A cell culture bag

Abstract

The utility model provides a cell culture bag, cell culture bag includes cylindrical bag body and conical bag bottom, the bottom outside of conical bag bottom is provided first card convex, first card convex can fixed concave magnet, concave magnet is adsorbed in the bottom of culture tank, the utility model discloses a first card convex and concave magnet with cell culture bag bottom and culture tank are fixed, not only make cell culture bag more stable in the process of culturing cell, provide steady state environment for cell growth, and avoid the risk of mechanical scratch of bag body in culture tank and the risk of bag body breakage and pollution, can make different batch culture condition consistent simultaneously, satisfy the standard requirement of large -scale culture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of bioreactor equipment technology, and more specifically, relates to a cell culture bag. Background Technology

[0002] Cell culture bags, as a core consumable for high-density culture of suspension cells, have been widely used in key areas such as antibody production, exosome preparation, and cell therapy due to their excellent biocompatibility, breathability, and ease of operation. In practical applications, cell culture bags need to be used in conjunction with culture tanks (or bioreactors) to ensure stable placement of the bags in the culture environment through a fixed structure, thereby ensuring the necessary temperature, gas exchange, and nutrient transfer efficiency for cell growth. Currently, existing technologies commonly employ a single-point or single-side fixation design for cell culture bags and culture flasks. This means the cell culture bag is suspended or fixed to the upper wall of the culture flask via a hook, interface, or clamping structure at the top, while the bottom of the bag hangs freely. For example, conventional cell culture bags are only fixed by connecting to a syringe sleeve via a screw thread at the top, with the bottom placed directly on the culture flask tray or shaker, without a dedicated fixing and restraining structure. However, this design, which only fixes the top, suffers from key technical defects such as insufficient bag stability, risk of bag breakage and contamination, and insufficient stability for large-scale production.

[0003] Therefore, given the shortcomings of existing cell culture bag and culture vessel fixation structures, there is an urgent need to develop a bottom fixation structure that balances stability, versatility, and safety to improve the controllability, scalability, and product production efficiency of the cell culture process. Utility Model Content

[0004] This invention provides a cell culture bag comprising a cylindrical body and a conical bottom. A first locking protrusion is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the conical bottom, which can fix a concave magnet. The concave magnet is adsorbed onto the bottom of a culture jar. This invention, by fixing the bottom of the cell culture bag to the culture jar using the first locking protrusion and the concave magnet, not only makes the cell culture bag more stable during cell culture, providing a stable environment for cell growth, but also avoids the risk of mechanical scratches, breakage, and contamination of the bag within the culture jar. Furthermore, it ensures consistent culture conditions across different batches, meeting the standard requirements for large-scale culture.

[0005] A cell culture bag includes a cylindrical bag body and a conical bag bottom; a first locking protrusion is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the conical bag bottom, the first locking protrusion being capable of fixing a concave magnet; the concave magnet is adsorbed onto the bottom of a culture vessel.

[0006] The concave magnet has a slot, and through the first protrusion and the slot, the concave magnet is fixed to the bottom of the cell culture bag. The concave magnet is then magnetically attracted to the bottom of the culture jar, thus fixing the cell culture bag to the bottom of the culture jar. The connection between the first protrusion at the bottom of the cell culture bag and the concave magnet is detachable, so the concave magnet can be reused.

[0007] In existing technologies, cell culture bags and culture jars are typically fixed using a single-point or single-side fixation design at the top, leaving the bottom of the bag hanging freely without any fixed constraint. This invention uses a first convex and concave magnet to fix the bottom of the cell culture bag to the culture jar. This makes the bag more stable during culture, preventing displacement or wobbling of the bottom of the bag when shaken, aerated, or subjected to liquid flow within the culture jar, thus avoiding disruption of the stable environment for cell growth. Furthermore, since the cell culture bag is mostly made of a flexible polymer, its bottom, once fixed to the culture jar, will not rub or collide with the inner wall of the culture jar or the edge of the tray, avoiding the risk of mechanical scratches, bag breakage, and contamination. Finally, once the bottom of the cell culture bag is fixed to the culture jar, it will not randomly shift, preventing inconsistencies in culture conditions between different batches and meeting the standardization requirements of large-scale culture.

[0008] Furthermore, a second latching protrusion is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical bag; the second latching protrusion is attracted to the electromagnet point on the inner wall of the culture tank.

