Cell culture system and pseudo cartridge

Abstract

To control temperature with high precision.SOLUTION: A cell culture system according to an embodiment includes an incubator and a pseudo cartridge. The incubator has a plurality of slots in which cartridges containing culture vessels for culturing cells are installed, and adjusts the temperature to which the culture vessels in the installed cartridges are exposed. The pseudo cartridge is not filled with cells to be cultured, and is intended to be installed in a slot among the plurality of slots in which no cartridge is installed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in the specification and drawings relate to cell culture systems and pseudo cartridges. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for a cell culture system that can culture cells with high quality. In a typical cell culture system, multiple culture dishes are housed in a chamber where the temperature and other conditions are regulated, and cells are cultured. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-284492 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to efficiently culture cells, a cell culture system may have a plurality of slots in which a plurality of cartridges are installed. Here, a cartridge is, for example, a container including a culture container for culturing cells. When a cell culture system has a plurality of slots, it is necessary to control with high precision the temperature to which the culture container in each of the plurality of cartridges is exposed. In such a cell culture system, when cartridges are not installed in all slots but only in some slots, i.e., when there are empty slots, it may be difficult to control the temperature with high precision.

[0005] One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to perform highly accurate temperature control. However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings are not limited to the above problem. Problems corresponding to the effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described below can also be positioned as other problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cell culture system according to the embodiment includes an incubator and a pseudo cartridge. The incubator has a plurality of slots in which a cartridge including a culture vessel for culturing cells is placed, and adjusts the temperature to which the culture vessel in the placed cartridge is exposed. The pseudo cartridge is not filled with cells to be cultured, and is placed in a slot in which no cartridge is placed among the plurality of slots. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cell culture system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the cell culture system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an incubator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a procedure for installing the pseudo cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the relationship between the thermal characteristics of the cartridge according to the first embodiment and the thermal characteristics of a dummy cartridge. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an incubator of a cell culture system according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pseudo cartridge according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the cell culture system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by the control function according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0009] (First embodiment) A cell culture system according to a first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a cell culture system 1 according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the cell culture system 1 includes a platform 10, a cartridge 20, and an incubator 30. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the cell culture system 1 also includes a control device 40 shown in FIG. 2. In the cell culture system 1, the incubator 30 supplies gas at a temperature suitable for cell culture to a culture container in the cartridge 20, thereby culturing cells in the culture container.

[0010] The platform 10 supports the incubator 30 and is a platform on which the cartridge 20 is placed. The cartridge 20 placed on the platform 10 is movable on the platform 10. The cartridge 20 is manually inserted into the internal space 30b (see FIG. 3) of the incubator 30 and placed in the slot 30a by a user 90, or is automatically inserted into the internal space 30b of the incubator 30 and placed in the slot 30a by a moving mechanism (not shown). Details of the incubator 30 will be described later.

[0011] The cartridge 20 is a container that houses a culture vessel in which cells to be cultured are placed. That is, the cartridge includes, for example, a culture vessel for culturing cells. The cartridge 20 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and houses the culture vessel in the internal space of the cartridge 20. The culture vessel uses a medium in the culture vessel to culture the cells in the culture vessel.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the cell culture system 1 according to the first embodiment. The control device 40 shown in Fig. 2 is a device that controls the cartridge 20 and the incubator 30 installed in the slot 30a. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 40 is electrically connected to the cartridge 20 and the incubator 30 installed in the slot 30a.

[0013] The control device 40 comprises an input interface 40a, a display 40b, a memory 40c and a processing circuit 40d.

[0014] The input interface 40a receives various input operations from the user 90, converts the received input operations into electrical signals, and outputs the electrical signals to the processing circuit 40d.

[0015] For example, the input interface 40a is realized by a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, a switch, a button, a joystick, a touchpad that performs input operations by touching the operation surface, a touch screen in which a display screen and a touchpad are integrated, a non-contact input circuit using an optical sensor, a voice input circuit, etc. The input interface 40a is not limited to only those having physical operation parts such as a mouse and a keyboard. For example, an example of the input interface 40a also includes an electrical signal processing circuit that receives an electrical signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the control device 40 and outputs the electrical signal to the processing circuit 40d.

