Culture vessel support body, and culture apparatus and culture method using the same

Abstract

To provide a culture vessel support body or the like that suppresses deformation of a curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of a culture vessel even in the case of providing an ejection port on a bottom of the culture vessel.SOLUTION: A culture vessel support body has a dome-shaped surface, and also has a penetrable portion which suppresses deformation of a bottom face of the culture vessel in a part of the dome-shaped surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a culture vessel support, and a culture device and a culture method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] The culture of microorganisms, insect cells, plant cells, animal cells, etc. is widely used for the production of various substances useful as pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, or raw materials for these. When the production is carried out on a large scale, a bag or the like is used as a culture vessel. Suspension culture is carried out using these culture vessels such as a bag.

[0003] In the suspension culture, spheroids and scaffolds (such as microcarriers) tend to gather in the center of the bottom of the culture vessel. As a result, the spheroids may adhere to each other to form large clumps, or the scaffolds may aggregate together via the cells on the scaffolds. When the clumps grow large, oxygen and nutrients may not reach the center of the clumps, which may result in partial cell death.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a shaking culture device that includes a culture vessel (flexible inner bag) with a curved bottom surface (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "dome-shaped surface") that is higher in the center and lower in the periphery than the center, and a curved member (support member) that has a surface shaped to correspond to the curved surface and supports the bottom surface of the culture vessel, thereby reducing shear stress acting on the culture and suppressing growth inhibition. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-016884 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] A tube or the like is inserted into the curved surface of the culture vessel to extract the cultured cells or culture medium. In this case, if a hole for inserting the tube or the like is provided in the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the curved member (support member), the insertion of the tube or the like becomes easier. However, because the portion of the curved member (support member) where the hole is located does not support the bottom surface of the culture vessel, the weight of the culture medium or culture solution during culture can cause the bottom surface of the culture vessel to deform toward the inside of the hole, resulting in the problem of spheroids and scaffolding materials (microcarriers, etc.) gathering in this deformed portion.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to achieve the following objectives: That is, the present invention aims to provide a culture vessel support that suppresses deformation of the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the culture vessel even when a pouring outlet is provided at the bottom of the culture vessel, as well as a culture device and a culture method using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a result of extensive research conducted by the inventors to achieve the above-mentioned objective, it was discovered that it is possible to provide a culture vessel support, as well as a culture device and a culture method using the same, which can suppress deformation of the curved surface of the culture vessel even when an outlet is provided at the bottom of the culture vessel, by making the hole provided in the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the curved member (support member) for inserting the tube or the like into a penetrable portion that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel and allows the tube or the like to penetrate.

