Miniature cell culture chamber suitable for ultrahigh-flux living cell imaging

Abstract

The utility model discloses a miniature cell culture chamber suitable for ultrahigh-flux living cell imaging. The miniature cell culture chamber comprises a culture box with an opening at the front end, a culture plate is connected in the culture box in a sliding manner; a plurality of imaging grooves are formed in the culture plate; an adapter for placing a culture vessel is arranged at the top of the culture plate; the adapters and the imaging grooves are the same in number and are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence mode. A CO2 inlet and an N2 inlet are formed in the top of the incubator; an air filter, a heating module and a humidifier are arranged in the incubator; a lamp panel is arranged at the top of the incubator; lED lamps are distributed at the bottom of the lamp panel in an array mode. A transparent imaging plate is arranged at the bottom of the incubator. Through cooperation of the culture plate, the imaging groove, the imaging plate, the adapter, the LED lamp and other components, the living cell ultra-high-flux imaging device can achieve living cell ultra-high-flux imaging, is convenient to operate, high in space utilization rate and small in internal space, and can guarantee uniformity of internal gas, temperature and humidity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of cell culture, and more specifically to a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput living cell imaging. Background Art

[0002] Cell biology is a discipline that studies life processes at the cellular level. In the early days, cytology was mainly based on morphological descriptions. Later, cytology absorbed the achievements of molecular biology and went deep into the ultrastructural level. It mainly studied biological processes such as cell growth, metabolism and heredity. Cytology has developed into cell biology. The culture of cells requires cell culture equipment, and the cell culture dishes need to be kept under appropriate conditions.

[0003] Currently, most live cell culture devices are live cell incubators, with specifications ranging from 40L, 150L, ​​and 240L. They are all independent instruments and cannot be connected to live cell imaging. There are also very few small culture devices designed for live cell imaging that can basically only hold one culture vessel and can only be used for a short period of time in conjunction with a microscope stage. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the utility model provides a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput living cell imaging, the purpose of which is to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging, comprising: an incubator with an open front end; a culture plate slidably connected inside the incubator; a plurality of imaging slots provided on the culture plate; an adapter for placing culture vessels provided on the top of the culture plate; the adapters are the same in number as the imaging slots and are provided in a one-to-one correspondence; a CO2 air inlet and a N2 air inlet are provided on the top of the incubator; an air filter, a heating module and a humidifier are provided inside the incubator; a light board is provided on the top of the incubator; a plurality of LED lights are distributed in an array at the bottom of the light board; and a transparent imaging board is provided at the bottom of the incubator.

[0007] Preferably, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 concentration sensor and an O2 concentration sensor are provided in the incubator.

[0008] Preferably, slide rails are provided on both left and right sides of the bottom of the culture plate; correspondingly, slide grooves adapted to the slide rails are provided on the inner bottom wall of the culture box; and each of the slide rails is slidably connected to the corresponding slide groove.

[0009] Preferably, a stopper assembly for fixing the culture plate is provided at the front end of the bottom wall of the culture box.

[0010] Preferably, the stop assembly includes a base and a stop plate; a mounting groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the incubator; the base is fixedly connected to the mounting groove; the stop plate is rotatably connected to the base via a rotating shaft; a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft; one end of the torsion spring is connected to the stop plate, and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the base; a stop groove adapted to the stop plate is provided at the bottom of the incubator plate.

[0011] Preferably, a front side plate is provided at the front end of the culture plate; and a handle is provided on the front side of the front side plate.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has achieved the following technical effects:

[0013] 1) The utility model can realize ultra-high throughput imaging of living cells by cooperating with components such as a culture plate, an imaging tank, an imaging plate, an adapter, and an LED lamp;

[0014] 2) The utility model has a simple structure, convenient operation, high space utilization, and a small internal space, which can ensure the uniformity of internal gas, temperature and humidity;

[0015] 3) The utility model has good sealing performance, which is conducive to maintaining a clean culture and growth environment for living cells;

[0016] 4) The utility model can be replaced with different adapters as needed, so that it can be used with culture vessels of different types and specifications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional diagram from a top-down perspective of a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a stereoscopic image of a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to the utility model, viewed from an upward perspective;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to the utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to the utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the culture plate;

[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the stop assembly;

[0023] Figure 7It is a structural diagram of the light board;