[0016] The display 40b outputs various pieces of information by displaying various pieces of information. For example, the display 40b outputs various pieces of information by displaying various pieces of information generated by the processing circuit 40d. For example, the display 40b is a liquid crystal display or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display. The display 40b may be a desktop type, or may be configured as a tablet terminal or the like. The display 40b is an example of a display unit and also an example of an output unit.

[0017] The memory 40c is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, or the like. The memory 40c stores, for example, various information generated by the processing circuit 40d. In addition, for example, the memory 40c stores programs for the processing circuit 40d to realize various functions (for example, a control function 40d1 described later). The memory 40c may be realized by a group of servers (cloud) connected to the cell culture system 1 via a network.

[0018] The processing circuit 40d controls the operation of the entire cell culture system 1. For example, the processing circuit 40d executes a control function 40d1. Here, for example, the control function 40d1, which is a component of the processing circuit 40d shown in FIG. 1, is recorded in the memory 40c in the form of a program executable by a computer. The processing circuit 40d is realized by, for example, a processor, and realizes the control function 40d1 corresponding to the program by reading a program from the memory 40c and executing the read program. In other words, the processing circuit 40d in a state in which the program has been read has the control function 40d1 shown in the processing circuit 40d in FIG. 2.

[0019] The control function 40d1 performs various controls on the cartridge 20 and the incubator 30 installed in the slot 30a. For example, the control function 40d1 controls the cartridge 20 to perform various processes on the culture vessel in the cartridge 20 based on an instruction from the user 90 received via the input interface 40a. The control function 40d1 also controls the incubator 30 to adjust the temperature to which the culture vessel in one or more cartridges 20 installed in one or more slots 30a is exposed based on an instruction from the user 90 received via the input interface 40a. Note that the "temperature to which the culture vessel is exposed" more specifically means, for example, the "temperature of the gas to which the culture vessel is exposed."

[0020] The term "processor" used in the above description means a circuit such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)). The processor reads a program stored in a memory circuit and executes the read program to realize its function. Instead of storing a program in a memory circuit, the processor may be configured to directly incorporate the program in its circuit. In this case, the processor reads a program incorporated in the circuit and executes the read program to realize its function. Each processor in this embodiment is not limited to being configured as a single circuit for each processor, and may be configured as a single processor by combining multiple independent circuits to realize its function.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the incubator 30 according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 3, the incubator 30 is shown in a schematic manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the incubator 30 includes a plurality of (six) slots 30a1 to 30a6. A cartridge 20 can be installed in each of the plurality of slots 30a1 to 30a6. In the following description, when the slots are to be distinguished from one another, they may be referred to as slots 30a1 to 30a6, and when the plurality of slots are to be described without distinguishing one from another, they may be referred to as slots 30a. In the following description, a case where the number of slots 30a included in the incubator 30 is six will be taken as an example, but the number of slots 30a is not limited to six and may be any number.

[0022] The incubator 30 is controlled as described above by the control function 40d1, and adjusts the temperature to which the culture vessels in one or more cartridges 20 installed in the incubator 30 are exposed so that the temperature to which the culture vessels in the installed cartridges 20 are exposed becomes a temperature (target temperature) suitable for cell culture. Specifically, the incubator 30 has an internal space 30b, and directly adjusts the temperature of the gas in the internal space 30b, thereby indirectly adjusting the temperature to which the culture vessels are exposed.

[0023] Here, in the incubator 30 according to this embodiment, one insertion port into which the cartridge 20 is inserted is provided for each slot 30a. In this embodiment, the number of slots 30a is multiple, and the number of insertion ports is also multiple correspondingly. Meanwhile, the internal space 30b is a space common to all (multiple) slots 30a. That is, while the number of slots 30a and the number of insertion ports are multiple, the number of internal spaces 30b is one.

