Drug delivery device and system for cell culture

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of dosing device and system for cell culture, dosing device includes liquid storage mechanism and gas supply mechanism, liquid storage mechanism includes several liquid storage pools, the bottom of liquid storage pool is equipped with liquid outlet hole, liquid outlet hole is set so that the liquid inside liquid storage pool only flows out under the condition that the air pressure in liquid storage pool exceeds first air pressure;Gas supply mechanism includes several gas pipelines, each gas pipeline is sealedly connected with the upper end opening of liquid storage pool one by one, and gas supply mechanism transports preset air pressure greater than first air pressure into liquid storage pool through gas pipeline.The dosing device of the application can completely discharge the liquid in the liquid storage pool by setting the liquid outlet hole at the bottom of the liquid storage pool, avoiding the waste of drugs, and the structure is simple, easy to operate;On the other hand, the structure of the dosing device of the application is easy to cooperate with the microscopic imaging mechanism, to realize the synchronization of dosing and microscopic imaging, and the reaction of cells to drugs can be monitored.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a drug delivery device and a system for cell culture. Background Technology

[0002] Current high-throughput drug screening systems based on fluorescence intensity primarily rely on changes in total fluorescence intensity as the main readout indicator, making it difficult to further analyze the dynamic responses of single cells, organelles, or specific target proteins. One of their core limitations lies in the lack of precise drug delivery devices that can be deeply coupled with microscopic imaging. Existing mainstream drug delivery methods still face several technical bottlenecks:

[0003] 1) Manual pipette administration: It is difficult to synchronize drug administration and imaging, the operation is highly dependent, the stability and repeatability are insufficient, and the throughput is low.

[0004] 2) Peristaltic pump / injection pump tubing for drug delivery: The tubing introduces dead volume, leading to drug waste; at the same time, the tubing requires high cleaning standards, and insufficient cleaning can easily cause cross-contamination; it is also bulky and difficult to integrate with a fluorescence microscope.

[0005] 3) Traditional pipetting workstations: difficult to integrate with fluorescence microscopes and have high overall costs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of existing drug delivery methods, such as drug waste, inconvenience of operation, and difficulty in integration with microscopic imaging mechanisms, and to provide a drug delivery device and a system for cell culture.

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical solution:

[0008] The present invention provides a drug delivery device, which includes a liquid storage mechanism and a gas supply mechanism. The liquid storage mechanism includes a plurality of liquid storage tanks, and the bottom of each liquid storage tank is provided with a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is configured such that the liquid inside the liquid storage tank flows out only when the gas pressure inside the liquid storage tank exceeds a first gas pressure.

[0009] The gas supply mechanism includes several gas delivery pipes, each of which is sealed to the upper opening of the liquid storage tank. The gas supply mechanism delivers a preset gas pressure greater than the first gas pressure to the liquid storage tank through the gas delivery pipes.

[0010] In this solution, on the one hand, by setting up a liquid storage tank and setting a liquid outlet at the bottom of the liquid storage tank, the liquid in the liquid storage tank can be completely discharged by using a gas supply mechanism, avoiding drug waste, and the structure is simple and easy to operate; on the other hand, the structure of the drug delivery device of this application can be easily matched with a microscopic imaging mechanism to realize the simultaneous drug delivery and microscopic imaging, and can more accurately monitor the cell response to the drug.

[0011] Preferably, the liquid storage mechanism includes a clamp, the clamp includes a base and a cover plate, the base is provided with a plurality of placement areas for placing the liquid storage tank, and the cover plate is provided with an air pipe connector corresponding to each of the placement areas, the air pipe connector being used to connect to the air supply pipeline.

[0012] The gas pipe connector is configured to seal the gas delivery pipe to the upper opening of the liquid storage tank corresponding to the placement area when the cover plate is closed with the base.

[0013] In this solution, by adopting the above structure, it is convenient to add liquid to the storage tank or replace the storage tank.

[0014] Preferably, the clamp includes a locking element for securing the cover plate when it is closed onto the base.

