Optically clear sealable petri dish bioreactor

Abstract

A Petri dish bioreactor can allow a standard Petri dish to be converted to a microscopically observable bioreactor. A bioreactor can be formed by the compression of a device against the edge of a Petri dish thus creating a sealed isolated chamber. One advantage of this conversion is to provide an inexpensive device that can be used for cell culture, observation, transportation, and storage in the laboratory and clinical setting. Further, by creating a sealed bioreactor chamber accessible by ports, the device can reduce cross contamination and allow for the maintenance of a controlled microenvironment within the bioreactor.

Description

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) as a nonprovisional application of U.S. Prov. App. No. 62 / 564,395 filed on Sep. 28, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the present application, as well as applications mentioned in the specification are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.BACKGROUNDField of the Invention[0002]This invention relates in some aspects to a biomedical device utilized to cultivate and microscopically examine microorganisms and cells.Description of the Related Art[0003]Bioreactors are primarily used for cell culture where they are used to cultivate bacteria, yeast, and animal cells for the basic science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. Small scale bioreactors are often used for cell expansion...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a bioreactor system using a petri dish and an adapter body that can be used for cell culture. The system has customizable ports for flexibility in tubing, filters, and other components, and can be made from disposable or resterilizable materials. It allows for safe and efficient cell culture and manipulation, as well as infection control. The bioreactor system also includes an optically clear material for supporting microscopic viewing and a concave gasket for easy fitting and alignment of the petri dish. The internal temperature and pH of the bioreactor can be controlled, and a bicarbonate buffer can be used for pH control. Overall, the bioreactor system provides improved efficiency and flexibility while reducing production costs.

Problems solved by technology

Currently, to the inventors' knowledge there are no commercially available products that create a sealable watertight bioreactor using a Petri dish and bioreactor adapter.

Most commercially available bioreactors are for industrial use and are extremely costly.

The large scale of these devices may also be inappropriate for research and for personalized medicine applications.

In addition, the cells in these bioreactors cannot be observed microscopically without withdrawing a sample.

When perfusing new media into a Petri dish with a perfusion pump, there can be a problem of perfusion mismatch which can cause overflow and increase the risk for environmental contamination.

Ensuring sterility is another challenge since the components used in these designs are often not sterile single-use.

Biofilm accumulation on bioreactor components can be a source of contamination and can be a concern when resterilizing.

In a microbiology application, growing anaerobic bacteria is also not possible in many of these systems because they are not airtight.

The bioreactor can include an optically clear material to support microscopic viewing, can be mechanically strong to support the compression mechanism, have similar thermal expansion coefficients to prevent loosening of components, and biocompatible to support biological growth.

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