[0024] In the incubator 30 configured as above, if there is an empty slot, it may be difficult to perform high-precision temperature control. An example of the reason for this will be described. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 3, if there is no empty slot, that is, if cartridges 20 are installed in all slots 30a1 to 30a6, each of the four cartridges 20 installed in slots 30a2 to 30a5 is affected by heat generated by the two cartridges 20 adjacent to each other on both sides. All cartridges 20 have the same or approximately the same thermal characteristics. Therefore, the four cartridges 20 installed in slots 30a2 to 30a5 are affected by the same or similar heat.

[0025] On the other hand, each of the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends is affected by the heat generated by one cartridge 20 that is adjacent to it on one side, but there is no cartridge 20 on the other side. Therefore, the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 are affected by the same or similar amounts of heat.

[0026] Therefore, although the thermal influence received by the four cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a2 to 30a5 is different from the thermal influence received by the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6, the thermal influence received by the majority of the six cartridges 20, that is, four cartridges 20, is the same or approximately the same. Furthermore, when there is no free slot, the types of thermal influence received by the cartridges 20 are at most two. For these reasons, when there is no free slot, the incubator 30 can perform high-precision temperature control relatively easily.

[0027] On the other hand, when there is an empty slot as shown in FIG. 3, specifically, when no cartridge 20 is installed in slot 30a4, the single cartridge 20 installed in slot 30a2 is affected by the heat generated by the two cartridges 20 adjacent to it on both sides.

[0028] Furthermore, each of the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a3 and 30a5 is affected by heat generated by one cartridge 20 adjacent to it on one side, and is also affected by heat generated by one cartridge 20 located on the other side away by a space corresponding to the one cartridge 20. Therefore, the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a3 and 30a5 are affected by the same or similar amounts of heat.

[0029] The effect of heat on each of the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1, 30a6 at both ends is the same as in the case where there is no empty slot.

[0030] Therefore, when there is an empty slot as shown in Fig. 3, the thermal influence on one cartridge 20 installed in slot 30a2 differs from the thermal influence on two cartridges 20 installed in slots 30a3 and 30a5, and the thermal influence on two cartridges 20 installed in slots 30a1 and 30a6. Therefore, when there is an empty slot as shown in Fig. 3, the cartridges 20 are affected by three different types of heat, making it difficult for the incubator 30 to perform highly accurate temperature control.

[0031] Also, for example, in the case shown in Fig. 3, it is difficult to perform high-precision temperature control, resulting in relatively large temperature unevenness. Here, the temperature unevenness is an index value indicated by a value obtained by dividing the sum of the differences between each of the multiple temperatures of the multiple culture vessels in the multiple installed cartridges 20 and the target temperature by the number of the multiple installed cartridges 20. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the temperature unevenness is an index value indicated by a value obtained by dividing the sum of the differences between each of the five temperatures of the five culture vessels in the five installed cartridges 20 and the target temperature by the number of cartridges 20, "5".

[0032] In order to enable highly accurate temperature control, the cell culture system 1 according to the first embodiment includes one or more pseudo cartridges (dummy cartridges) 50. As shown on the right side of FIG. 4, the pseudo cartridges 50 are installed in the slots 30a4 in the cell culture system 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of an installation procedure of the pseudo cartridge 50 according to the first embodiment. The pseudo cartridge 50 is a pseudo cartridge that does not contain cells to be cultured, and is to be installed in a slot 30a in which the cartridge 20 is not installed among the multiple slots 30a. The shape of the pseudo cartridge 50 is the same or approximately the same as the shape of the cartridge 20 so that it can be installed in the slot 30a in the same way as the cartridge 20.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 5, the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50 are the same as those of the cartridge 20. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the relationship between the thermal characteristics of the cartridge 20 according to the first embodiment and the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50. The thermal characteristics are at least one of the characteristics determined by the size of the cartridge 20, the material of the housing of the cartridge 20, etc., such as specific heat, heat capacity, thermal conduction, thermal diffusion, thermal resistance, thermal expansion coefficient, and thermal distortion. The thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50 may be substantially the same as those of the cartridge 20.