[0015] In this solution, the locking mechanism ensures the airtightness of the cover plate when it is closed with the base, thus avoiding affecting the stability of the gas pressure in the reservoir, which could affect the drug administration effect, cause cell disturbance, and affect the cell culture and monitoring results.

[0016] Preferably, the liquid storage mechanism includes a clamp support for mounting the clamp.

[0017] Preferably, the cover plate is rotatably connected to the base.

[0018] Preferably, there are 1 to 8 placement areas.

[0019] Preferably, the placement area is a through hole provided on the base.

[0020] Preferably, the gas supply mechanism includes a solenoid valve assembly, which includes an electromagnetic controller and a plurality of solenoid valves, and the outlet of each solenoid valve is respectively connected to one of the plurality of gas supply pipes.

[0021] The electromagnetic controller is used to control one or more of the corresponding electromagnetic valves to perform opening or closing operations after receiving an external control signal.

[0022] In this solution, multiple liquid storage tanks are controlled by a solenoid valve assembly to achieve synchronous or intermittent drug delivery as needed.

[0023] Preferably, the gas supply mechanism further includes a gas source, a pressure regulating mechanism, and a gas distributor. The outlet of the gas source is connected to the inlet of the pressure regulating mechanism via a pipe, and the outlet of the pressure regulating mechanism is connected to the inlet of the gas distributor via a pipe.

[0024] The gas distributor includes multiple independent gas distribution pipes, and the outlets of the multiple gas distribution pipes are connected one-to-one with the inlets of the multiple solenoid valves.

[0025] In this solution, the output air pressure is maintained at a preset value by the air pressure regulating mechanism to ensure stable air pressure output. The gas is distributed to multiple solenoid valves by the gas distributor to control the air pressure in multiple liquid storage tanks.

[0026] Preferably, the liquid storage tank is a centrifuge tube.

[0027] Preferably, the inner diameter of the lower part of the liquid storage tank gradually decreases.

[0028] Preferably, the volume of the storage tank is 10~1000μL, more preferably 50~500μL, and even more preferably 100~300μL.

[0029] Preferably, the inner diameter of the liquid outlet is 300~500μm, more preferably 350~450μm, and even more preferably 400μm.

[0030] Preferably, the inner diameter of the gas transmission pipeline is 0.1~0.2mm, more preferably 0.12~0.14mm, and even more preferably 0.13mm.

[0031] The present invention also provides a system for cell culture, the system comprising the drug delivery device as described above.

[0032] Preferably, the system further includes a microscopic imaging mechanism, a culture dish, and a control mechanism. The microscopic imaging mechanism includes an image acquisition unit for placing the culture dish and acquiring images of the cells inside the culture dish.

[0033] The control mechanism is equipped with a preset program, which is used to control the drug delivery device to administer drugs into the culture dish and / or control the microscopic imaging mechanism to acquire images according to a preset trigger signal.

[0034] Preferably, the system further includes a triggering mechanism, which is signal-connected to both the microscopic imaging mechanism and the control mechanism. The triggering mechanism is used to receive a first signal from the microscopic imaging mechanism and transmit the first signal to the control mechanism, which executes a preset program and / or a preset program corresponding to the first signal.

[0035] Preferably, the microscopic imaging mechanism is a microscope.

[0036] The positive and progressive effects of the present invention are as follows: On the one hand, the drug delivery device of the present invention can completely drain the liquid in the reservoir by setting a liquid outlet at the bottom of the reservoir, thus avoiding drug waste, and the structure is simple and easy to operate; on the other hand, the structure of the drug delivery device of the present application can be easily matched with a microscopic imaging mechanism to realize the simultaneous administration of drug and microscopic imaging, and can more accurately monitor the cell response to the drug. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram of the drug delivery device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the clamp's cover plate when it is open in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamp after the cover plate is closed in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fixture bracket in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram of the system for cell culture in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0042] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0043] Air compressor 100