[0024] In the figure: 1. incubator; 2. culture plate; 3. imaging slot; 4. adapter; 5. culture vessel; 6. CO2 air inlet; 7. N2 air inlet; 8. air filter; 9. heating module; 10. light board; 11. LED light; 12. imaging board; 13. temperature sensor; 14. humidity sensor; 15. CO2 concentration sensor; 16. O2 concentration sensor; 17. slide rail; 18. slide slot; 19. base; 20. stop plate; 21. stop slot; 22. front side panel; 23. handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0026] Example

[0027] Reference Figure 1-7 As shown, the utility model discloses a micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging, comprising: a culture box 1 with an open front end; a culture plate 2 is slidably connected in the culture box 1; a plurality of imaging slots 3 are provided on the culture plate 2, so that a live cell imaging device arranged below the culture box 1 can image the live cells; an adapter 4 for placing a culture vessel 5 is provided on the top of the culture plate 2; the number of the adapters 4 and the imaging slots 3 are the same, and they are arranged one by one; a CO2 air inlet 6 and a N2 air inlet 7 are provided on the top of the culture box 1; an air filter 8, a heating module 9 and a humidifier are provided at the rear end of the culture box 1; a light board 10 is provided on the top of the culture box 1; a plurality of LED lights 11 are distributed in an array at the bottom of the light board 10; a transparent imaging board is provided at the bottom of the culture box 1 12; when in use, each culture vessel 5 with living cells is placed on the corresponding adapter 4, and each adapter 4 is placed on the culture plate 2, and then the culture plate 2 is pushed into the incubator 1. By setting a transparent imaging plate 12 at the bottom of the incubator, it is convenient for the living cell imaging device set below the incubator 1 to image the living cells. In this process, the CO2 air inlet 6, the N2 air inlet 7, the air filter 8, the heating module 9 and the humidifier cooperate with each other to adjust the carbon dioxide concentration, oxygen concentration, temperature and humidity inside the incubator 1, so as to provide the living cells or organoids with the environment required to maintain growth conditions and physiological activity, and provide illumination for living cell imaging through the light board 10 and the LED lamp, thereby realizing ultra-high throughput imaging of living cells.

[0028] The above technical solution can achieve ultra-high throughput imaging of living cells by cooperating with components such as culture plates, imaging tanks, imaging boards, adapters, LED lights, etc. The entire device has a simple structure, convenient operation, high space utilization, and a small internal space, which can ensure the uniformity of internal gas, temperature and humidity.

[0029] In this embodiment, a temperature sensor 13 , a humidity sensor 14 , a CO 2 concentration sensor 15 and an O 2 concentration sensor 16 are provided in the incubator 1 for detecting the temperature, humidity, CO 2 concentration and O 2 concentration inside the incubator 1 .

[0030] In this embodiment, slide rails 17 are provided on both left and right sides of the bottom of the culture plate 2; accordingly, slide grooves 18 adapted to the slide rails 17 are provided on the inner bottom wall of the incubator 1; each slide rail 17 is slidably connected to the corresponding slide groove 18.

[0031] In this embodiment, a stop assembly for fixing the culture plate 2 is provided at the front end of the bottom wall of the incubator 1. When the culture plate 2 is pushed into the incubator 1, the culture plate 2 is fixed by the stop assembly to prevent the culture plate 2 from shaking, thereby ensuring the sealing of the incubator, which is conducive to maintaining a clean culture and growth environment for living cells.

[0032] In this embodiment, the stop assembly includes a base 19 and a stop plate 20; a mounting groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the incubator 1; the base 19 is fixedly connected in the mounting groove; the stop plate 20 is rotatably connected to the base 19 through a rotating shaft; a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft; one end of the torsion spring is connected to the stop plate 20, and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the base 19; a stop groove 21 adapted to the stop plate 20 is provided on the front side of the bottom of the culture plate 2; in the process of pushing the culture plate 2 into the incubator 1, the culture plate 2 squeezes the stop plate 20, so that the stop plate 20 rotates a certain angle, at which time the torsion spring is twisted by force, and when the culture plate 2 completely enters the interior of the incubator 1, the stop groove 21 on the culture plate 2 moves to the top of the stop plate 20, and the stop plate 20 enters the stop groove 21 under the action of the torsion spring, so as to fix the culture plate 2, and when the culture plate 2 needs to be taken out, the stop plate 20 is rotated to disengage the stop plate 20 from the stop groove 21, and the culture plate 2 can be pulled out.

[0033] In this embodiment, a front side plate 22 is provided at the front end of the culture plate 2; a handle 23 is provided on the front side of the front side plate 22 to facilitate pushing the culture plate into or out of the incubator.