[0034] In this way, in the cell culture system 1 according to the first embodiment, the pseudo cartridges 50 are installed in all the slots 30a where the cartridges 20 are not installed, and the cartridges having the same or approximately the same thermal characteristics are installed in all the slots 30a. This allows the cell culture system 1 to perform highly accurate temperature control. As a result, the cell culture system 1 can suppress the temperature unevenness from becoming large.

[0035] The number of dummy cartridges 50 is preferably equal to or greater than the number of the slots 30a of the incubator 30. This is because when degassing is performed in the cell culture system 1, the dummy cartridges 50 are placed in all of the slots 30a of the incubator 30.

[0036] The above describes the cell culture system 1 according to the first embodiment. As described above, the cell culture system 1 according to the embodiment can perform highly accurate temperature control.

[0037] (Modification of the first embodiment) Next, a cell culture system 1 according to a modified example of the first embodiment will be described. In the following description of the modified example, differences from the cell culture system 1 according to the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of similar configurations may be omitted.

[0038] For example, a case will be described where cartridges 20 are installed in all slots 30a1 to 30a6. In this case, as described above, the thermal influence on the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends is different from the thermal influence on the other cartridges 20 (four cartridges installed in the slots 30a2 to 30a5). For this reason, the temperature to which the culture vessels in the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends are exposed is originally relatively significantly different from the temperature to which the culture vessels in the other cartridges 20 are exposed. For example, the difference between the average value of the six temperatures to which the six culture vessels in the six cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 to 30a6 are exposed and the temperature to which each of the two culture vessels in the two cartridges 20 installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends is exposed is a predetermined value or more.

[0039] In this way, the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends are slots in which two cartridges 20 equipped with culture containers exposed to a specific temperature are placed when a plurality of cartridges 20 are placed in each of the slots 30a1 to 30a6. Here, the specific temperature is a temperature whose difference from the average value described above is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is, for example, 0.2 to 1 degrees.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the incubator 30 of the cell culture system 1 according to the modified example of the first embodiment. In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 6, the pseudo cartridges 50 are installed in the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends. Then, the cartridge 20 is installed in at least one of the remaining slots 30a2 to 30a5. Therefore, according to the cell culture system 1 according to the modified example of the first embodiment, the cartridge 20 can be installed while avoiding the slots 30a1 and 30a6 at both ends where the culture vessel is originally exposed to a specific temperature. Therefore, according to the cell culture system 1 according to the modified example of the first embodiment, the temperature unevenness can be further suppressed.

[0041] Second Embodiment Next, a cell culture system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, differences from the cell culture system 1 according to the first embodiment and the modified example will be mainly described, and descriptions of similar configurations may be omitted.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the pseudo cartridges 50a, 50b according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the cell culture system 1 according to the second embodiment includes a plurality of pseudo cartridges 50a, 50b having different thermal characteristics. For example, the six pseudo cartridges 50a shown in FIG. 7 have a thermal characteristic A, and the six pseudo cartridges 50b have a thermal characteristic B different from the thermal characteristic A. For example, the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50a and the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50b may be made different by making the size of the housing of the pseudo cartridge 50a and the size of the housing of the pseudo cartridge 50b different. In addition, the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50a and the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge 50b may be made different by making the material of the housing of the pseudo cartridge 50a and the material of the housing of the pseudo cartridge 50b different. Note that the cell culture system 1 is not limited to the pseudo cartridges 50a, 50b having two types of thermal characteristics, and may include pseudo cartridges having three or more types of thermal characteristics.

[0043] Like the number of pseudo cartridges 50 according to the first embodiment, the number of pseudo cartridges 50a is preferably the same as the number of the slots 30a of the incubator 30 or greater than the number of the slots 30a of the incubator 30. In addition, the number of pseudo cartridges 50b is preferably the same as the number of the slots 30a of the incubator 30 or greater than the number of the slots 30a of the incubator 30.