[0044] Air pressure regulating mechanism 200

[0045] Gas distributor 300

[0046] Solenoid valve assembly 400

[0047] Solenoid valve 410

[0048] Electromagnetic controller 420

[0049] Reservoir 500

[0050] Fixture 600

[0051] Base 610

[0052] Placement area 611

[0053] Cover plate 620

[0054] Locking component 630

[0055] 640 endotracheal connector

[0056] Fixture bracket 700

[0057] Microscope 10

[0058] Trigger Box 20

[0059] Computer 30

[0060] Petri dish 40 Detailed Implementation

[0061] The present invention will be further illustrated by way of embodiments below, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] like Figures 1-4 As shown, this embodiment provides a drug delivery device, which includes a liquid storage mechanism and a gas supply mechanism. The liquid storage mechanism includes several liquid storage pools 500, each with an outlet at its bottom. The outlet is configured so that liquid inside the liquid storage pool 500 flows out only when the gas pressure inside the liquid storage pool 500 exceeds a first gas pressure (the outlet diameter is in the micrometer range; due to the surface tension of the liquid inside the liquid storage pool 500 being greater than gravity, it will not drip out automatically without a certain pressure). The gas supply mechanism includes several gas delivery pipes, each corresponding to and sealed to the upper opening of the liquid storage pool 500. The gas supply mechanism delivers a preset gas pressure greater than the first gas pressure into the liquid storage pool 500 through the gas delivery pipes.

[0064] Specifically, such as Figures 2-3 As shown, in this embodiment, the liquid storage mechanism includes a clamp 600, which includes a base 610 and a cover plate 620, with the cover plate 620 rotatably connected to the base 610. The base 610 has eight placement areas 611 for placing the liquid storage tank 500. Each placement area 611 is a through hole on the base 610, and the liquid storage tank 500 is installed within the through hole, with its bottom passing through the through hole. The cover plate 620 has eight air pipe connectors 640 corresponding to each placement area 611, for connecting to an air supply pipe. The air pipe connectors 640 are configured such that when the cover plate 620 and the base 610 are closed, the air supply pipe is sealed to the upper opening of the liquid storage tank 500 in the corresponding placement area 611. Through the structure of the clamp 600, the liquid storage tank 500 can be fixed, allowing the air supply mechanism to supply gas into the liquid storage tank 500 to discharge the liquid inside.

[0065] Furthermore, the clamp 600 also includes a locking member 630, which is used to secure the cover plate 620 when it is closed on the base 610. The locking member 630 is rotatably mounted on the side of one end of the base 610. When the cover plate 620 of the clamp 600 is closed on the base 610, the cover plate 620 is locked by rotating it to the locking member 630. When it is necessary to open the cover plate 620, the locking member 630 is rotated in the opposite direction to open the cover plate 620. The locking member 630 ensures the airtightness of the cover plate 620 when it is closed with the base 610, avoiding affecting the gas pressure stability in the reservoir 500, thereby affecting the drug administration effect, causing cell disturbance, and affecting the cell culture and monitoring effect.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown, the liquid storage mechanism also includes a clamp bracket 700 for mounting the clamp 600. The clamp bracket 700 has a receiving groove in its center that matches the shape of the base 610 of the clamp 600, and a through hole is provided in the center of the receiving groove. The clamp 600 is placed in the receiving groove of the clamp bracket 700, and the bottom of the liquid storage tank 500 installed in the placement area 611 passes through the through hole in the center of the receiving groove.

[0067] In this embodiment, the clamp support 700 is a height-adjustable support, which allows adjustment of the distance between the outlet of the reservoir 500 and the cell culture medium below it. In practical use, the clamp 600, on which the reservoir 500 is mounted, is placed on the clamp support 700, and the cell culture dish is placed below the reservoir 500. By adjusting the height of the clamp support 700, the distance between the outlet of the reservoir 500 and the cell culture medium in the culture dish is maintained at a suitable level.