[0009] The cylindrical bag body also has multiple evenly distributed second locking protrusions on its sidewall, which can be magnetically attracted to electromagnet points set on the inner wall of the culture tank after being energized. The second locking protrusions flatten the sidewall of the bag laterally, preventing wrinkles when the sidewall of the cell culture bag moves eccentrically, and ensuring a uniform culture environment when culturing cells.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag is provided with a protruding surface to form an annular convex edge; the side wall of the cylindrical bag is provided with an annular magnet, which is attracted to the electromagnet ring on the inner wall of the culture tank.

[0011] The inner wall of the culture tank is provided with a boss, and an annular convex edge is placed on the boss, which provides a support platform for the cell culture bag.

[0012] The annular magnet is positioned around the lower side wall of the cylindrical bag. An electromagnet ring is installed on the inner wall of the culture tank, which can be attracted and fixed to the annular magnet when energized.

[0013] In existing technologies, the sidewalls of cell culture bags are typically not fixed to the culture vessel. This invention achieves longitudinal flattening of the bag's sidewalls by using a cylindrical bag body with an annular convex edge and an annular magnet. In this way, during cell culture, the cylindrical sidewalls of the cell culture bag are unfolded, making it less prone to wrinkling when the cell culture bag undergoes eccentric movement within the culture vessel.

[0014] The magnetic attraction of the second protrusion and the magnetic attraction of the ring magnet form a double sidewall constraint, which is far more effective than a single fixing method in preventing wrinkles on the sidewall of the bag and enhancing the stability of the bag.

[0015] Furthermore, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag is provided with at least two buckles, which are fixed to the grooves of the culture tank cover.

[0016] The cell culture bag provided by this utility model is used in conjunction with a culture jar, which includes a jar body and a culture jar lid. The upper bottom surface of the cell culture bag is fixed to the lower bottom surface of the culture jar lid, thereby fixing the cell culture bag inside the culture jar. The lower bottom surface of the culture jar lid has at least two notches, each notch connecting to a locking slot. The shape and number of the latches match the shape and number of the notches and locking slots on the culture jar lid. When fixing the cell culture bag to the culture jar lid, first align the notches on the culture jar lid with the latches of the cell culture bag, and the latches enter the lower part of the culture jar lid; then rotate the culture jar lid, and the latches enter the locking slots connected to the notches, forming a mechanical lock. Therefore, cell culture can be performed in the sealed space of the culture jar.

[0017] The cell culture bag and culture vessel cover provided by this utility model adopts the operation logic of "notch alignment - rotation locking", which can quickly complete the connection and disassembly without tools or complicated twisting, significantly saving operation time. It is especially suitable for the frequent bag and vessel connection scenarios in cell culture. The mechanical interlocking structure of the buckle and the slot has strong anti-loosening ability, and the connection remains stable even when the cell culture bag makes eccentric movements.

[0018] Furthermore, the cell culture bag also includes a chuck, which is fixed to the cell culture bag by a multi-level spiral and is detachable.

[0019] In existing technologies, cell culture bags and chucks are mostly integrally molded and disposable. As a high-cost component containing medical-grade materials (such as polycarbonate), the chuck must be discarded along with the disposable cell culture bag, resulting in a significant waste of its value. This design, however, achieves a detachable connection between the chuck and the cell culture bag through a multi-level spiral fixation. The chuck can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing; simply replacing it with a low-cost cell culture bag allows for continued use in the next round of cell culture. The cell culture bags of this invention come in various sizes (e.g., 1L, 5L, 20L), but the opening specifications for fixing different sizes of cell culture bags to the chuck are uniform. This means the same chuck can be used to fix cell culture bags of different sizes, improving flexibility. Therefore, compared to the existing technology where the cell culture bag and chuck are integrally molded and disposable, this invention, through its multi-level spiral fixation and detachable structure, achieves breakthroughs in cost control, resource utilization, flexibility, and connection reliability.

[0020] Furthermore, a first fixing ring and a first washer are provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck, a first external thread is provided on the outer side of the first fixing ring, and the first washer is located below the first fixing ring.

[0021] The first external thread on the outer side of the first fixing ring in the chuck engages with the first internal thread of the first stepped opening in the cell culture bag to form a first sealing structure. The first gasket enhances the sealing performance of the sealing structure and prevents gas and liquid leakage.

[0022] Furthermore, a second fixing ring and a second washer are provided on the lower surface of the chuck, and a second external thread is provided on the outer side of the second fixing ring.

