Cell containing culture device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of microorganism culture, and discloses a cell containing culture device which comprises a plate body, a plurality of base holes arranged in a rectangular shape are formed in the plate body, and a fluid channel is formed between every two adjacent base holes in each column; each culture basket and the plate body are separately arranged in the base hole; a basket body of the culture basket comprises an upper section and a lower section, and the radial size of the lower section is smaller than that of the upper section, so that a radial contraction section is formed; the wall of the upper section is provided with an overflowing structure which allows fluid to pass through and limits cells to pass through, and the wall of the lower section limits the fluid to pass through, so that after the culture basket is lifted, the culture medium remains in the lower section.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the prior art, a typical container capable of simultaneously culturing a large number of biological cells is a well plate, which specifically includes a plate body and rectangularly arranged basic holes arranged on the plate body. The biological cells are arranged in the basic holes and cultured with the culture medium therein. In order to be able to replace or transfer the culture medium as uniformly as possible, fluid channels are opened between each column of the basic holes to enable communication between adjacent basic holes. In this way, the culture medium can flow along the fluid channels to achieve the replacement or transfer of the culture medium, and interception structures are arranged on both sides of each basic hole to limit the biological cells from moving to other basic holes with the flow of the culture medium.

[0003] When culturing biological cells using well plates, there may be a requirement to transfer cells from one (or some) of the wells. However, the presence of a large amount of culture medium in the wells makes it difficult to capture or pick up the cells in the culture medium, thus making the transfer operation difficult. Currently, the following two methods are mainly used in the existing technology to achieve cell transfer.

[0004] The first method involves pre-placing a filter basket in each culture medium. When cells are transferred from the basal well, the basket is lifted so that only its bottom is in the culture medium. This helps limit the free range of cells, facilitating their capture or pickup using a transfer tube. However, this method has several drawbacks: First, the basket must be raised at a precise angle to ensure its bottom enters the culture medium in the basal well. Second, the curved bottom of the basket still allows cells a large free range. Furthermore, if the basket is lifted using tools (such as tweezers), it cannot be re-secured, making it difficult to stabilize in the basal well. Finally, when the basket, typically made of a mesh and filter cloth, is lifted, cells may adhere to the basket and become difficult to locate in the culture medium at the bottom, making it difficult to retrieve or easily damaging the cells.

[0005] The second method is to temporarily discharge the culture medium in the column where the base wells are located so that the cells to be picked up can only float freely in a smaller range, thereby facilitating the picking of cells. However, this method is bound to affect the culture of cells in other base wells, and after picking up the cells, a large amount of culture medium needs to be re-injected into the base wells. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a cell culture device.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: A cell culture device, comprising: A plate body is provided with a plurality of rectangularly arranged basic holes, and a fluid channel is provided between two adjacent basic holes in each row; Culture baskets, each culture basket is detachably arranged in the base hole from the plate body; wherein: The culture basket body includes an upper section and a lower section, wherein the radial dimension of the lower section is smaller than the radial dimension of the upper section to form a radially contracted section; The wall of the upper section is provided with a flow-through structure that allows fluid to pass through and limits the passage of cells, and the wall of the lower section limits the passage of fluid, so that after the culture basket is lifted, the culture medium remains in the lower section.

[0008] Preferably, the upper section and the lower section are formed separately, the upper section is made of a mesh, and the flow-through structure is the mesh holes on the mesh.

[0009] Preferably, the upper section and the lower section are integrally formed, and the flow-through structure is a plurality of slits radially penetrating the wall of the upper section, and the plurality of slits extend vertically and are arranged circumferentially.

[0010] Preferably, the inner side of the wall of the upper section is coated with a hydrophobic layer, and the slit passes through the hydrophobic layer.

[0011] Preferably, an outer flange is formed at the basket opening of the culture basket, and magnetic components are respectively fixed to the outer flange and the periphery of the opening of the base hole, and magnetic attraction is formed between the two magnetic components.

[0012] Preferably, a warped portion bent upward is formed on the outer flange, and the culture basket can be lifted up or placed into the base hole by clamping the warped portion with a tool.

