Cell stretcher

Abstract

The invention discloses a cell stretcher, and relates to the technical field of cell mechanics, the cell stretcher comprises a support module, a plurality of stretching structures and a plurality of transmission devices, the stretching structures and the transmission devices are arranged on the support module, the support module is provided with an experiment station, the experiment station is used for arranging a basement membrane, and the basement membrane is arranged on the experiment station. Each stretching structure is provided with two movable ends which are oppositely arranged, the movable ends are used for being connected to a base film on an experiment station, the two movable ends on each stretching structure can be driven by a transmission device to be far away from or close to each other in one stretching direction, and the stretching directions corresponding to the stretching structures do not coincide with each other; the moving speed and the moving distance of each movable end can be adjusted. The cell stretcher not only can stretch cells in multiple directions, but also can adjust the stretching amplitude and frequency, and is wider in application range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cell mechanics, and in particular to a cell stretcher. Background Art

[0002] In cell experiments, controlling the stretching and recovery deformation of cells at a certain frequency and amplitude can control the differentiation rate of cells. Since the size of cells is generally at the micron level, conventional mechanical loading devices are not applicable. At this time, a cell stretching device is needed as an experimental platform. However, most existing cell stretching devices have few functions and are not applicable to increasingly complex experimental requirements. Therefore, a cell stretcher with a wider range of applications is urgently needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cell stretcher to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art. It can not only stretch cells in multiple directions, but also adjust the amplitude and frequency of stretching, and has a wider range of applications.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions: The present invention provides a cell stretcher, comprising: a support module, a plurality of stretching structures and a plurality of transmission devices, each of the stretching structures and each of the transmission devices are arranged on the support module, the support module is provided with an experimental station, the experimental station is used to set a basement membrane, each of the stretching structures has two movable ends arranged opposite to each other, the movable ends are used to be connected to the basement membrane on the experimental station, the two movable ends on each of the stretching structures can move away from or approach each other in a stretching direction under the drive of one of the transmission devices, the stretching directions corresponding to each of the stretching structures do not overlap, and the moving speed and moving distance of each of the movable ends can be adjusted.

[0005] Preferably, the transmission device includes a motor, a connecting assembly, a transmission rod, and two connecting rods. The stretching structure includes two clamping parts. The motor is fixedly connected to the support module, and the connecting assembly is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor. One end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected to the connecting assembly around a first axis. The first axis and the axis of the motor output shaft are parallel to each other and have a spacing in a direction perpendicular to the first axis. One end of each of the two connecting rods is hinged to the end of the transmission rod away from the connecting assembly. The ends of each of the two connecting rods away from the transmission rod are respectively hinged to the two clamping parts. The two clamping parts are relatively arranged on both sides of the experimental station and are both slidably connected to the support module. The clamping parts form the movable end.

[0006] Preferably, the connecting assembly includes a coupling and an adjusting member, one side of the adjusting member is fixedly connected to a fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor through the coupling, and one end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected to the side of the adjusting member away from the fixed shaft.

[0007] Preferably, the adjusting member includes an outer shell, an adjusting shaft and an adjusting rod, the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to one side of the outer shell, a slideway is provided on the side of the outer shell away from the fixed shaft, the sliding connection of the adjusting shaft is in the slideway, the adjusting shaft is fixed in its own circumferential direction, the axis of the adjusting shaft forms the first axis, a through hole is provided on one side of the outer shell, the adjusting rod is rotatably connected in the through hole and is transmission-connected to the adjusting shaft, and rotating the adjusting rod can make the adjusting shaft slide along the slideway to change the distance between the first axis and the output shaft of the motor.

[0008] Preferably, the transmission rod includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the adjusting shaft, and the other end is hinged with one end of the second connecting rod around an axis parallel to the first axis, and a limiting groove is provided on the second connecting rod. The stretching structure also includes a plurality of limiting shafts, each of which is fixedly connected to the supporting module in a straight line in sequence, and each of the limiting shafts is slidably connected in the limiting groove, and one end of the second connecting rod away from the first connecting rod is hinged with the connecting rod around an axis parallel to the first axis.

