Integrated biological protection cell sorter

Abstract

An integrated biological protection cell sorter is disclosed that isolates portions of the cell sorter that may cause contamination and includes two protection systems. The main cabinet protection system contains an input sample. The aerosol management guard includes a nozzle chamber having a nozzle, and a sorting chamber having a sorting plate and a collection medium that collects a stream of droplets from the nozzle. The main cabinet is maintained at a first low pressure, and clean air circulates at a positive pressure. The aerosol management guard zone is maintained at a second low pressure that is lower than the first pressure such that contaminants do not leak from the aerosol management guard zone to the main cabinet guard zone. A sliding sash is located above an access opening in the main cabinet and is movable to enter different portions of the main cabinet without changing a substantially constant first low voltage in the main cabinet.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Cell sorters, such as flow cytometers, have become essential laboratory tools. They can identify certain types of biological cells and separate them from others. Commercial use of cell sorters has also been established across a variety of industries. Cell sorters have many other uses, such as identifying and isolating various cell types for laboratory applications. Therefore, cell sorters have many different uses and applications. Summary of the Invention

[0002] Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention may include an integrated biocontainment cell sorter flow cytometer, which includes: a main cabinet of the integrated biocontainment cell sorter, which is not hermetically sealed; an input sample area, which is arranged in the main cabinet; a movable partition, which is located in the main cabinet and moves in the entrance and exit of the main cabinet; when the movable partition moves in the entrance and exit, the movable partition covers a constant area of ​​the entrance and exit, so that when the movable partition moves in the entrance and exit, the constant area of ​​the entrance and exit is not covered by the movable partition and is open; a first fan, which draws air from the main cabinet to generate a first low pressure in the main cabinet, and the first low pressure is basically constant when the movable partition moves in the entrance and exit, which limits the escape of contaminated air in the main cabinet from the main cabinet; an aerosol management protection area, which is not hermetically sealed and is arranged in the main cabinet; the aerosol management protection area has an opening, which is connected to the main cabinet so that the aerosol management protection area is arranged in the first low pressure and is subjected to the first low pressure; the aerosol management protection area has a nozzle for generating a droplet stream containing sample cells, a sorting plate for dividing the droplet stream into a deflected stream, and a collection medium for collecting the deflected stream; a second fan, which draws air from the aerosol management protection area to generate a second low pressure lower than the first low pressure in the aerosol management protection area, so that the air from the main cabinet flows from the main cabinet to the aerosol management protection area and restricts the contaminated air from flowing from the aerosol management protection area into the main cabinet; a light excitation device, which is located outside the main cabinet and the aerosol management protection area to allow entry into the light excitation device without entering the main cabinet or the aerosol management protection area.

[0003] Therefore, another embodiment of the present invention may include a method for intercepting cells in an integrated biocontainment cell sorter, comprising: providing a main cabinet protection area containing an input area for sample cells to be sorted; using a first fan to generate a first low pressure in the main cabinet, the first fan drawing air from the main cabinet and drawing air from outside the cabinet; using a second fan to generate a second low pressure in an aerosol management protection area provided in the main cabinet, the second fan drawing air from the main cabinet and the aerosol management protection area through an opening in the aerosol management protection area to generate a second low pressure in the aerosol management protection area that is lower than the first low pressure; enclosing the input cell sample in the un-airtightly sealed main cabinet; enclosing the nozzle, sorting plate, collection medium and any droplet flow generated by the nozzle in the un-airtightly sealed aerosol management protection area; placing a light excitation device outside the main cabinet and the aerosol management protection area to facilitate adjustment and maintenance of the light excitation device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing portions of one embodiment of an integrated biocontainment cell sorter.

[0005] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an aerosol management system (AMS) comprising a nozzle chamber and a sorting chamber as well as various other parts of an embodiment of an integrated biocontainment cell sorter.

[0006] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A more detailed side cross-sectional view of the nozzle chamber and sorting chamber.

[0007] Figure 4 is a detailed front view of one embodiment of an integrated biocontainment cell sorter showing Figure 2 and 3 Nozzle chamber and sorting chamber.