[0034] In this embodiment, the adapter 4 is detachably connected to the culture plate 2, and the culture chamber is equipped with adapters of different specifications. When in use, different adapters can be replaced as needed to meet the use requirements of culture vessels of different types and specifications, thereby improving the applicability of the culture chamber.

[0035] In this embodiment, a support block is provided at the inner corner of the imaging slot 3 for supporting the adapter 4; the adapter 4 is inserted into the imaging slot 3, and its bottom abuts against the top of the support block, so that the adapter 4 can be detachably connected to the culture plate 2, thereby facilitating the removal and placement of the adapter.

[0036] In this embodiment, a CO2 booster pump and a N2 booster pump are provided outside the incubator 1; the CO2 air inlet 6 is connected to the CO2 booster pump through a CO2 air inlet pipe and a CO2 solenoid valve; the N2 air inlet 7 is connected to the N2 booster pump through a N2 air inlet pipe and a N2 solenoid valve.

[0037] In this embodiment, the incubator 1 includes a bottom plate and a cover plate; the cover plate is arranged on the top of the bottom plate; the CO2 air inlet 6 and the N2 air inlet 7 are both arranged on the top of the cover plate; the air filter 8, the heating module 9, the humidifier and the imaging plate 12 are all arranged on the bottom plate.

[0038] In this embodiment, the number of heating modules 9 is two.

[0039] In this embodiment, the imaging plate 12 is made of a transparent glass plate.

[0040] In this embodiment, the number of imaging slots 3 is six; the six imaging slots 3 are arranged in two rows.

[0041] In some other embodiments, the number of imaging slots 3 and heating modules 9 can be designed according to actual conditions.

[0042] Control process: CO2 concentration sensor 15 and O2 concentration sensor 16 monitor the carbon dioxide concentration and oxygen concentration inside the incubator 1, and transmit the data to the control module, and the CO2 solenoid valve and the N2 solenoid valve are controlled by the control module to adjust the carbon dioxide concentration and oxygen concentration inside the incubator 1; the temperature sensor 13 monitors the internal temperature of the incubator 1, and transmits the data to the control module, and the heating module 9 is controlled by the control module to adjust the internal temperature of the incubator 1; the humidity sensor 14 monitors the humidity inside the incubator 1, and transmits the data to the control module, and the humidifier is controlled by the control module to adjust the humidity inside the incubator 1; the microscopic imaging trigger signal controls the corresponding LED on the light board 10 to turn on and off through the control module.

[0043] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, any minor modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging, characterized in that: include: A culture box (1) with an open front end; a culture plate (2) is slidably connected inside the culture box (1); a plurality of imaging slots (3) are provided on the culture plate (2); an adapter (4) for placing a culture vessel (5) is provided on the top of the culture plate (2); the adapters (4) are the same in number as the imaging slots (3) and are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence; a CO2 air inlet (6) and a N2 air inlet (7) are provided on the top of the culture box (1); an air filter (8), a heating module (9) and a humidifier are provided inside the culture box (1); a light board (10) is provided on the top of the culture box (1); a plurality of LED lights (11) are arranged in an array at the bottom of the light board (10); and a transparent imaging board (12) is provided at the bottom of the culture box (1).

2. A micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The incubator (1) is provided with a temperature sensor (13), a humidity sensor (14), a CO2 concentration sensor (15) and an O2 concentration sensor (16).

3. A micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The culture plate (2) is provided with slide rails (17) on both left and right sides of the bottom; correspondingly, the bottom wall of the culture box (1) is provided with slide grooves (18) adapted to the slide rails (17); each of the slide rails (17) is slidably connected to a corresponding slide groove (18).

4. The micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: A stopper assembly for fixing the culture plate (2) is provided at the front end of the bottom wall of the culture box (1).

5. A micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stop assembly comprises a base (19) and a stop plate (20); a mounting groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the culture box (1); the base (19) is fixedly connected to the mounting groove; the stop plate (20) is rotatably connected to the base (19) via a rotating shaft; a torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft; one end of the torsion spring is connected to the stop plate (20), and the other end of the torsion spring is connected to the base (19); a stop groove (21) adapted to the stop plate (20) is provided at the bottom of the culture plate (2).

6. The micro cell culture chamber suitable for ultra-high throughput live cell imaging according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the culture plate (2) is provided with a front side plate (22); the front side surface of the front side plate (22) is provided with a handle (23).

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