[0009] The present invention is based on the above findings by the present inventors, and the means for solving the above problems are as follows: <1> The support for a culture vessel has a dome-shaped surface, and is characterized in that a part of the dome-shaped surface has a penetrable portion that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel. The aforementioned <1> In the culture vessel support described above, a penetrable portion is provided on a portion of the dome-shaped surface that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel, so that the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the bottom surface of the culture vessel that abuts the penetrable portion is prevented from deforming due to the weight of the culture medium or culture solution, and spheroids and scaffolding materials (microcarriers, etc.) are prevented from gathering at this deformed area. <2> the penetrable portion is located at an opening on the dome-shaped surface side of a through-hole penetrating the dome-shaped surface, and the penetrable portion has a support member that supports a bottom surface of the culture vessel and supports a member that penetrates the support member; <1> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <2> In the culture vessel support described in (1), the support member located at the opening of the dome-shaped surface side of the through-hole penetrating the dome-shaped surface supports the bottom surface of the culture vessel. Therefore, the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the bottom surface of the culture vessel that abuts the penetrable portion is prevented from deforming due to the weight of the medium or culture solution, effectively preventing spheroids or scaffolding materials (microcarriers, etc.) from gathering at the deformed portion. Furthermore, the support member supports a member that penetrates the support member. Therefore, when a tube or the like connected to the culture vessel is inserted into the through-hole, the support member penetrated by the tube or the like stably holds the tube or the like, thereby preventing the tube or the like from shaking and more firmly fixing the tube or the like. <3> the support member has a connecting portion connected to the through hole and a deformable portion continuous with the connecting portion; <2> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <3> In the culture vessel support described in , the support member has a connection portion that connects to the through-hole, so the support member can be attached and detached to the culture vessel support. This makes it easy to replace the support member that has deteriorated with use, or to replace the support member according to the size of a tube, etc. Furthermore, since the support member has a deformable portion that is continuous with the connection portion, when the tube, etc. connected to the culture vessel is passed through the deformable portion, the deformable portion suppresses shaking of the tube, etc., and the tube, etc. can be held stably. <4> The deformable portion is formed of at least one of a flexible material and an elastic material. <3> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <4> In the culture vessel support described in 2014, the deformable portion is formed of at least one of a flexible material and an elastic material, so that when the tube or the like connected to the culture vessel is passed through the deformable portion, the restoring force of the deformable portion stably holds the tube or the like, thereby suppressing the tube from shaking. Also, the operation of passing the tube or the like through the deformable portion is easy. <5> The flexible material is a resin, and the elastic material is a rubber. <4> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <5> In the culture vessel support described in , the flexible material is resin and the elastic material is rubber, so when the tube or the like connected to the culture vessel is passed through the deformable portion, the tube or the like is stably held by the restoring force of the rubber of the deformable portion, thereby suppressing the shaking of the tube. In addition, the operation of passing the tube or the like through the deformable portion is easy. In addition, the deformable portion is easy to design. <6> The container has a cylindrical member having at least one open end for accommodating a culture vessel, and the dome-shaped surface is located at the bottom of the cylindrical member. <1> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <6> The culture vessel support described in 2. has a tubular member with at least one open end for accommodating a culture vessel, and the dome-shaped surface is located at the bottom of the tubular member, so that the circumferential side of the culture vessel accommodated in the tubular member is supported by the tubular member and the bottom is supported by the dome-shaped surface, thereby effectively suppressing deformation of the culture vessel. <7> A culture vessel and the <1> and a culture vessel support according to claim 1. The aforementioned <7> In the culture device described in , the bottom surface of the culture vessel is supported by the dome-shaped surface of the culture vessel support. The culture vessel support has a penetrable portion on a part of the dome-shaped surface that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel. This prevents the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the bottom surface of the culture vessel that abuts the penetrable portion from deforming due to the weight of the medium or culture solution, and prevents spheroids and scaffold materials (microcarriers, etc.) from gathering at the deformed portion. <8> the bottom surface of the culture vessel is a dome-shaped surface in which the center is higher than the periphery. <7> The culture device is as described above. The aforementioned <8> In the culture device described above, the bottom surface of the culture vessel is a dome-shaped surface with the center higher than the periphery, which prevents spheroids and scaffolding materials (such as microcarriers) from gathering in the center of the bottom of the culture vessel.Furthermore, when the culture vessel is placed on the culture vessel support, the dome-shaped surface of the bottom of the culture vessel and the dome-shaped surface of the culture vessel support can easily come into contact with each other, which effectively prevents the dome-shaped surface of the bottom of the culture vessel from deforming due to the weight of the medium or culture solution. <9> The volume of the culture vessel is 10 L or more. <7> The culture device is as described above. The aforementioned <9> In the culture device described above, the volume of the culture vessel is 10 L or more, which not only enables mass culture, but also makes it possible to extract cells and culture medium from the dome-shaped surface at the bottom of the culture vessel in the case of mass culture (large-scale culture), which increases the need to provide holes in the culture vessel support.In this case, the weight of the culture medium and culture solution in the culture vessel increases, making the dome-shaped surface at the bottom of the culture vessel more susceptible to deformation, but the penetrable portion can effectively prevent deformation of the dome-shaped surface at the bottom of the culture vessel. <10> The shaking culture device <7> The culture device is as described above. The aforementioned <10> The culture device described in is a shaking culture device, and therefore the dome-shaped surface on the bottom surface of the culture vessel can prevent spheroids and scaffolding materials (such as microcarriers) from gathering together due to shaking. However, as the movement of cells and culture medium within the culture vessel increases, the dome-shaped surface on the bottom surface of the culture vessel becomes more susceptible to deformation. However, the penetrable portion can effectively prevent deformation of the dome-shaped surface on the bottom surface of the culture vessel. <11> The aforementioned <1> The present invention is a method for culturing cells, characterized in that the culture vessel support according to the above item 1 is placed in contact with the bottom surface of a culture vessel and cells are cultured in the culture vessel. The aforementioned <11> In the cell culture method described in , the culture vessel support is placed in contact with the bottom surface of the culture vessel to culture cells in the culture vessel, and the bottom surface of the culture vessel is supported by the dome-shaped surface of the culture vessel support. The culture vessel support has a penetrable portion on a portion of the dome-shaped surface that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel. This prevents the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the bottom surface of the culture vessel that abuts the penetrable portion from deforming due to the weight of the medium or culture solution, and prevents spheroids and scaffolding materials (microcarriers, etc.) from gathering at the deformed portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a culture vessel support, as well as a culture device and a culture method using the same, which suppress deformation of the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the culture vessel even when an outlet is provided at the bottom of the culture vessel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view (part 1) showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view (part 2) showing one example of the culture vessel support of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of the culture vessel support of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 1) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 2) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 3) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a plan view showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a side view showing an example of a culture vessel support of the present invention. The culture vessel support shown in Fig. 2 differs from the culture vessel main body shown in Fig. 1 in that it can be divided into four sectors with right angles at the apex. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the culture vessel support shown in Fig. 1, divided into two equal parts. Fig. 4 is a side view of the culture vessel support divided into two equal parts shown in Fig. 3.