[0008] Figure 5 yes Figures 1 to 4 A perspective view of a specific implementation of the integrated biocontainment cell sorter is shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an integrated biocontainment system 100. The system comprises a primary cabinet containment system 101 and an aerosol management system chamber 140, an AMS air intake duct 138, an AMS HEPA filter 141, an AMS fan 144, and an AMS exhaust duct 147, collectively referred to as an aerosol management system (AMS) 149. The aerosol management system (AMS) 149 is contained within or connected to the primary cabinet containment system 101. Neither the primary cabinet containment system 101 nor the aerosol management system (AMS) 149 is a sealed system. Instead, they rely on air movement caused by the fan 122 in the primary cabinet containment system 101 and the AMS fan 144 in the aerosol management system (AMS) 149 to create a low pressure, preventing hazardous and toxic substances from dispersing outside each of these containment systems. For example, as the fan 122 draws air from the workspace 104 of the primary cabinet containment system 101 and from outside the primary cabinet containment system 101, a first low pressure is generated in the workspace 104, as indicated by air flow 116. Thus, a first low pressure is generated in the working area 104 where potentially toxic or hazardous substances may be present. As long as the fan 122 can draw sufficient air through the working area 104, the hazardous substances will not escape from the working area 104 to the area outside the main cabinet protection system 101. The hazardous substances are mainly present in the form of aerosols containing sample cells. The sample cells are mixed with the sheath fluid and pass through the nozzle 146. Typically, the nozzle produces a droplet stream 155 ( Figure 2 ) of the nozzle flow 153( Figure 2 If the nozzle is clogged, an aerosol containing sample cells may be generated. Furthermore, if the nozzle stream 153 or the droplet stream 155 strikes a hard surface, an aerosol may be generated. Aerosols may contain sample cells that should not be inhaled or ingested. For example, the sample cells may be cancer cells.

[0010] Likewise Figure 1As shown, air drawn in by fan 122 first passes through HEPA filter 120 to remove any hazardous materials, such as sample cells. Therefore, the air drawn in by fan 122 is clean air and the fan is not contaminated. Fan 122 forces the clean air under positive pressure through recirculation duct 108, which also remains clean. Even under positive pressure, recirculation duct 108 and recirculation plenum do not need to be sealed because they contain clean air. Some air from fan 122 is exhausted from exhaust port 110, indicated as exhaust air 126. Simultaneously, some air from fan 122 is recirculated, indicated as recirculation air 124. Thus, recirculation duct 108 circulates clean air under positive pressure, and the clean air is recirculated into recirculation plenum 102 under positive pressure, while the remaining air is exhausted from exhaust port 110. The recirculated air in recirculation duct 108 and recirculation plenum 102 is under positive pressure, and therefore could leak from these ducts into the outside air or other parts of integrated biocontainment system 100. Because the air under positive pressure is clean air, unlike many other containment systems, the system does not have contamination issues. The recirculated air in the recirculating plenum 102 passes through an airflow straightener 128. The airflow straightener 128 is a device with openings that allows the recirculated air to flow into the work area 104 as a substantially uniform laminar flow 130 with low turbulence. The low turbulence allows a uniform downward air volume to be maintained, which prevents contaminants from inside the cabinet from escaping the user's access and prevents contaminants from outside the cabinet from being deposited on the products inside the cabinet.