[0009] Preferably, one of the transmission devices and one of the stretching structures together form a stretching unit, two of the stretching units are provided and are respectively a first stretching unit and a second stretching unit, two motors are provided, and the output shafts of the two motors are respectively fixedly connected to the connecting components on the two stretching units, the two clamping parts on the first stretching unit can approach or move away from each other in a first direction, and the two clamping parts on the second stretching unit can approach or move away from each other in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0010] Preferably, the support module comprises a shell and a support frame, the support frame is fixedly connected to the shell, the motor is fixedly connected to the support frame, and the connecting assembly is arranged in the support frame.

[0011] Preferably, the support module also includes a support member, which includes a center plate, two first plate bodies and two second plate bodies, the two first plate bodies are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two first plate bodies are respectively fixedly connected to the shell and the center plate, the two second plate bodies are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two second plate bodies are respectively fixedly connected to the shell and the center plate, the two first plate bodies extend along the first direction, the two second plate bodies extend along the second direction, the center plate forms the experimental workstation, the two clamping parts on the first stretching unit are slidably connected to the two first plate bodies, and the two clamping parts on the second stretching unit are slidably connected to the two second plate bodies.

[0012] Preferably, it also includes a control component, which is connected to the signals of each of the transmission devices, and the control component can control the output power of the motor.

[0013] Preferably, the motor is a stepper motor.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects: The cell stretcher provided by the present invention, during the experiment, culture cells on the basement membrane in advance, and then place the basement membrane on the experimental station, the active end of each stretching structure is connected to the basement membrane, and the movement of the active ends of multiple stretching structures is controlled by respective transmission devices. At this time, each stretching structure can stretch the basement membrane in one direction, thereby achieving stretching of cells in multiple directions, and the movement frequency and movement amplitude of the active end can be adjusted, so as to cope with different experimental requirements. Overall, the cell stretcher provided by the present invention can not only stretch cells in multiple directions, but also adjust the stretching amplitude and frequency, and has a wider range of applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the cell stretcher provided by the present invention; Figure 2 A bottom view of the cell stretcher provided by the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the motor, coupling and adjusting parts; Figure 4 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the middle support member; In the figure: 1. support module; 11. shell; 12. support frame; 13. support member; 131. first plate body; 132. second plate body; 133. center plate; 2. transmission device; 21. coupling; 22. adjusting member; 221. shell; 222. adjusting shaft; 223. adjusting rod; 23. first connecting rod; 24. second connecting rod; 241. limiting groove; 25. connecting rod; 26. clamping part; 27. limiting shaft; 3. motor; 4. first stretching unit; 5. second stretching unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0018] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cell stretcher to solve the problems existing in the prior art, so that not only can cells be stretched in multiple directions, but also the amplitude and frequency of stretching can be adjusted, and the scope of application is wider.

[0019] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0020] The present invention provides a cell stretching device, such as Figure 1-4 As shown, it includes: a support module 1, a plurality of stretching structures and a plurality of transmission devices 2, each stretching structure and each transmission device 2 are arranged on the support module 1, the support module 1 is provided with an experimental station, the experimental station is used to set the base membrane, each stretching structure has two movable ends arranged relatively, the movable ends are used to be connected to the base membrane on the experimental station, the two movable ends on each stretching structure can move away from or close to each other in a stretching direction under the drive of a transmission device 2, the stretching directions corresponding to each stretching structure do not overlap, and the moving speed and moving distance of each movable end can be adjusted.

[0021] The cell stretcher provided by the present invention, during the experiment, cells are pre-cultured on the basement membrane, and then the basement membrane is set on the experimental station, the active end of each stretching structure is connected to the basement membrane, and the movement of the active ends of multiple stretching structures is controlled by each transmission device 2. At this time, each stretching structure can stretch the basement membrane in one direction, thereby achieving the stretching of cells in multiple directions, and the movement frequency and movement amplitude of the active end can be adjusted, so that different experimental requirements can be met. Overall, the cell stretcher provided by the present invention can not only stretch cells in multiple directions, but also adjust the amplitude and frequency of stretching, and has a wider range of applications. Among them, the basement membrane is made of elastic material, and stretching the basement membrane can drive the cell deformation.