[0013] Preferably, a limiting hole is configured at the bottom of the base hole, and the lower portion of the lower section extends into the limiting hole.

[0014] Preferably, an upstream liquid storage tank is configured on the plate body upstream of each column of the basic holes, and a downstream liquid storage tank is configured on the plate body downstream of each column of the basic holes.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the cell culture device provided by the present invention has the following advantages: By adding a culture basket and machining a flow-through structure on the wall of the upper section of the basket body, the lower section is configured as a radially contracted section. As a result, after the culture basket is lifted, the culture medium and cells only remain in the lower section with a very small volume, making it easier for the cell transfer tube to pick up cells from the lower section.

[0016] This disclosure is an overview of various implementations or examples of the technology, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of the full scope or all features of the disclosed technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the plate body in the cell culture device provided by the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An enlarged view of detail A.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the cell culture device provided by the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 3 An enlarged view of detail B.

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 4 CC sectional view (culture basket is in the home position).

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 4 CC sectional view (culture basket is in the lifted state).

[0023] Reference numerals: 10-plate body; 11-base hole; 111-limiting hole; 12-fluid channel; 13-upstream liquid reservoir; 14-downstream liquid reservoir; 20-culture basket; 21-upper section; 22-lower section; 23-outer flange; 24-warped portion; 25-flow structure; 30-magnet component; 100-cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the present invention shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar terms used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects preceding the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0025] In order to keep the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, detailed descriptions of known functions and known components are omitted.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the present invention discloses a cell culture device, which includes: a plate body 10, a culture basket 20 and auxiliary tools.

[0027] Numerous basal holes 11 are arranged in a matrix on the upper surface of the plate body 10. A fluid channel 12 is provided between each adjacent basal hole 11 in each column. The fluid channel 12 connects all basal holes 11 in each column in series. An upstream liquid reservoir 13 is provided upstream of each column of basal holes 11, communicating with the basal holes 11 via the fluid channel 12. A downstream liquid reservoir 14 is provided downstream of each column of basal holes 11, communicating with the basal holes 11 via the fluid channel 12. In this way, culture medium in the upstream liquid reservoir 13 can alternately flow through the basal holes 11 and fluid channels 12 in its column, ultimately flowing into the downstream liquid reservoir 14. This ensures that culture medium is always present within the basal holes 11 and allows for its flow. The basal holes 11, fluid channels 12, upstream liquid reservoir 13, and downstream liquid reservoir 14 can be fabricated by cutting, injection molding, or laser engraving.

[0028] Each base hole 11 can accommodate a culture basket 20, in which cells 100 are placed and grown. The culture basket 20 includes an upper section 21, a lower section 22, and an outward-turned flange 23 at the basket opening. The flange 23 overlaps the periphery of the opening of the base hole 11, allowing the culture basket 20 to be supported by the plate 10.

[0029] In the present invention, a flow-through structure 25 is configured on the walls of the upper section 21 and the transition section where the upper section 21 and the lower section 22 meet. This flow-through structure 25 allows the passage of culture medium while restricting the passage of cells 100. The wall of the lower section 22 restricts the passage of culture medium, thereby preventing the culture medium within the lower section 22 from flowing out through the wall of the lower section 22. The radial dimension of the lower section 22 is smaller than that of the upper section 21, forming a radially contracted section, and the axial dimension of the lower section 22 is smaller than that of the upper section 21. Thus, the volume of the lower section 22 is significantly smaller than that of the upper section 21. Preferably, the lower section 22 is configured in a nipple-like shape.

[0030] like Figure 5 As shown, when the culture basket 20 is located in the base hole 11, the culture medium can enter the culture basket 20 and pass through the culture basket 20 through the flow structure 25 of the upper section 21, so that there is always enough culture medium in the culture basket 20 to feed the cells 100 and the culture medium can flow and be renewed.

[0031] like Figure 6 As shown, when all or part of the cells 100 in the culture basket 20 need to be transferred, the culture basket 20 is first lifted. After the culture basket 20 is lifted, the upper section 21 allows the culture basket 20 to leak, while the lower section 22 does not. Therefore, only the lower section 22 of the culture basket 20 retains the culture medium, and the cells 100 are collected in this section. Therefore, an auxiliary tool such as a cell transfer tube can be inserted from the basket opening of the culture basket 20 to the bottom of the culture basket 20. Through suction, the cells 100 and the culture medium enter the cell transfer tube, thereby picking up the cells 100. After picking up, the culture basket 20 can be returned to the base hole 11.