[0011] The aerosol management system chamber 140 has an opening that connects to the main cabinet protection system 101, also as Figure 1As shown. The aerosol management system (AMS) 149 has a separate AMS HEPA filter 141 and a separate AMS fan 144. The AMS fan 144 draws air from the AMS air intake duct 138 connected to the sorting chamber 131. Since the aerosol management system chamber 140 is connected to the main cabinet protection system 101 through an opening, the aerosol management system chamber 140 is already at a first low pressure maintained in the main cabinet protection system 101. The AMS fan 144 further reduces the pressure in the aerosol management system (AMS) 149 from the first low pressure of the working area 104 to a second low pressure that is lower than the first low pressure. When the nozzle chamber door 136 is opened or the sorting chamber door 132 is opened, the second low pressure in the aerosol management system chamber 140 will be equal to the first low pressure of the main cabinet protection system 101. Therefore, with the nozzle compartment door 136 or the sorting compartment door 132 open, the pressures in the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140 are equalized, and air initially flows from the main cabinet containment system 101 to the aerosol management system chamber 140, preventing aerosol from escaping the aerosol management system chamber 140. However, once the pressures are equalized, aerosols migrate from the aerosol management system chamber 140 to the main cabinet containment system 101. Therefore, before opening the nozzle compartment door 136 or the sorting compartment door 132, the nozzle 146 is closed and the AMS fan 144 is accelerated for a period of time to exhaust all aerosol from the aerosol management system chamber 140. During operation, with the nozzle compartment door 136 and the sorting compartment door 132 closed, the secondary low-pressure air in the aerosol management system chamber 140 draws air from the working area 104 of the main cabinet containment system 101 at the AMS inlet 135, the AMS inlet 137, and the AMS inlet 160. In other words, air at a first low pressure from the main cabinet containment system 101 in the workspace 104 is drawn into the aerosol management system chamber 140 because, when the nozzle chamber door 136 and the sorting chamber door 132 are closed, the second low pressure in the aerosol management system chamber 140 is lower than the first low pressure in the workspace 104. Again, this is the result of the AMS fan 144 drawing air from the aerosol management system chamber 140 through the AMS HEPA filter 141 and into the external environment via the AMS intake duct 138. The clean air, filtered by the AMS HEPA filter 141 and drawn in by the AMS fan 144, is then discharged to the exhaust port 110 via the AMS exhaust duct 147. Therefore, the aerosol management system (AMS) 149 is not only a containment system parallel to the main cabinet containment system 101, but the aerosol management system chamber 140 is connected to the main cabinet containment system 101 via the air intake to create a second low pressure, making it more difficult for hazardous materials in the aerosol management system chamber 140 and the workspace 104 to escape from the integrated biocontainment system 100.

[0012] like Figure 1As further shown in FIG, the aerosol management system chamber 140 is carefully constructed to surround the portion of the cell sorter that generates harmful particles without surrounding the portion of the cell sorter that does not generate harmful particles, so as to minimize the size of the protected area and thus minimize the size of the integrated biocontainment system 100 for the cell sorter. Figure 1 As shown, the nozzle chamber 134 includes a nozzle 146, which is supplied with a sample liquid 143 and a sheath liquid 145. The nozzle 146 generates a nozzle flow 153 ( Figure 2 ), the nozzle stream passes through the detection point 148 and through the opening 152 in the optics mounting plate 150. Because the sample 143 may contain hazardous materials, such as dangerous cells that may be dispersed in the form of aerosols when the nozzle 146 is blocked, the nozzle 146 is contained within the nozzle chamber 134 to prevent any hazardous aerosols from escaping the aerosol management system chamber 140. The optics mounting plate 150 separates the nozzle chamber 134 from the sorting chamber 131. The opening 152 allows the droplet stream 155 ( Figure 2 ) passes through the optical device mounting plate 150 and reaches the sorting plate 154. Droplet stream 155 ( Figure 2 ) is detected at detection point 148 and then separated by sorting plate 154. The deflected droplet stream 156 is then collected by collection medium 158. This is explained in more detail in U.S. Patent 8,557,587, issued to Fox et al. on October 15, 2013, the disclosure and teachings of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0013] The main cabinet protection system 101 is mainly used to control the sample input area 107 ( Figure 5The sample input area 107 is located in the lower portion of the main cabinet containment system 101. Samples are placed in the sample input area 107, which is part of the workspace 104. Samples may include biohazardous materials. They are first prepared in a protected area, such as a large, dedicated biosafety cabinet separate from the biocontainment cell sorter system disclosed herein. The cell samples are suspended in water and then capped to reduce the risk of contamination when the cell samples are removed from the large, dedicated biosafety cabinet and transported to the integrated biocontainment cell sorter of the present invention. This reduces the risk of these cell samples being contaminated by unwanted foreign matter during transport to the integrated biocontainment cell sorter. Because the cells are suspended in water, the risk of accidental user exposure is very low. Even if the cap on the sample medium is removed, the risk of user exposure is also low because the cells are not in aerosol form but are suspended in water. However, the user should wear safety glasses and gloves to reduce the risk of exposure from accidental splashing of the sample into the eyes or mouth. Once the user places the capped sample tube in the sample input area 107, the cap can be opened within the clean environment of the sample input area, minimizing the risk of sample contamination. The tube is then placed in the sample input rack to begin the sorting process.