[0044] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a cell culture system 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the control device 40 according to the second embodiment differs from the control device 40 according to the first embodiment in that the memory 40c stores in-device data 40c1.

[0045] The in-device data 40c1 is data (table) in which all possible combinations of cartridges (cartridge 20, dummy cartridges 50a, 50b) installed in each of the multiple slots 30a1-30a6 and temperature unevenness in the combinations are associated with each other, and the number of records is the same as the number of all the combinations described above. That is, for each of the multiple slots 30a1-30a6, three cases are assumed: when the cartridge 20 is installed, when the dummy cartridge 50a is installed, and when the dummy cartridge 50b is installed. Therefore, 18 (6 (slots 30a1-30a6) x 3 (the above-mentioned three cases)) records are registered in the in-device data 40c1.

[0046] The temperature unevenness registered in the internal data 40c1 is obtained by experiment or simulation.

[0047] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the control function 40d1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the control function 40d1 first acquires information on the current installation status of the cartridge 20 (step S101). The information on the installation status of the cartridge 20 is, for example, information indicating in which of the slots 30a1 to 30a6 the cartridge 20 is installed.

[0048] For example, in step S101, the control function 40d1 causes the display 40b to display a screen for prompting the user 90 to input information regarding the current installation status of the cartridge 20. Then, the control function 40d1 acquires information regarding the current installation status of the cartridge 20 input by the user 90 via the input interface 40a.

[0049] In addition, when the incubator 30 holds information relating to the installation status of the cartridge 20 at the current time, the control function 40d1 may acquire the information relating to the installation status of the cartridge 20 at the current time from the incubator 30.

[0050] Then, the control function 40d1 acquires the device internal data 40c1 (step S102). The acquired device internal data 40c1 is used in the process in step S103.

[0051] Then, the control function 40d1 selects the dummy cartridge that matches the information on the current installation status of the cartridge 20 from the in-device data 40c1 and has the lowest temperature unevenness (step S103).

[0052] The process in step S103 will be described. For example, the control function 40d1 identifies a plurality of records that match the information on the current installation status of the cartridge 20 acquired in step S101 from among all the records registered in the in-device data 40c1. Here, an example will be described in which the information on the current installation status of the cartridge 20 acquired in step S101 indicates that the cartridge 20 is installed in each of the slots 30a1, 30a3, and 30a5. In this case, in step S103, the control function 40d1 identifies a plurality of records that indicate that the cartridge 20 is installed in each of the slots 30a1, 30a3, and 30a5 from among all the records registered in the in-device data 40c1.

[0053] Then, the control function 40d1 identifies one record in which the lowest temperature unevenness is registered from among the identified records. Then, the control function 40d1 selects the dummy cartridges installed in each of the slots 30a2, 30a4, and 30a6 other than the slots 30a1, 30a3, and 30a5, which are indicated by the identified record.

[0054] Thus, in step S103, the control function 40d1 selects from among multiple pseudo cartridges (pseudo cartridges 50a, 50b) a pseudo cartridge to be installed in a slot 30a in which a cartridge 20 is not installed, based on information about the cartridge 20 installed in the slot 30a.

[0055] Then, the control function 40d1 causes information indicating the selected pseudo cartridge (for example, information indicating the type of pseudo cartridge) to be displayed on the display 40b (step S104). That is, the control function 40d1 causes information indicating the selected pseudo cartridge to be output on the display 40b. Note that in step S104, the control function 40d1 may cause an audio output device that outputs audio to output audio indicating the selected pseudo cartridge. Then, the control function 40d1 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0056] 9 allows the user 90 to grasp the dummy cartridge to be installed in the slot 30a in which the cartridge 20 is not installed. Therefore, the user 90 can install an appropriate dummy cartridge in the slot 30a in which the cartridge 20 is not installed.

[0057] (Modification of the second embodiment) In the above-described second embodiment, the case where the type of cartridge 20 is one type has been described. However, the cell culture system 1 may be provided with a plurality of types of cartridges 20 with different culture conditions for culturing cells. Therefore, such a modification will be described as a modification of the second embodiment. In the following description of the modification of the second embodiment, differences from the cell culture system 1 according to the above-described second embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of similar configurations may be omitted.

