Organ-like screening device
By designing an organoid screening device with adjustable micropores, the heterogeneity and stability of organoids in the well plate culture environment were solved, realizing efficient and low-cost organoid screening, improving the reliability of experimental results and simplifying the operation process.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423305308.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-31
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies exhibit poor heterogeneity and stability of organoids in well plate culture environments, leading to poor reproducibility of drug screening and disease treatment outcomes. Furthermore, the culture process involves high costs and high technical sensitivity.
Design an organoid screening device, including a main body with a support structure and a fixing structure, equipped with a transparent filter membrane with adjustable micropore diameter, which can be connected in series and plugged in to form a gradient screening unit, simplifying operation and reducing cost.
This method enables efficient, low-cost, and low-technical-sensitivity screening of organoids, improves the stability and reproducibility of organoids, and reduces the complexity of experimental operations and material costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN223793183U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical instruments, and specifically relates to a kind of organoid screening device. BACKGROUND
[0002] Organoids are microtissue structures generated from stem cells, pluripotent stem cells or adult stem cells through three-dimensional culture in vitro. These structures not only simulate the morphological characteristics of part of the in vivo organs, but also exhibit the key physiological properties of the original organs. The generation of organoids usually relies on a specific cell self-organization ability, and these cells can autonomously differentiate and arrange to form spatially specific tissues under appropriate culture environment. The emergence of organoids fills the gap between traditional two-dimensional cell culture system and in vivo organs, and provides a more physiologically relevant in vitro research model. With the deepening of organoid research, scientists have been able to use these micro-organs to study tissue development, organ function and disease mechanisms, which has brought a new perspective to biomedical research.
[0003] The diversity and flexibility of organoid technology make it have broad application prospects in disease models, drug screening, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Although organoids have broad application prospects, there are still great challenges in the heterogeneity and stability of organoid formation. The organoids formed in the well plate culture environment with different pore diameters and pore numbers have different sizes and different tightness, which will lead to high heterogeneity between organoids, thus affecting the stability of organoids, and ultimately leading to poor repeatability of drug screening, disease treatment, etc. The current methods to solve this problem include: using low-adhesion well plates to culture organoids to form single organoids with low heterogeneity and high stability, and then transferring the formed organoids to a larger bottom area culture environment for further culture. This method has the problems of increasing the financial pressure in the culture process, increasing the labor cost in the experimental operation, high technical sensitivity, difficulty in replacing culture medium and unstable organoid generation efficiency.
[0004] Therefore, a device for culturing organoids with high efficiency, high cost performance and low technical sensitivity is developed, and the device is specifically a kind of organoid screening device. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT
[0005] In order to overcome the problems proposed in the background art, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:
[0006] The application discloses an organoid screening device, which comprises a main body, a filter membrane and a support structure; the main body comprises a support structure and a fixed structure which are connected; the main body is provided with a cavity which penetrates through the support structure and the fixed structure; the outer profile of the support structure is the same as the inner profile of the cavity along the setting direction of the cavity; the filter membrane is connected with the fixed structure and covers the cavity; a plurality of micropores are arranged through the filter membrane along the setting direction of the cavity, and the micropores are communicated with the cavity; the main body and the filter membrane are connected to form a screening unit; when the fixed structure of the screening unit is inserted into the cavity of another screening unit along the setting direction of the cavity, the two screening units are connected with each other, and the support structures of the two screening units abut against each other.
[0007] Further, the micropores are uniformly distributed on the filter membrane, the diameters of the micropores arranged on the same filter membrane are the same, and the diameters of the micropores of adjacent screening units decrease along the direction of insertion when the screening units are inserted.
[0008] Further, the filter membrane is made of one or more of glass fiber, polyether sulfone and polyvinylidene fluoride, so that the whole screening unit is transparent.
[0009] Further, the diameter of the micropore is one of 50 um, 100 um, 200 um, 300 um or 500 um; if it is required to screen organoids with diameters of 50-150 um, 150-300 um and 300 um or more, the screening units with diameters of 50 um, 150 um and 300 um can be combined from bottom to top.
[0010] Further, the support structure comprises a vertical part which is in a cylindrical shape, and the fixed structure is in a ring shape; the inner wall of the vertical part and the inner wall of the fixed structure surround the cavity; the conventional culture dish has a cylindrical slot, and the through hole of the well plate is mainly a circular hole, so that the cylindrical vertical part is beneficial to better adapt to the culture environment such as a culture dish or a well plate after screening is completed.