[0014] therefore, Figure 1 The main cabinet protection system 101 shown can intercept dangerous cells in the sample input area 107. Figure 1 As shown, when the partition 114, which may include a transparent sliding window, is in the upper position in the access port 115, the partition 114 allows the operator to easily enter the sample input area and the sorting chamber 131 through the sorting chamber door 132 to select the sample input area 107 ( Figure 5 ) to add and remove samples. The partition 114 can be moved to a lower position in the port 115 to allow the operator to directly enter the nozzle chamber 134 through the nozzle chamber door 136. The fan 122 is strong enough to maintain a low pressure in the workspace 104, even if the partition 114 only covers a portion of the port. The partition 114 can simply be moved up and down in the port 115. Therefore, no matter where the partition 114 is placed in the port 115, the amount of area in the port 115 that is closed or blocked by the partition 114 and the amount of area in the port 115 that is open and not closed or blocked by the partition 114 do not change. In other words, no matter where the partition 114 is located in the port 115, the opening area of ​​the port 115 is the same. As Figure 1As shown, when the partition 114 is in the upper position, there is a certain number of square inches of opening in the access port 115. When the partition 114 moves downward, the amount of open area in the access port 115 has a constant size, that is, the number of square inches of opening is the same, because the size of the partition 114 is constant and the size of the access port 115 is constant. In this way, no matter where the partition 114 is located, the amount of air delivered by the fan 122 can remain the same, and a constant first low pressure is still maintained in the workspace 104. In one embodiment, the fan 122 moves approximately 100 feet of air per minute through the user access port 115 into the workspace 104. Functionally, the integrated biocontainment cell sorter system is based on the speed at which air passes through the cabinet. The speed of the air must be fast enough to maintain a seal because the integrated biocontainment cell sorter is not a sealed system. In operation, the speed at which the air enters the grate 118 is measured to ensure that the speed is appropriate to maintain a seal. The fan 122 is designed to operate so that the amount of air passing through the grate 118 is sufficient to maintain containment of hazardous materials within the main cabinet containment system 101 .

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing portions of an aerosol management system (AMS) 149 . Figure 2 Specifically shown is the portion of the cell sorter contained within the aerosol management system chamber 140. The nozzle 186 and connecting tubing are located in the nozzle chamber 134. The sorting plate 176 and collection tubes 182, 184 are located in the sorting chamber 131. The opening 174 allows the droplet stream 155 to pass through the optical device mounting plate 150 ( Figure 3 ) flows from the nozzle chamber 134 to the sorting chamber 131. Figure 2 The main components located within the nozzle chamber 134 and the sorting chamber 131 including the aerosol management system chamber 140 are shown. Figure 2 The main cabinet protection system 101 is also schematically shown. Figure 2 As shown, the nozzle 186 and connecting hose are located in the nozzle chamber 134. The sheath fluid container 170 contains sheath fluid, which is delivered to the nozzle 186 via the sheath fluid hose 171. The sheath fluid hose 171 passes through the walls of the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140. The protective seal between the sheath fluid hose 171 and the walls of the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140 is not a protective seal that provides an airtight seal for the sheath fluid hose 171. Instead, a seal that is less expensive and easier to install can be used because both the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140 have low pressures that cause airflow inward into the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140. The same is true for the sample fluid hose 173.