[0068] In this embodiment, the gas supply mechanism further includes a gas source, a pressure regulating mechanism 200, a gas distributor 300, and a solenoid valve assembly 400. The solenoid valve assembly 400 includes an electromagnetic controller 420 and multiple solenoid valves 410, with the outlet of each solenoid valve 410 connected to one of several gas delivery pipes. The electromagnetic controller 420, upon receiving an external control signal, controls one or more corresponding solenoid valves 410 to perform opening or closing operations. The solenoid valve assembly 400 controls multiple liquid storage tanks 500 to administer medication synchronously or at intervals as needed. The outlet of the gas source is connected to the inlet of the pressure regulating mechanism 200 via a pipe, and the outlet of the pressure regulating mechanism 200 is connected to the inlet of the gas distributor 300 via a pipe. The gas distributor 300 includes eight independent gas distribution pipes, with the outlets of the eight gas distribution pipes connected one-to-one to the inlets of the multiple solenoid valves 410. The pressure regulating mechanism 200 maintains the output pressure at a preset value, ensuring stable pressure output. The gas distributor 300 distributes the gas to multiple solenoid valves 410, enabling independent control of the pressure in multiple liquid storage tanks 500.

[0069] In this embodiment, the air source is an air compressor 100. The air compressor 100 is connected to the air inlet of the air pressure regulating mechanism 200 via a pipe. The air outlet of the air pressure regulating mechanism 200 is connected to the air inlet of the 1-to-8 structured gas distributor 300 via a pipe. The air outlets of the eight distribution pipes of the gas distributor 300 are connected one-to-one with the air inlets of the eight solenoid valves 410 of the solenoid valve assembly 400. The air outlet of each solenoid valve 410 is connected to the corresponding air pipe connector 640 on the cover plate 620 via an air supply pipe. The air pipe connector 640 is an L-shaped pagoda connector. The solenoid valve 410 is an OST pneumatic solenoid valve 410 (part number: T103-BL). The air pressure regulating mechanism 200 is an SMS Precision Regulator (part number: IR1000-01-A).

[0070] In this embodiment, the storage tank 500 is a centrifuge tube structure made of PP material, with the inner diameter of the lower part of the storage tank 500 gradually decreasing. The volume of the storage tank 500 is 500 μL, and the diameter of the outlet hole at the bottom of the storage tank 500 is 400 μm. The gas transmission pipe is a PEEK flow resistance pipe with an outer diameter of 1.6 mm, an inner diameter of 0.13 mm, and a length of 10 cm. The volume of the storage tank 500, the diameter of the outlet hole, and the inner diameter and length of the gas transmission pipe can be adjusted as needed, and will not be described in detail here.

[0071] When the drug delivery device is in operation, the air compressor 100 compresses air and outputs it to the pressure regulating mechanism 200. The pressure regulating mechanism 200 controls the output pressure to the set value through the knob. The gas with the set pressure output by the pressure regulating mechanism 200 is evenly divided into eight channels by the gas distributor 300 (the pressure of each part in the parallel pipeline is the same) and input into the corresponding solenoid valve 410. By controlling the opening and closing of different solenoid valves 410, the pressure in the corresponding liquid storage tank 500 is made to reach the preset pressure, thereby controlling the liquid outflow from the corresponding liquid storage tank 500.

[0072] In this embodiment, in order to prevent bacteria or other microorganisms or pollutants in the air from contaminating the liquid in the storage tank 500 and affecting subsequent cell culture, an air cleaning mechanism can be set at the air intake end of the air compressor 100 to filter and purify the air, or a purified air source can be used to apply air pressure to the storage tank 500.

[0073] Example 2

[0074] like Figure 5As shown, this embodiment provides a system for cell culture, including the drug delivery device described in Embodiment 1 above. The system also includes a microscopic imaging mechanism, a culture dish 40, and a control mechanism. The microscopic imaging mechanism includes an image acquisition unit for placing the culture dish 40 and acquiring images of the cells within the dish. The control mechanism has a preset program for controlling the drug delivery device to administer drugs to the culture dish 40 and / or controlling the microscopic imaging mechanism to acquire images based on preset trigger signals. The control mechanism can be a computer 30 or other form of host computer.

[0075] The system for cell culture also includes a triggering mechanism, which is signal-connected to both the microscopic imaging mechanism and the control mechanism. The triggering mechanism receives a first signal from the microscopic imaging mechanism and transmits the first signal to the control mechanism, which then executes a preset program and / or a preset program corresponding to the first signal.