[0058] In a modification of the second embodiment, in step S101, the control function 40d1 acquires information regarding the current installation status of the cartridge 20, for example, information indicating which type of cartridge 20 is installed in which of the slots 30a1 to 30a6.

[0059] Then, in step S102, the control function 40d1 acquires the in-device data 40c1. The in-device data 40c1 according to the modified example of the second embodiment is data (table) in which records are registered in the number of all the combinations described above, in which all possible combinations of cartridges (cartridge 20, dummy cartridges 50a, 50b) installed in each of the multiple slots 30a1 to 30a6 are associated with the temperature unevenness in the combinations. When the cartridge 20 is installed in the slot 30a, the record also includes the type of the cartridge 20.

[0060] Then, in step S103, the control function 40d1 selects the dummy cartridge that matches the information on the current installation status of the cartridge 20 from the in-device data 40c1 and has the lowest temperature unevenness.

[0061] Then, in step S104, the control function 40d1 causes the display 40b and the audio output device to output information indicating the selected dummy cartridge. As a result, similar to the second embodiment, the user 90 can place an appropriate dummy cartridge in the slot 30a in which no cartridge 20 is placed.

[0062] In the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, the internal space 30b of the incubator 30 is common to all the slots 30a. However, even if a predetermined number of slots 30a are treated as one block, and the internal space 30b of each block is divided by a member to provide a plurality of internal spaces, the techniques of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications can be applied if the heat insulating property of the member is relatively low and heat is relatively easily conducted between adjacent internal spaces.

[0063] According to at least one of the embodiments or modifications described above, highly accurate temperature control can be performed.

[0064] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Cell Culture System 20 Cartridge 30 Incubator 50, 50a, 50b Pseudo Cartridges

Claims

1. an incubator having a plurality of slots in which a cartridge including a culture vessel for culturing cells is placed, and which adjusts a temperature to which the culture vessel in the placed cartridge is exposed; a pseudo cartridge that does not contain cells to be cultured and is to be placed in a slot among the plurality of slots in which a cartridge is not placed; A cell culture system comprising:

2. The cell culture system according to claim 1 , wherein the incubator has an internal space common to the plurality of slots, and adjusts a temperature of a gas in the internal space to thereby adjust a temperature to which the culture vessel is exposed.

3. The cell culture system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal characteristics of the pseudo cartridge are the same as the thermal characteristics of the cartridge.

4. The cell culture system of claim 1, wherein the pseudo cartridge is placed in a slot in which a cartridge having a culture vessel to which a specific temperature is exposed is placed when each of the multiple cartridges is placed in each of the multiple slots.

5. The cell culture system according to claim 4 , wherein the pseudo cartridge is installed in one of the slots at both ends as a slot in which a cartridge having a culture vessel to be exposed to the specific temperature is installed among the plurality of slots.

6. The cell culture system of claim 4, wherein the pseudo cartridge is installed in a slot in which a cartridge having a culture vessel is installed to which the specific temperature is exposed, the specific temperature being a temperature that, when each of the multiple cartridges is installed in each of the multiple slots, differs from the average value of the multiple temperatures to which the multiple culture vessels in the installed cartridges are exposed by a predetermined value or more.

7. The cell culture system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of the pseudo cartridges having different thermal characteristics.

8. The cell culture system of claim 7, further comprising a control unit that selects a pseudo cartridge to be placed in a slot in which a cartridge is not placed from among the plurality of pseudo cartridges in accordance with information regarding the cartridge placed in the slot, and outputs the selected pseudo cartridge to an output unit.

9. A pseudo cartridge that does not contain cells to be cultured is provided, and is intended to be placed in a slot among the multiple slots of an incubator in which a cartridge containing a culture vessel for culturing cells is placed, and which adjusts the temperature to which the culture vessel in the placed cartridge is exposed, in which a cartridge is not placed.

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