[0016] Likewise Figure 2As shown, the aerosol management system chamber 140 surrounds the sorting plate, collection tubes 182, 184, and deflected droplet stream 156. The nozzle chamber 134 and the sorting chamber 131, as well as the opening 174 between the two chambers, comprise the aerosol management system chamber 140. The nozzle 186, the opening 174, the sorting plate 176, and the collection tubes 182, 184 are the main functional components contained within the aerosol management system chamber 140. Placed in the sample input area 107 ( Figure 5 ) is connected to the main cabinet containment system 101 instead of the aerosol management system chamber 140. The sheath fluid container 170, excitation optical device 162, forward scatter detector 180 and side scatter detector 178 are preferably located outside the main cabinet containment system 101. Figure 4 As shown, side scatter optical path 168 and forward scatter optical path 166 project light through optical windows to side scatter detector 178 and forward scatter detector 180, respectively. Other electronics and controllers, as well as the laser, are preferably located outside the main cabinet containment system 101. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Patent 8,557,587, which is specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches, timing and charging circuits, sorting logic controllers, filters, detectors, acquisition electronics, and other electronic circuits and devices, collectively referred to herein as cell sorter electronics and optics, are preferably all located outside the main cabinet and aerosol management containment area to facilitate maintenance and adjustments. In other words, the cell sorter electronics and optics are preferably located in an easily accessible area and do not require access to contaminated areas within the main cabinet containment system 101 or the aerosol management system chamber 140. Thus, the excitation optics 162, side scatter detector 178, and forward scatter detector 180 are preferably easily accessible without requiring access to a biocontainment area. Often, these devices require adjustments, and being able to access them without entering dirty or biocontainment areas greatly improves the speed and maintenance of the system.

[0017] Most important in simplifying maintenance and reducing the size of the containment system is to have the excitation optics 162 located outside the main cabinet containment system 101 and the aerosol management system 149. The excitation optics 162 include an excitation laser or other excitation optics, such as an LED, a light-pumped plasma light generator, an arc lamp, or other excitation optics. The optics include various mirrors, beam combiners, lenses, and the like. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the present invention can simply have the excitation optics 162 located outside the main cabinet and other parts, such as the side scatter detector 178, the forward scatter detector 180, and other equipment located inside the main cabinet 101 and the aerosol management system chamber 140. However, according to another embodiment of the present invention and as Figure 2As shown, optical detection equipment such as side scatter detector 178 and forward scatter detector 180 may also be located outside of main cabinet 101 along with excitation optical device 162. As a third embodiment of the present invention, fluidic devices, such as sheath fluid container 170 and various pumps associated with the sheath fluid, may also be located individually or collectively outside of aerosol management system chamber 140 or main cabinet containment system 101. In other words, various combinations of equipment may be located outside main cabinet 101 and / or aerosol management system chamber 140 to increase accessibility and ease of maintenance of various systems and to reduce the size of the containment area.

[0018] Furthermore, the volume of the main cabinet containment system 101 is significantly reduced by creating an integrated system specifically configured so that only the nozzles and connecting hoses are in the nozzle chamber 134, and the sorting plate 176 and collection tubes 182, 184 are in the sorting chamber. Many cell sorter systems are simply housed in very large and bulky protective enclosures. For example, protective enclosures are typically about nine feet tall and up to six or seven feet wide. In the present invention, by enclosing only specific components, the protected area can be significantly reduced, and the overall size of the integrated biocontainment system 100 can also be significantly reduced. By containing the sample fluid container 172 in the input sample area 107 adjacent to the working area 104 of the main cabinet containment system 101, input fluid can be easily added to and removed from the input sample area 107 because the sample fluid container 172 does not pose a hazard like aerosols generated in the nozzle chamber 134 and sorting chamber 131. Furthermore, using an aerosol management system chamber 140 with an opening to the main cabinet containment system 101 provides additional safety for the operators, as they are not exposed to any harmful particles contained in the aerosol within the aerosol management system chamber 140 .