[0011] Further, the vertical part is in a cylindrical shape, the inner wall of the vertical part and the inner wall of the fixed structure are both in a cylindrical shape, and the inner wall of the vertical part and the inner wall of the fixed structure are coaxial; when the outer walls of adjacent screening units relatively rotate, the outer walls are always aligned along the connection direction.
[0012] Further, the support structure further comprises a wing portion, the wing portion is arranged around the outer wall of the vertical portion, the outer diameter of the wing portion is greater than the outer diameter of the vertical portion, and the outer diameter of the wing portion is not less than 100mm.
[0013] Further, the inner diameter of the inner wall of the fixing structure is less than the inner diameter of the vertical portion.
[0014] Further, the end face of the wing portion away from the fixing structure is parallel to and does not coincide with the end face of the vertical portion away from the fixing structure.
[0015] Further, along the arrangement direction of the cavity, the length of the fixing structure is greater than the thickness of the filter membrane.
[0016] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:
[0017] By setting the screening unit capable of being mutually connected and having micro-holes with different diameters, the screening unit is selected and combined according to the required organoid type, and the organoid can be screened in multiple rounds according to the diameter gradient, and after filtering is completed, the screening unit carrying the required organoid can be directly placed in the culture environment. The screening unit has simple structure, and the connection and disassembly operation of the screening unit is simple, which can greatly reduce the material cost and labor cost, and has excellent practical effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical scheme of the embodiments of the utility model, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment description, and obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the utility model, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings without creative labor. Among them:
[0019] Figure 1 It is an overall structure schematic view of the utility model for multiple screening units to be connected;
[0020] Figure 2 It is a sectional structure schematic view of the utility model; Figure 1
[0021] Figure 3 It is an explosion structure schematic view of the utility model;
[0022] Figure 4 It is a sectional structure front view of the screening unit;
[0023] In the figure, 1, screening unit; 11, main body; 111, support structure; 1111, vertical part; 1112, wing part; 112, fixed structure; 113, cavity; 12, filter membrane; 121, micropore. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below through specific, specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the content disclosed in the present application. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. In the case of no conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0025] An organoid screening device, as shown in Figures 1-4 includes: a main body 11 including a support structure 111 and a fixed structure 112 connected with each other, the main body 11 being provided with a cavity 113 penetrating through the support structure 111 and the fixed structure 112; along the setting direction of the cavity 113, the outer contour of the support structure 111 is the same as the inner contour of the cavity 113; a filter membrane 12 connected with the fixed structure 112 and shielding the cavity 113, the filter membrane 12 being provided with a plurality of micropores 121 penetrating through along the setting direction of the cavity 113, the micropores 121 being in communication with the cavity 113; the main body 11 and the filter membrane 12 being connected constitute a screening unit 1, when the fixed structure 112 of the screening unit 1 is inserted into the cavity 113 of another screening unit 1 along the setting direction of the cavity 113, the two screening units 1 are connected with each other, at this time, the support structures 111 of the two screening units 1 abut against each other. The inner diameter of the inner wall of the fixed structure 112 is smaller than the inner diameter of the vertical part 1111, so as to ensure that the thickness of the fixed structure 112 is not zero, the wall thickness of the fixed structure 112 being the same as or different from the wall thickness of the vertical part 1111.
[0026] In some embodiments of the present application, as Figures 1-4As shown, micropores 121 are uniformly distributed on the filter membrane 12, and the diameters of micropores 121 on the same filter membrane 12 are all the same. When the screening units 1 are inserted along the setting direction of the cavity 113, the diameters of the micropores 121 of adjacent screening units 1 decrease along the insertion direction. In actual operation, after the screening units 1 are connected in series, they need to be placed on a plane perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Therefore, when the screening units 1 are connected in series, the screening unit 1 with the smallest diameter of micropores 121 is placed at the bottom, and the screening unit 1 with the largest diameter of micropores 121 is placed at the top. After the screening units 1 are connected in series, the organoids are transferred to the uppermost screening unit 1, and the organoids are dispersed using culture medium or balanced salt solution, thereby accelerating the process of smaller organoids moving downward from the upper screening unit 1.
[0027] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, the filter membrane 12 is made of one or more of glass fiber, polyethersulfone, and polyvinylidene fluoride. This makes the entire screening unit 1 transparent, allowing users to directly observe the distribution and filtration of organoids within the cavities 113 when multiple screening units 1 are connected. The diameter of the micropores 121 is one of 50µm, 100µm, 200µm, 300µm, or 500µm. If screening of organoids with diameters of 50-150µm, 150-300µm, or larger than 300µm is required, screening units 1 of 50µm, 150µm, and 300µm can be combined from bottom to top.