[0076] In this embodiment, the microscopic imaging mechanism is a microscope 10 suitable for scientific research or industry (e.g., a microscope from the Nikon Eclipse Ti2 series). The microscope 10 has a matching image acquisition component (such as an image acquisition card), which controls the microscopic camera to acquire cell images. Furthermore, the objective lens of the microscope 10 is located below the stage, allowing the transparent culture dish 40 to be placed on the stage, enabling direct observation of the cells growing in the culture dish 40 from the bottom up.

[0077] The control mechanism can be a common computer 30. Control software (such as Fluidiclab software from Shanghai Pengzan Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) is installed on the computer 30, and preset programs are set in the control software to control the drug delivery device and / or the microscopic imaging mechanism. The control software can also be other commercially available related control software, or software specially designed according to control requirements. Control software can be programmed by those skilled in the art according to requirements and is a conventional technology, which will not be described in detail here.

[0078] The triggering mechanism has a signal interface that matches the microscope 10, such as a BNC interface, which can stably transmit signals emitted by the microscope 10 (such as 5V TTL signals). The triggering mechanism also has a signal interface that matches the control mechanism (computer 30), such as a USB interface, for signal transmission with the host computer 30 and other upper-level computers.

[0079] In this embodiment, the triggering mechanism can be the trigger box 20 (part number: Trigger box) manufactured by Shanghai Pengzan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The input electrical specifications of the trigger box 20 are: support for standard 5V TTL signals, level threshold conforms to traditional TTL specifications, and internally adopts optocoupler isolation triggering method (triggered by detecting rising edge); pulse width requirement: high level duration ≥1ms to ensure reliable detection; processing core controller: adopts Atmel ATMEGA series MCU (8-bit AVR core).

[0080] In this embodiment, the microscope 10 and the trigger box 20 are connected via a data cable through their BNC interfaces. The trigger box 20 is connected to the computer 30 via a USB interface, enabling signal transmission between the microscope 10 and the computer 30. The computer 30 is also connected to the electromagnetic controller 420 of the drug delivery device via a data cable to control the solenoid valve 410, thereby enabling drug delivery operations in different reservoirs 500.

[0081] In some implementations, if the microscopic imaging mechanism can be directly connected to a host computer or other computer, the microscopic imaging mechanism can directly send trigger signals to the control program to control the drug delivery operation of the drug delivery device.

[0082] In this embodiment, during the acquisition of cell images, the microscope 10 outputs a TTL signal to the trigger box 20 according to the set trigger conditions. After receiving the signal, the trigger box 20 uploads the signal to the control software on the computer 30 via USB-to-serial communication. The control software on the computer 30 outputs control commands to the drug delivery device to start the drug delivery operation according to a preset program. The specific signal transmission and control process is as follows:

[0083] (1) During the real-time acquisition of cell images, the microscope 10 outputs a TTL level signal through hardware (such as Ni PCie-6738) at a pre-set trigger time point. This signal is output to the trigger box 20 through the BNC interface.

[0084] (2) After receiving the TTL signal, the internal circuit of the trigger box 20 performs level identification and processing on the signal. After confirming its validity, the signal is converted into a serial data packet via USB to serial port and uploaded to the control software on the computer 30. The data packet may contain information such as signal source identifier, timestamp and trigger type. The specific information is selected according to the requirements.

[0085] (3) After receiving the signal uploaded by the trigger box 20, the control software in the computer 30 makes a judgment according to the logic rules in the preset program. If the drug administration conditions are met, the software sends a control command to the electromagnetic controller 420 through the serial port or USB interface, specifying the opening of a certain numbered solenoid valve 410. After receiving the command, the electromagnetic controller 420 drives the corresponding solenoid valve 410 to open, so that the drug solution in the corresponding storage tank 500 is output to the culture dish 40.

