said battery, whereupon said contamination prevention means are disconnected from said common harvesting means and said devices and their contents are disposed of.

19 more elements

Cell/tissue culturing device and method

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Cell/tissue culturing device and method

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Abstract

Claims57