[0023] The second external thread on the outer side of the second fixing ring in the chuck engages with the second internal thread of the second stepped opening in the cell culture bag to form a second sealing structure. The second gasket enhances the sealing performance of this sealing structure and prevents gas and liquid leakage.

[0024] Furthermore, the inner ring of the second gasket is fixed to the second retaining ring by a sealing ring.

[0025] The sealing ring further enhances the sealing performance of the second sealing structure.

[0026] Furthermore, the cell culture bag is provided with an opening, the opening including a first stepped opening and a second stepped opening, the diameter of the second stepped opening being smaller than that of the first stepped opening, and the first stepped opening and the second stepped opening forming a stepped circular opening.

[0027] Furthermore, a first internal thread is provided on the inner side of the first stepped opening, and a second internal thread is provided on the inner side of the second stepped opening; when the chuck and the cell culture bag are fixed, the first external thread engages with the first internal thread, and the second external thread engages with the second internal thread.

[0028] The pitch of the second internal thread is smaller than that of the first internal thread, and the pitch of the second external thread is smaller than that of the first external thread. Therefore, the second sealing structure formed by the second internal thread and the second external thread has better sealing performance than the first sealing structure formed by the first internal thread and the first external thread, further reducing the risk of leakage and fully meeting the requirements of the sterile environment for cell culture.

[0029] The stepped circular opening of the cell culture bag, once fixed to the chuck, forms a double-sealing structure as described above, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Even if one of the two sealing structures is damaged, the other can still maintain the overall seal of the cell culture bag.

[0030] This utility model has the following beneficial effects: 1. This utility model provides a fixing structure for the bottom of a cell culture bag and the inside of a culture tank. The first protrusion at the bottom of the cell culture bag is first attracted to a concave magnet, and then attracted to the inside of the culture tank by the concave magnet. The fixing structure solves the key technical problems faced by the cell culture bag body during cell culture, such as insufficient stability, bag body damage and contamination risk, and insufficient stability in large-scale production. 2. This utility model provides a new connection structure between a cell culture bag and a culture tank cover. The mechanical interlocking structure is formed by the buckle of the cell culture bag and the notch and groove of the culture tank cover. This connection structure has high stability, simple operation and good sealing performance, and is suitable for scenarios with frequent bag and tank replacement. 3. The cell culture bag of this utility model has a variety of structures on its outer wall, including an annular protrusion on the bottom surface of the cylindrical bag body, an annular magnet and a second locking protrusion on the side wall of the cylindrical bag body, and a first locking protrusion on the bottom outer wall of the conical bag bottom. These structures can be fixed to the inside of the culture tank, which not only enhances the stability of the cell culture bag, but also allows the side wall of the cell culture bag to be fully unfolded when working in the culture tank, preventing wrinkles when it makes eccentric movements, and making the culture medium more uniformly mixed. 4. This utility model achieves a detachable connection through the multi-level spiral fixation of the chuck and cell culture bag. The chuck can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing. It can be used for the next round of cell culture simply by replacing the cell culture bag with a low-cost one. The same chuck can be fixed with cell culture bags of different sizes. Due to the detachable structure of the multi-level spiral fixation of the chuck and cell culture bag, this utility model has achieved breakthroughs in multiple dimensions in terms of cost control, resource utilization, flexibility of use, and connection reliability. 5. The stepped circular opening of the cell culture bag forms a double-sealed structure after being fixed with the chuck, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cell culture bag structure; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the annular convex edge, annular magnet, first locking protrusion, and second locking protrusion of a cell culture bag; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cell culture bag and a culture vessel cover; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the culture tank lid; Figure 5 This is a bottom view of the incubator lid; Figure 6 Perspective view of the incubator lid; Figure 7 An exploded view of a cell culture bag; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cell culture bag and chuck; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the chuck's structure; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of the chuck; Figure 11 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first retaining ring, the first gasket, the second retaining ring, the second gasket, and the sealing ring; Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the first and second step openings of a cell culture bag; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of a cell culture bag. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are intended to facilitate the understanding of the present invention and do not constitute any limitation thereof.