[0028] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, the support structure 111 includes a vertical portion 1111, which is cylindrical, and a fixing structure 112, which is annular. The inner walls of the vertical portion 1111 and the fixing structure 112 surround each other to form a cavity 113. Conventional petri dishes have cylindrical slots, and the through holes of well plates are mainly circular holes. Therefore, the cylindrical vertical portion 1111 is beneficial for better adaptation to the culture environment such as petri dishes or well plates after screening. The interconnected screening units 1 have their central axes coincided when connected. The vertical portion 1111 is cylindrical, and the inner walls of the vertical portion 1111 and the fixing structure 112 are both cylindrical. The inner walls of the vertical portion 1111 and the fixing structure 112 are coaxial, and the outer walls of adjacent screening units 1 are always aligned along the connection direction when relative rotation occurs.
[0029] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1-4As shown, the support structure 111 also includes wings 1112, which are arranged around the outer wall of the vertical part 1111. The outer diameter of the wings 1112 is larger than that of the vertical part 1111, and the outer diameter of the wings 1112 is not less than 100 mm. In use, multiple screening units 1 with different diameters of micropores 121 are selected and connected in series according to the diameter of the organoid to be obtained. After screening, the multiple screening units 1 can be directly placed in different culture environments; or, a single screening unit 1 can be placed in a six-well plate, a twelve-well plate, a 10 cm culture dish, or other culture environments. In this case, the wings 1112 can abut against the upper surface of the selected culture dish, preventing the filter membrane 12 and the fixing structure 112 from directly contacting the inner wall of the selected culture dish, thereby preventing the screening unit 1 from damaging the 2D adherent cells in the culture dish, so that the organoid is in a co-culture mode with the 2D adherent cells after screening. The end face of the wing 1112 facing away from the fixed structure 112 is parallel to and does not coincide with the end face of the vertical part 1111 facing away from the fixed structure 112. The top of the vertical part 1111 is higher than the top of the wing 1112, which makes it easier for the user to determine whether the connection between adjacent screening units 1 is tight, and can prevent pollutants that may exist on the upper end of the wing 1112 from directly entering the cavity 113 and affecting the culture of organoids.
[0030] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1-4 As shown, along the setting direction of the cavity 113, the length of the fixing structure 112 is greater than the thickness of the filter membrane 12, so that the external force on the filter membrane 12 can be uniformly applied to the inner wall of the fixing structure 112 through the outer contour.
Claims
1. An organoid screening device, characterized in that, The device includes a main body comprising a connected support structure and a fixing structure, wherein the main body has a cavity penetrating the support structure and the fixing structure; along the direction of the cavity, the outer contour of the support structure is the same as the inner contour of the cavity; a filter membrane connected to the fixing structure and shielding the cavity, wherein the filter membrane has multiple micropores penetrating along the direction of the cavity, and the micropores are in communication with the cavity; when the main body and the filter membrane are connected, they form a screening unit; when the fixing structure of the screening unit is inserted into the cavity of another screening unit along the direction of the cavity, the two screening units are connected to each other, and at this time the support structures of the two screening units abut against each other.
2. The organoid screening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The micropores are uniformly distributed on the filter membrane, and the diameter of the micropores on the same filter membrane is the same. When the screening unit is inserted along the setting direction of the cavity, the diameter of the micropores of the adjacent screening unit decreases along the insertion direction.
3. The organoid screening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the micropore is one of 50um, 100um, 200um, 300um or 500um.
4. The organoid screening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting structure includes a vertical section, which is cylindrical, and the fixing structure is annular. The inner wall of the vertical section and the inner wall of the fixing structure surround each other to form the cavity.
5. The organoid screening device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The vertical part is cylindrical, and the inner wall of the vertical part and the inner wall of the fixing structure are both cylindrical, and the inner wall of the vertical part and the inner wall of the fixing structure are coaxial.
6. The organoid screening device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support structure also includes a wing, which is disposed around the outer wall of the vertical part. The outer diameter of the wing is larger than the outer diameter of the vertical part, and the outer diameter of the wing is not less than 100mm.
7. The organoid screening device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the inner wall of the fixed structure is smaller than the inner diameter of the vertical part.
8. The organoid screening device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The end face of the wing that is away from the fixed structure is parallel to and does not coincide with the end face of the vertical part that is away from the fixed structure.
9. The organoid screening device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the direction in which the cavity is set, the length of the fixing structure is greater than the thickness of the filter membrane.