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the aerosol management system chamber 140. Figure 3As shown, nozzle chamber 134 contains nozzle 186, which is shown in solid lines in an operational position. Sheath fluid 170 and sample fluid 172 are supplied through nozzle 186. Nozzle 186 can also be moved to a cleaning position, as shown in dashed lines. Nozzle chamber door 198 can be opened, allowing access to nozzle 186 in the cleaning position. Nozzles such as nozzle 186 can become clogged due to various reasons, and nozzle 186 can be quickly and easily accessed when in the cleaning position. Similarly, when nozzle chamber door 198 is open, the negative pressure in nozzle chamber 134 is equalized compared to main working area 104, allowing contaminated air to migrate from nozzle chamber 134 to main working area 104 at that time. A droplet stream 155 from nozzle 186 flows through opening 152 and optics mounting plate 150. Droplet stream 155 passes detection point 148 before the droplets separate from the stream. A laser beam detects nozzle stream 153 at detection point 148. The scattered light and the projected light from the detection point 148 pass through the optical window 200 and through the light blocking strip 202 to the side scatter objective lens 204. The side scatter objective lens 204 collects the side scattered light and transmits it through the side scatter aperture 206. The flexible seals 210, 212 and 214 provide a partial seal so that the droplet stream 155 is not transferred to the uncontrolled air 208. The droplet stream 155 passes through the sorting plate 154 and is separated into the deflected droplet stream 156. Figure 1 As shown, the AMS air intake duct 138 is connected to the AMS HEPA filter 141 and the AMS fan 144. Air from the sorting chamber 131 is drawn in through the AMS air intake duct 138 to create a low pressure in both the sorting chamber 131 and the nozzle chamber 134. Air from the main cabinet work area 104 passes through inlets 188 and 194. Air flow 190 from the main cabinet passes through inlet 188, while air flow 196 from the main cabinet passes through inlet 194. The sorting chamber 131 has a sorting chamber door 132 that can be opened to allow an operator to access the sorting plate 154 and collection pipes 182, 184 ( Figure 2 Similarly, because the pressure in the sorting chamber 131 is lower than that in the main cabinet working area 104, the sorting chamber door 132 is opened to equalize the pressure in the sorting chamber and the main cabinet working area 104. In order to prevent harmful aerosols from escaping from the sorting chamber 131 or the nozzle chamber 134, the AMS fan 144 must be used before opening the nozzle chamber door 198 or the sorting chamber door 132. Figure 1 ) Empty the sorting chamber 131 and the nozzle chamber 134. Once the aerosol is cleared from the aerosol management chamber 140, the doors 198, 132 can be opened.

[0020] Figure 4 1 is a front view schematic diagram showing the nozzle chamber 134, the sorting chamber 131 and various devices of the cell sorter located outside the aerosol management system (AMS) 149 and the main cabinet protection system 101. Figure 4As shown, uncontrolled air 208 surrounds nozzle chamber wall 213 of nozzle chamber 134. Laser 216 generates a laser beam along optical path 164, which passes through optical window 215. The laser light intersects nozzle stream 153 at detection point 148. Light transmitted from detection point 148 passes through optical window 217, reaches light barrier 218, and passes through forward scatter objective lens 220. Forward scatter objective lens 220 collects the light and transmits it through pinhole 222 to light detector 224. Droplet stream 155 passes through opening 152 in optics mounting plate 150. Flexible seals 228 and 230 seal sorting chamber 131 to optics mounting plate 150. Droplet stream 155 passes through sorting plate 154 in sorting chamber 131 and is separated by sorting plate 154 into deflected droplet stream 156. Sorting chamber wall 226 separates sorting chamber 131 from uncontrolled air region 208.

[0021] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100. Figure 5 As shown, the exhaust port 110 exhausts clean air from the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100. Clean air is provided to the recirculation plenum 102 by the recirculation duct 108. The filter and fan plenum 121 houses the filter and fan in a position located at the rear and bottom of the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100, allowing the operator to easily access other parts of the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100. The sliding sash (partition) 114 moves in a vertical motion at a certain angle to provide an opening to the main cabinet containment system 101. As shown, when the sliding sash 114 is in the upper position, the operator can access the sample input area 107. When the sliding sash 114 is in the lower position, the nozzle chamber 134 and the sample pipeline are accessible. The grate 118 allows air from outside the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100 to be drawn into the main cabinet containment system 101 so that contaminated air does not flow out of the main cabinet containment system 101. By maintaining a lower pressure in the main cabinet containment system 101 , contaminated air does not escape from the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100 .