[0033] Example 1: A cell culture bag like Figure 1-2As shown, a cell culture bag includes a cylindrical bag body 1 and a conical bag bottom 2. A first locking protrusion 3 is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the conical bag bottom 2, which can fix a concave magnet 4. The concave magnet 4 has a locking groove 5. Through the first locking protrusion 3 and the locking groove 5, the concave magnet 4 is fixed to the bottom of the conical bag bottom 2, and then magnetically attracted to the bottom of the culture vessel. The connection between the first locking protrusion 3 and the concave magnet 4 is detachable, so the concave magnet 4 can be reused. This invention uses a first protruding clip 3 and a concave magnet 4 to fix the bottom of the cell culture bag to the culture tank. On the one hand, this makes the bag more stable during the culture process, so the bottom of the bag will not shift or swing when the cell culture bag is shaken, aerated, stirred, or the liquid flows in the culture tank, thus preventing disruption of the stable environment for cell growth. On the other hand, the cell culture bag is mostly made of flexible polymer, and its bottom will not rub or collide with the inner wall of the culture tank or the edge of the tray after being fixed to the culture tank, avoiding the risk of mechanical scratches, bag breakage, and contamination. Furthermore, after the bottom of the cell culture bag is fixed to the culture tank, the bottom of the bag will not shift randomly, which would lead to inconsistent culture conditions between different batches, thus meeting the standardization requirements of large-scale culture.

[0034] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the sidewall of the cylindrical bag 1 is also evenly distributed with multiple second locking protrusions 6, which can be magnetically attracted to the electromagnet points set on the inner wall of the culture jar after being energized. The second locking protrusions 6 realize the lateral flattening of the sidewall of the cylindrical bag 1. The upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 1 is provided with a protruding surface, forming an annular convex edge 7. The inner wall of the culture jar is provided with a boss, and the annular convex edge 7 is placed on the boss, which provides a support platform for the cell culture bag. The sidewall of the cylindrical bag 1 is also provided with an annular magnet 8, and an electromagnet ring is provided inside the culture jar. The annular magnet 8 is magnetically attracted and fixed to the electromagnet ring inside the culture jar after being energized. The structure of the annular magnet 8, combined with the annular convex edge 7 of the cylindrical bag 1 of the cell culture bag, realizes the longitudinal flattening of the sidewall of the cylindrical bag 1. In this way, during the cell culture process, the sidewall of the cylindrical bag 1 of the cell culture bag is unfolded, and wrinkles are not easily formed when the cell culture bag makes eccentric movements in the culture jar. The magnetic attraction of the second protrusion 6 and the magnetic attraction of the ring magnet 8 form a double sidewall constraint, which prevents the sidewall wrinkles of the cylindrical bag 1 and enhances the stability of the cylindrical bag 1 far more effectively than a single fixing method.

[0035] like Figure 3-6As shown, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 1 is provided with at least two buckles 9, which are fixed to the slots 12 of the culture tank cover 10. The cell culture bag provided by this utility model is used in conjunction with a culture tank, which includes a tank body (not shown in the figure) and a culture tank cover 10. The upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 1 is fixed to the lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover 10, thereby fixing the cell culture bag inside the culture tank. The lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover 10 is provided with at least two notches 11, each notch 11 connecting to the slot 12, and the notch 11 allows the buckles 9 to enter. The shape and number of the buckles 9 match the shape and number of the notches 11 and slots 12 of the culture tank cover 10. In this embodiment, the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 1 is provided with four buckles 9, which are L-shaped buckles, and the lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover 10 is provided with four notches 11 and four slots 12 communicating with the notches 11. When the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical bag 1 is fixed to the lower bottom surface of the culture tank cover 10, the notch 11 of the culture tank cover 10 aligns with the buckle 9 of the cylindrical bag 1, and the buckle 9 enters below the culture tank cover 10. Then, the culture tank cover 10 is rotated, and the buckle 9 enters the slot 12 connecting the notch 11, forming a mechanical lock. Therefore, the cylindrical bag 1 can be used for cell culture within the sealed space of the culture tank. This device adopts the "notch alignment - rotation locking" operation logic, requiring no tools or complex twisting, allowing for quick connection and disassembly, significantly saving operation time, and is especially suitable for frequent bag-tank connection scenarios in cell culture. The mechanical interlocking structure of the buckle 9 and the slot 12 has strong anti-loosening ability, ensuring a stable connection even when the cell culture bag undergoes eccentric movement.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the cell culture bag is also equipped with a chuck 13, which is fixed to the cell culture bag by a multi-level spiral. The multi-level spiral fixation between the chuck 13 and the cell culture bag achieves a detachable connection. The chuck 13 can be reused while ensuring sterility and sealing; simply replacing it with a low-cost cell culture bag allows for continued use in the next round of cell culture. The cell culture bags are available in various sizes (e.g., 1L, 5L, 20L), but the opening specifications for fixing different sized cell culture bags to the chuck 14 are uniform. This means that the same chuck 13 can be used to fix cell culture bags of different sizes, improving flexibility.