[0022] It should be noted that, in the present invention, multiple stretching structures can stretch the base membrane from different directions. For example, two stretching structures can be set, and the active ends of the two stretching structures are respectively arranged along two straight lines perpendicular to each other, so as to stretch the base membrane from two directions perpendicular to each other. Alternatively, three stretching structures can be set, and the three stretching structures stretch the base membrane from three directions respectively, two of which are perpendicular to each other, and the other direction has an angle of 45° with any one of the other two directions. Alternatively, two stretching structures can be set, and the active ends of the two stretching structures are respectively arranged along two parallel straight lines, so as to stretch the base membrane from two parallel directions (in this case, the stretching frequency or amplitude of the two stretching structures can be controlled to be different).

[0023] In a preferred implementation manner of the present embodiment, the transmission device 2 includes a motor 3, a connecting assembly, a transmission rod, and two connecting rods 25. The tensile structure includes two clamping parts 26. The motor 3 is fixedly connected to the support module 1, the connecting assembly is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor 3, one end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected to the connecting assembly around a first axis, the first axis and the axis of the output shaft of the motor 3 are parallel to each other and have a spacing in a direction perpendicular to the first axis, one end of each of the two connecting rods 25 is hinged to the end of the transmission rod away from the connecting assembly, and the ends of the two connecting rods 25 away from the transmission rod are respectively hinged to the two clamping parts 26, the two clamping parts 26 are relatively arranged on both sides of the experimental station and are both slidably connected to the support module 1, and the clamping parts 26 form movable ends. When stretching cells, the two ends of the basement membrane are clamped respectively by two clamping parts 26, and the motor 3 is turned on. The output shaft of the motor 3 rotates and drives the connecting component to rotate. Since the first axis and the axis of the output shaft of the motor 3 are parallel to each other and have a spacing, the end of the transmission rod close to the connecting component can move along a circular trajectory centered on the output shaft of the motor 3, and the end of the transmission rod away from the connecting component reciprocates towards or away from the clamping part 26, and the connecting rod 25 away from the end of the connecting component reciprocates towards or away from the experimental station, and then the two clamping parts 26 are controlled by the connecting rod 25 to approach or move away from each other, thereby converting the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 3 into the linear motion of the clamping part 26.

[0024] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, the connection assembly includes an adjusting member 22, one side of the adjusting member 22 is fixedly connected to a fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor 3 through a coupling 21, and one end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected around the first axis to a side of the adjusting member 22 away from the fixed shaft. The fixed shaft and the output shaft are connected through the coupling 21, which improves the reliability of the connection between the adjusting member 22 and the output shaft of the motor 3.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the adjusting member 22 includes a housing 221, an adjusting shaft 222 and an adjusting rod 223, the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to one side of the housing 221, a slideway is provided on one side of the housing 221 away from the fixed shaft, the sliding connection of the adjusting shaft 222 is in the slideway, the adjusting shaft 222 is fixed in its own circumferential direction, one end of the adjusting shaft 222 extends out of the housing 221 and forms a connection end, the axis of the adjusting shaft 222 forms a first axis, a through hole is provided on one side of the housing 221, the adjusting rod 223 is rotatably connected in the through hole and is transmission-connected with the adjusting shaft 222, and the rotating adjusting rod 223 can make the adjusting shaft 222 slide along the slideway to change the distance between the first axis and the output shaft of the motor 3. By rotating the adjusting rod 223, the distance between the first axis and the output shaft of the motor 3 is changed, thereby changing the radius of the circular motion trajectory of the end of the transmission rod close to the connecting assembly, thereby changing the sliding distance of the two clamping parts 26, and realizing the adjustment of the stretching amplitude. Among them, the adjusting member 22 can select an eccentric adjusting member in the prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0026] In a preferred implementation manner of the present embodiment, the transmission rod includes a first connecting rod 23 and a second connecting rod 24, one end of the first connecting rod 23 is rotatably connected to the adjusting shaft 222, and the other end is hinged with one end of the second connecting rod 24 around an axis parallel to the first axis, and a limiting groove 241 is provided on the second connecting rod 24. The tensile structure also includes a plurality of limiting shafts 27, and two clamping parts 26 are arranged opposite to each other along the first straight line. Each limiting shaft 27 is fixedly connected to the support module 1 in sequence along a direction perpendicular to the first straight line, and each limiting shaft 27 is slidably connected in the limiting groove 241, and one end of the second connecting rod 24 away from the first connecting rod 23 is hinged with the connecting rod 25 around an axis parallel to the first axis. When the motor 3 is started, the first connecting rod 23 drives the second connecting rod 24 to move. Since the limiting groove 241 on the second connecting rod 24 is slidably connected with the limiting shaft 27, the rotation of the second connecting rod 24 is limited, and the second connecting rod 24 can move along a straight line perpendicular to the stretching direction without changing the angle, so that the two clamping parts 26 can move with the same amplitude, thereby facilitating the control of the stretching amount of the cell. Among them, the limiting shaft 27 on each stretching structure is sequentially arranged along a straight line perpendicular to the stretching direction of the stretching structure.