[0022] Thus, the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100 provides protection only around the portion of the cell sorting instrument where contaminated air may be generated. Consequently, the integrated biocontainment cell sorter 100 has a small and compact protection zone, smaller fans, and a significantly smaller overall size compared to a cell sorter housed in a large hood or a partially integrated biocontainment cell sorter. Partially integrated biocontainment cell sorters encapsulate many components of the cell sorter that do not require protection and make it difficult to maintain specific areas of the cell sorter that do not require biocontainment. The smaller protection zone results in a smaller fan, which reduces the amount of air that needs to be moved to maintain protection, thereby saving energy.

[0023] The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention unless limited by the prior art.

Claims

1. A bioprotection cell sorter flow cytometer, comprising: a main cabinet, wherein the main cabinet includes a work area; and Cycle path, A cycle path, The circulation path includes a filter and a fan, The fan is operable to draw air from the work area, through the filter, and through the fan. The circulation path also includes a diffuser, The circulation path is arranged so that the air passing through the filter and the fan is delivered to the diffuser within the circulation path and enters the work area.

2. The biocontainment system of claim 1 , wherein the filter is a HEPA filter.

3. A biocontainment system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the fan is operable to draw air from outside the main cabinet into the work area and through the filter.

4. A biocontainment system as described in claim 1, wherein the diffuser is arranged to provide laminar airflow to the work area.

5. The bioprotection system of claim 1 further comprising a particle sorting device.

6. The biocontainment system of claim 1 , further comprising an optical system configured to detect samples located within the main cabinet.

7. A biocontainment system as described in claim 6, wherein the optical system includes a fluid platform disposed in an optical system housing within a main cabinet.

8. A biocontainment system as described in claim 7, wherein the optical system includes optical elements arranged outside the optical system housing.

9. A biocontainment system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the circulation path includes a recirculation duct configured to receive air from the fan.

10. A biocontainment system as described in claim 9, wherein the circulation path includes a recirculation plenum configured to deliver air from the recirculation duct to the diffuser.

11. The biocontainment system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an exhaust port configured to receive air from the fan and deliver it to an environment outside the main cabinet.

12. A biocontainment system as described in claim 1, wherein the main cabinet includes an opening configured to form a fluid connection between the work area and the environment outside the main cabinet.

13. A method of enclosing a substance in a biocontainment system, comprising: Operate the fan to draw air from the work area, through the filter and through the fan into the circulation path, The working area is arranged in the main cabinet. The circulation path is arranged so that air passing through the filter and the fan is delivered in a circulation path to a diffuser in fluid communication with a work area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the filter is a HEPA filter.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the fan is operated to draw air from outside the main cabinet into the work area and through the filter.

16. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising delivering at least part of the air passing through the filter and fan to an environment external to the main cabinet.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the work area is in fluid communication with a housing disposed within a main cabinet.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising conveying air from the housing within the main cabinet to an environment external to the main cabinet.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one optical system or particle sorting device is disposed within the housing.

20. A biocontainment system comprising: a main cabinet, the main cabinet enclosing a working area therein; The main cabinet also encloses a chamber; A cycle path, The circulation path includes a filter and a fan, The fan is operable to draw air from the work area, through the filter and through the fan, The circulation path also includes a diffuser, The circulation path is arranged so that the air passing through the filter and the fan is delivered to the diffuser in the circulation path and enters the work area; and an exhaust path, The exhaust path includes a filter and a fan, The fan is operable to draw air from the chamber, through the filter and through the fan, The exhaust path is arranged to allow air to pass through the filter and the fan and then be delivered to the environment outside the main cabinet.

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