[0037] like Figure 7-11 As shown, a first retaining ring 14 and a first washer 15 are provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the chuck 13. A first external thread 16 is provided on the outer side of the first retaining ring 14, and the first washer 15 is located below the first retaining ring 14. A second retaining ring 17 and a second washer 18 are provided on the lower surface of the chuck 13. A second external thread 19 is provided on the outer side of the second retaining ring 17. The inner ring of the second washer 18 is fixed to the second retaining ring 19 by a sealing ring 20.

[0038] like Figure 12-13As shown, the cell culture bag has an opening including a first stepped opening 21 and a second stepped opening 22. The diameter of the second stepped opening 22 is smaller than that of the first stepped opening 21, and the first stepped opening 21 and the second stepped opening 22 form a stepped circular opening. A first internal thread 23 is provided on the inner side of the steps of the first stepped opening 21, and a second internal thread 24 is provided on the inner side of the steps of the second stepped opening 22.

[0039] like Figure 9-13 As shown, when the chuck 13 and the cell culture bag are fixed, the first external thread 16 engages with the first internal thread 23 to form a first sealing structure. The first gasket 15 enhances the sealing performance of the first sealing structure, preventing gas and liquid leakage. The second external thread 19 engages with the second internal thread 24 to form a second sealing structure. The second gasket 18 and the sealing ring 20 enhance the sealing performance of this sealing structure, preventing gas and liquid leakage. The pitch of the second internal thread 24 is smaller than the pitch of the first internal thread 23, and the pitch of the second external thread 19 is smaller than the pitch of the first external thread 16. Therefore, the second sealing structure formed by the second internal thread 24 and the second external thread 19 has better sealing performance than the first sealing structure formed by the first internal thread 23 and the first external thread 16, further reducing the risk of leakage and fully meeting the aseptic environment requirements of cell culture.

[0040] The stepped circular opening of the cell culture bag, once fixed to the chuck 13, forms a double-sealing structure as described above, ensuring sterility and preventing leakage. Even if one of the two sealing structures is damaged, the other can still maintain the overall airtightness of the cell culture bag.

[0041] Therefore, this utility model has achieved breakthroughs in multiple dimensions in terms of cost control, resource utilization, usage flexibility, and connection reliability.

[0042] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A cell culture bag, characterized in that, The cell culture bag includes a cylindrical bag body and a conical bag bottom; a first locking protrusion is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the conical bag bottom, which can fix a concave magnet; the concave magnet is adsorbed onto the bottom of the culture tank.

2. The cell culture bag as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cylindrical bag body is provided with a second locking protrusion on its side wall; the second locking protrusion is attracted to the electromagnet point on the inner wall of the culture tank.

3. The cell culture bag as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The top surface of the cylindrical bag is provided with a protruding surface, forming an annular convex edge; the side wall of the cylindrical bag is provided with an annular magnet, which is attracted to the electromagnet ring on the inner wall of the culture tank.

4. The cell culture bag as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The top surface of the cylindrical bag is also provided with at least two buckles, which are fixed to the grooves of the culture tank cover.

5. The cell culture bag as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cell culture bag also includes a chuck, which is fixed to the cell culture bag by a multi-level spiral and is detachable.

6. The cell culture bag as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The upper surface of the chuck is provided with a first fixing ring and a first washer on its outer periphery. The first fixing ring is provided with a first external thread on its outer side, and the first washer is located below the first fixing ring.

7. The cell culture bag as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The lower surface of the chuck is provided with a second fixing ring and a second washer, and the outer side of the second fixing ring is provided with a second external thread.

8. The cell culture bag as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The inner ring of the second gasket is fixed to the second retaining ring by a sealing ring.

9. The cell culture bag as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The cell culture bag is provided with an opening, which includes a first stepped opening and a second stepped opening. The diameter of the second stepped opening is smaller than that of the first stepped opening, and the first stepped opening and the second stepped opening form a stepped circular opening.

10. The cell culture bag as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The first step opening has a first internal thread on the inner side of the step, and the second step opening has a second internal thread on the inner side of the step; when the chuck and the cell culture bag are fixed, the first external thread engages with the first internal thread, and the second external thread engages with the second internal thread.

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