[0086] In terms of drug administration control, the preset program in the computer 30 pre-programs the corresponding solenoid valve 410 that should be opened under specific conditions. When the trigger box 20 receives a signal from the microscope 10 and forwards it to the computer 30, the preset program determines the current experimental state based on the signal and controls the corresponding solenoid valve 410 to open according to the preset logic via the electromagnetic controller 420, thereby driving the corresponding reservoir 500 to perform the drug administration operation. In some other embodiments, after the drug administration is completed, the preset program can also output a command to the trigger box 20 based on the feedback signal after the drug administration operation is completed. The trigger box 20 then sends the command back to the microscopic imaging mechanism via a TTL signal to trigger it to perform image acquisition, thereby further realizing the coordinated control of microscopic imaging and drug administration operation.

[0087] For example, if the preset program in the control software of computer 30 determines that the drug administration time has reached the preset time, or if the electromagnetic controller 420 returns a "drug administration complete" status signal to computer 30, it will generate a signal indicating that the drug administration operation is complete. Based on this signal, the control software sends a trigger signal to the microscopic imaging mechanism according to the preset program. After receiving the trigger signal, the microscopic imaging mechanism performs an image acquisition (such as taking a frame of image), thereby recording the cell state after drug administration. Through the above process, a closed-loop control of "image acquisition - triggering drug administration - drug administration completion feedback - triggering acquisition again" is formed, realizing precise coordination between microscopic imaging and drug administration operation on a millisecond-level time scale.

[0088] In some implementations, if the microscopic imaging mechanism and the computer 30 cannot be directly connected by signal, a trigger mechanism can be used as an intermediary. The control software sends a serial port command to the trigger mechanism according to a preset program. The trigger mechanism converts the command into a TTL high-level pulse of preset width and outputs it to the external trigger input terminal of the microscopic imaging mechanism through the BNC interface. After receiving the TTL trigger signal, the microscopic imaging mechanism performs image acquisition.

[0089] In some implementations, the computer 30 has a pre-stored program that maps different experimental conditions to solenoid valves 410. For example, when a TTL signal from the trigger box 20 comes from a specific imaging channel or corresponds to a specific time window, the program determines the current experimental state (such as cell type, region location, real-time fluorescence intensity, etc.) based on the signal content, and accordingly decides which reservoir 500's corresponding solenoid valve 410 to open. The control command drives the solenoid valve 410 to operate via the electromagnetic controller 420 using PWM (pulse width modulation) or switching signals, ensuring that the type, dosage, and timing of drug administration meet the experimental design requirements.

[0090] For example, in this embodiment, the culture dish 40 has a culture tank corresponding to the reservoir 500. There are 8 reservoirs 500 and 8 corresponding culture tanks. The type / concentration of the solution in each reservoir 500 is different. According to the experimental requirements, different culture tanks are selected for drug administration, and cell microscopic imaging is performed before and after drug administration to obtain cell response test results.

[0091] In some implementations, one culture tank may correspond to multiple reservoirs 500. By controlling the order and time interval of drug administration in different reservoirs 500, cells in the same culture tank can be imaged and observed.

[0092] In some embodiments, the computer 30 is also connected to the air compressor 100 and the pressure regulating mechanism 200 of the drug delivery device via a data cable to control the air compressor 100 and the pressure regulating mechanism 200, thereby enabling the on / off operation of the air compressor 100 and the pressure output regulation operation of the pressure regulating mechanism 200.

[0093] To simplify control, the air compressor 100 and the pressure regulating mechanism 200 can be manually turned on and adjusted. Before performing microscopic imaging and drug delivery, the air compressor 100 and the pressure regulating mechanism 200 are turned on in advance, and the pressure output value of the pressure regulating mechanism 200 is adjusted.

[0094] Before the system used for cell culture in this embodiment can be used for formal operations, the following operations need to be completed:

[0095] (1) Turn on the power switches of solenoid valve 410, trigger box 20, air compressor 100 and air pressure regulating mechanism 200.

[0096] (2) Set the pressure output value of the pressure regulating mechanism 200. For example, set the dosage of 100uL to 0.03MPa; set the dosage of 300uL to 0.06MPa.