[0032] The upper section 21 (including the transition section) and the lower section 22 of the culture basket 20 are formed by combining two separate parts. The upper section 21 is made of a mesh, and the mesh holes of the mesh serve as the flow structure 25. The lower section 22 can be made of transparent organic glass or silicone. The upper section 21 and the lower section 22 are combined by bonding.

[0033] In some preferred configurations, the upper section 21 and lower section 22 of the culture basket 20 are integrally formed, for example, from transparent organic glass. The flow-through structure 25 comprises a plurality of slits (not shown in the figures) formed in the wall of the upper section 21. The slits extend vertically and are arranged circumferentially. The inner surface of the wall of the upper section 21 is coated with a hydrophobic layer, and the slits extend through the hydrophobic layer. For example, the hydrophobic coating step is performed before the slits are formed. This prevents cells 100 from adhering to the inner surface of the wall of the upper section 21 when culture medium leaks through the slits, causing the culture medium level to drop during the lifting process. Consequently, cells 100 are almost entirely transported into the lower section 22.

[0034] In some preferred structures, magnetic components 30 are attached and fixed to the bottom of the outer flange 23 of the culture basket 20 and the peripheral area of the opening of the base hole 11 corresponding to the outer flange 23. When the culture basket 20 is returned to the base hole 11, the magnetic attraction between the two magnetic components 30 can increase the stability of the culture basket 20 at the base hole 11, and the culture basket 20 can still remain stable after repeated lifting and returning to its original position.

[0035] In some preferred structures, a limiting hole 111 is configured at the bottom of the base hole 11, and the lower part of the lower section 22 extends into the limiting hole 111. The limiting hole 111 is used to limit the radial shaking of the culture basket 20, thereby further improving the stability of the culture basket 20 in the base hole 11.

[0036] In some preferred structures, an upwardly bent portion 24 is formed on the outer flange 23 , and the culture basket 20 can be easily lifted or placed into the base hole 11 by gripping the bent portion 24 with an auxiliary tool such as tweezers.

Claims

1. A cell culture device, characterized in that: include: A plate body is provided with a plurality of rectangularly arranged basic holes, and a fluid channel is provided between two adjacent basic holes in each row; Culture baskets, each culture basket is detachably arranged in the base hole from the plate body; wherein: The culture basket body includes an upper section and a lower section, wherein the radial dimension of the lower section is smaller than the radial dimension of the upper section to form a radially contracted section; The wall of the upper section is provided with a flow-through structure that allows fluid to pass through and limits the passage of cells, and the wall of the lower section limits the passage of fluid, so that after the culture basket is lifted, the culture medium remains in the lower section.

2. The cell culture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper section and the lower section are formed separately, the upper section is made of a mesh, and the flow-through structure is the mesh holes on the mesh.

3. The cell culture device according to claim 1, wherein: The upper section and the lower section are integrally formed, and the flow-through structure is a plurality of slits radially penetrating the wall of the upper section, wherein the plurality of slits extend vertically and are arranged circumferentially.

4. The cell culture device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner side of the wall of the upper section is coated with a hydrophobic layer, and the slit passes through the hydrophobic layer.

5. The cell culture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An outer flange is formed at the basket opening of the culture basket, and magnetic components are respectively fixed to the outer flange and the periphery of the opening of the base hole, and magnetic attraction is formed between the two magnetic components.

6. The cell culture device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A warping portion bent upward is formed on the outer turning edge, and the culture basket can be lifted up or placed into the base hole by clamping the warping portion with a tool.

7. The cell culture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting hole is arranged at the bottom of the base hole, and the lower portion of the lower section extends into the limiting hole.

8. The cell culture device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upstream liquid storage tank is configured on the plate body upstream of each column of the basic holes, and a downstream liquid storage tank is configured on the plate body downstream of each column of the basic holes.

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