[0027] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, a transmission device 2 and a stretching structure together form a stretching unit, two stretching units are provided, namely a first stretching unit 4 and a second stretching unit 5, two motors 3 are provided, the output shafts of the two motors 3 are respectively fixedly connected to the connecting components on the two stretching units, the two clamping parts 26 on the first stretching unit 4 can approach or move away from each other in the first direction, and the two clamping parts 26 on the second stretching unit 5 can approach or move away from each other in the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other. By providing two stretching structures and controlling the output power of the motors 3 on the two stretching structures and the distance between the first axis and the output shaft of the motor 3, the clamping parts 26 on the two stretching structures can stretch the cells in mutually perpendicular directions with different frequencies and amplitudes, thereby meeting the experimental requirements of asymmetric biaxial stretching of cells.

[0028] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, the support module 1 includes a housing 11 and a support frame 12, the support frame 12 is fixedly connected to the housing 11, the motor 3 is fixedly connected to the support frame 12, and the connection assembly is arranged in the support frame 12. The connection assembly is located in the support frame 12, and the support frame 12 can protect the connection assembly and prevent the connection assembly from being damaged due to collision.

[0029] In order to improve the stability of the clamping portion 26 when sliding, in a preferred implementation manner of this embodiment, the support module 1 also includes a support member 13, the support member 13 includes a center plate 133, two first plate bodies 131 and two second plate bodies 132, the two first plate bodies 131 are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two first plate bodies 131 are respectively fixedly connected to the shell 11 and the center plate 133, the two second plate bodies 132 are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two second plate bodies 132 are respectively fixedly connected to the shell 11 and the center plate 133, the two first plate bodies 131 both extend in the first direction, the two second plate bodies 132 both extend in the second direction, the center plate 133 forms an experimental workstation, the two clamping portions 26 on the first stretching unit 4 are slidably connected to the two first plate bodies 131, and the two clamping portions 26 on the second stretching unit 5 are slidably connected to the two second plate bodies 132.

[0030] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, a control component is further included, and the control component is connected to each motor 3 by signal, and the control component can control the output power of the motor 3. The output power of each motor 3 is controlled by the control component to control the speed of each motor 3, thereby controlling the frequency of stretching. Among them, the frequency of stretching is preferably 0.1-5Hz.

[0031] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, the motor 3 is a stepper motor. The stepper motor has high precision and is suitable for high-precision cell stretching experiments.