[0097] (3) Add a certain volume of the preset solution to the storage tank 500, clamp the fixture 600, and make sure that the solution is in the storage tank 500 without leakage. Put the fixture 600 back on the stage of the microscope 10, and place the culture dish 40 below the fixture 600 so that the solution in the storage tank 500 can be added to the corresponding culture tank of the culture dish 40.

[0098] (4) Set the preset program for the control software in the computer 30, and set the image acquisition conditions and image acquisition parameters for the image acquisition component control software of the microscope 10. For example, set the first time period to acquire control images, the second time period to perform drug administration, and continue imaging after the second time period.

[0099] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art should understand that these are merely illustrative examples, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, but all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drug delivery device, characterized in that, The drug delivery device includes a liquid storage mechanism and a gas supply mechanism. The liquid storage mechanism includes several liquid storage tanks. The bottom of each liquid storage tank is provided with a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is configured so that the liquid inside the liquid storage tank flows out only when the gas pressure inside the liquid storage tank exceeds a first gas pressure. The gas supply mechanism includes several gas delivery pipes, each of which is sealed to the upper opening of the liquid storage tank. The gas supply mechanism delivers a preset gas pressure greater than the first gas pressure to the liquid storage tank through the gas delivery pipes.

2. The drug delivery device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid storage mechanism includes a clamp, which includes a base and a cover plate. The base is provided with a plurality of placement areas for placing the liquid storage tank, and the cover plate is provided with air pipe connectors corresponding to the placement areas. The air pipe connectors are used to connect to the gas transmission pipeline. The gas pipe connector is configured to seal the gas delivery pipe to the upper opening of the liquid storage tank corresponding to the placement area when the cover plate is closed with the base.

3. The drug delivery device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The clamp includes a locking element for securing the cover plate when it is closed onto the base; And / or, the liquid storage mechanism includes a clamp bracket for mounting the clamp; And / or, the cover plate is rotatably connected to the base; And / or, the placement area has 1 to 8; And / or, the placement area is a through hole provided on the base.

4. The drug delivery device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas supply mechanism includes a solenoid valve assembly, which includes an electromagnetic controller and multiple solenoid valves. The outlet of each solenoid valve is connected to one of the several gas supply pipelines. The electromagnetic controller is used to control one or more of the corresponding electromagnetic valves to perform opening or closing operations after receiving an external control signal.

5. The drug delivery device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The gas supply mechanism also includes a gas source, a pressure regulating mechanism, and a gas distributor. The outlet of the gas source is connected to the inlet of the pressure regulating mechanism via a pipe, and the outlet of the pressure regulating mechanism is connected to the inlet of the gas distributor via a pipe. The gas distributor includes multiple independent gas distribution pipes, and the outlets of the multiple gas distribution pipes are connected one-to-one with the inlets of the multiple solenoid valves.

6. The drug delivery device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The storage tank is a centrifuge tube; And / or, the inner diameter of the lower part of the storage tank gradually decreases; And / or, the volume of the storage tank is 10~1000μL, preferably 50~500μL, and more preferably 100~300μL; And / or, the inner diameter of the liquid outlet is 300~500μm, preferably 350~450μm, and more preferably 400μm; And / or, the inner diameter of the gas transmission pipeline is 0.1~0.2mm, preferably 0.12~0.14mm, and more preferably 0.13mm.

7. A system for cell culture, characterized in that, The system includes a drug delivery device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The system for cell culture as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The system also includes a microscopic imaging mechanism, a culture dish, and a control mechanism. The microscopic imaging mechanism includes an image acquisition unit, which acquires images of the cells in the culture dish. The control mechanism is equipped with a preset program, which is used to control the drug delivery device to administer drugs into the culture dish and / or control the microscopic imaging mechanism to acquire images according to a preset trigger signal.

9. The system for cell culture as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The system further includes a triggering mechanism, which is signal-connected to the microscopic imaging mechanism and the control mechanism respectively. The triggering mechanism is used to receive a first signal from the microscopic imaging mechanism and transmit the first signal to the control mechanism. The control mechanism executes a preset program and / or a preset program corresponding to the first signal.

10. The system for cell culture as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The microscopic imaging mechanism is a microscope.

Images