[0032] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A cell stretcher, characterized in that: include: A support module, a plurality of stretching structures and a plurality of transmission devices, each of the stretching structures and each of the transmission devices are arranged on the support module, the support module is provided with a laboratory station, the laboratory station is used to set a base membrane, each of the stretching structures has two movable ends arranged opposite to each other, the movable ends are used to be connected to the base membrane on the laboratory station, the two movable ends on each of the stretching structures can move away from or close to each other in a stretching direction under the drive of one of the transmission devices, the stretching directions corresponding to each of the stretching structures do not overlap, and the moving speed and moving distance of each of the movable ends can be adjusted.

2. The cell stretcher according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission device includes a motor, a connecting assembly, a transmission rod, and two connecting rods. The stretching structure includes two clamping parts. The motor is fixedly connected to the support module, and the connecting assembly is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor. One end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected to the connecting assembly around a first axis. The first axis and the axis of the motor output shaft are parallel to each other and have a spacing in a direction perpendicular to the first axis. One end of each of the two connecting rods is hinged to the end of the transmission rod away from the connecting assembly. The ends of each of the two connecting rods away from the transmission rod are respectively hinged to the two clamping parts. The two clamping parts are relatively arranged on both sides of the experimental station and are both slidably connected to the support module. The clamping parts form the movable end.

3. The cell stretcher according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting assembly includes a coupling and an adjusting member, one side of the adjusting member is fixedly connected to a fixed shaft, the fixed shaft is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor through the coupling, and one end of the transmission rod is rotatably connected to the side of the adjusting member away from the fixed shaft.

4. The cell stretcher according to claim 3, characterized in that: The adjusting member includes a shell, an adjusting shaft and an adjusting rod. The fixed shaft is fixedly connected to one side of the shell. A slideway is provided on the side of the shell away from the fixed shaft. The sliding connection of the adjusting shaft is in the slideway. The adjusting shaft is fixed in its own circumferential direction. The axis of the adjusting shaft forms the first axis. A through hole is provided on one side of the shell. The adjusting rod is rotatably connected in the through hole and is transmission-connected to the adjusting shaft. Rotating the adjusting rod can make the adjusting shaft slide along the slideway to change the distance between the first axis and the output shaft of the motor.

5. The cell stretcher according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission rod includes a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod, one end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the adjusting shaft, and the other end is hinged with one end of the second connecting rod around an axis parallel to the first axis, and a limiting groove is arranged on the second connecting rod. The stretching structure also includes a plurality of limiting shafts, each of which is fixedly connected to the supporting module in a straight line in sequence, and each of the limiting shafts is slidably connected in the limiting groove, and one end of the second connecting rod away from the first connecting rod is hinged with the connecting rod around an axis parallel to the first axis.

6. The cell stretcher according to claim 2, characterized in that: A transmission device and a stretching structure together form a stretching unit, and two stretching units are provided, namely a first stretching unit and a second stretching unit, and two motors are provided. The output shafts of the two motors are fixedly connected to the connecting components on the two stretching units respectively, and the two clamping parts on the first stretching unit can approach or move away from each other in a first direction, and the two clamping parts on the second stretching unit can approach or move away from each other in a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

7. The cell stretcher according to claim 6, characterized in that: The support module comprises a shell and a support frame, the support frame is fixedly connected to the shell, the motor is fixedly connected to the support frame, and the connection assembly is arranged in the support frame.

8. The cell stretcher according to claim 7, characterized in that: The support module also includes a support member, which includes a center plate, two first plate bodies and two second plate bodies. The two first plate bodies are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two first plate bodies are respectively fixedly connected to the shell and the center plate. The two second plate bodies are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the two second plate bodies are respectively fixedly connected to the shell and the center plate. The two first plate bodies extend along the first direction, and the two second plate bodies extend along the second direction. The center plate forms the experimental workstation, and the two clamping parts on the first stretching unit are slidably connected to the two first plate bodies, and the two clamping parts on the second stretching unit are slidably connected to the two second plate bodies.

9. The cell stretcher according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a control component, which is connected to each of the motor signals and can control the output power of the motor.

10. The cell stretcher according to claim 2, characterized in that: The motor is a stepping motor.

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