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 1) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention, Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 2) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view (part 3) showing an example of the culture apparatus of the present invention. The culture apparatus shown in Fig. 6 has a cylindrical member capable of accommodating a culture vessel, unlike the culture apparatus shown in Fig. 5. In the culture apparatus shown in Fig. 7, a tube is connected to the bottom surface of the culture vessel in the culture apparatus shown in Fig. 5.

[0015] 1 to 7, a culture vessel support 1 of the present invention has a dome-shaped surface 2, and a penetrable site 3 in a part of the dome-shaped surface 2. Note that the penetrable site 3 is not shown in FIGS. The pierceable portion 3 is located at an opening 5A on the dome-shaped surface 2 side of a through-hole 5 that penetrates the dome-shaped surface 2. The number of pierceable portions 3 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the number of tubes 20, etc., that are connected to the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10, and there may be one or more.

[0016] The material of the culture vessel support 1 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately, and examples thereof include metals such as stainless steel and aluminum, resins such as polyurethane resin, urethane foam resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyolefin resin, and vinyl chloride resin, rubbers such as silicone rubber and chloroprene rubber, composite materials such as fiber-reinforced plastics, wood such as plywood, bamboo, and polystyrene foam, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0017] The planar shape of the culture vessel support 1 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the planar shape of the bottom surface of the culture vessel to be used, and examples include a circle, an oval, and a rectangle.

[0018] The three-dimensional shape of the culture vessel support 1 is not particularly limited as long as it has a dome-shaped surface 2, and can be selected appropriately depending on the shape of the bottom surface of the culture vessel to be used, etc., but a shape having a bottom surface 4 on the opposite side of the dome-shaped surface 2 that can be placed on an installation surface is preferred. Examples of shapes having a bottom surface 4 include an approximately conical shape in which the dome-shaped surface 2 is formed continuously from the bottom surface 4, and an approximately truncated conical shape in which the dome-shaped surface 2 is formed continuously from a cylinder having a bottom surface 4. In the approximately conical shape and the approximately truncated conical shape, the surface opposite the bottom surface 4 forms the dome-shaped surface 2.

[0019] The culture vessel support 1 may be formed of a single member or multiple members. An example of a support formed of multiple members is a support formed of multiple members in which the dome-shaped surface 2 in plan view is divided radially, concentrically, or the like, for example, as shown in Figure 2, which is formed of multiple members in which the dome-shaped surface 2 is divided into four sectors with right angles at the apex. Because the culture vessel support 1 is formed from multiple components, the position, shape, size, etc. of the penetrable part can be changed depending on the usage mode, and a wide variety of culture vessel support 1 can be created using a small number of components.

[0020] The shape of the dome-shaped surface 2 is preferably a curved surface in which the center is higher and the peripheral portion is lower than the center, and which is inclined from the center to the peripheral portion. The relationship between the height of the center and the height of the peripheral portion can be selected as appropriate. Examples of the cross-sectional shape of the dome-shaped surface 2 parallel to the height direction of the culture vessel support 1 include curved shapes such as a circular arc, an elliptical arc, and a parabola. The surface of the dome-shaped surface 2 is not particularly limited as long as it does not deform the bottom surface of the culture vessel, and can be selected as appropriate, for example, a smooth surface, a rough surface, a surface with microholes, etc.

[0021] The structure of the penetrable portion 3 may be (A) a structure that is integral with and inseparable from the culture vessel support 1, or (B) a structure that is separable from the culture vessel support 1. Among these, (B) a structure that can be separated from the culture vessel support 1 is preferred, as it makes it easy to replace the penetrable portion 3 that has deteriorated with use, and to replace the penetrable portion 3 according to the size of the tube or the like connected to the culture vessel.

[0022] When the penetrable portion 3 is made into an inseparable structure integral with the culture vessel support 1, the material (composition) of the penetrable portion 3 may be the same as that of the culture vessel support 1, or the material (composition) of the penetrable portion 3 may be a different material (composition) from that of the culture vessel support 1, but it is preferable that the material (composition) of the penetrable portion 3 be a softer material than the material (composition) of the culture vessel support 1.

[0023] When the pierceable portion 3 has a structure that can be separated from the culture vessel support 1, it is preferable that the pierceable portion 3 is located at an opening 5A on the dome-shaped surface 2 side of a through-hole 5 that penetrates the dome-shaped surface 2, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, and that the pierceable portion 3 has a support member 6 that supports the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 and supports a member (tube 20) that penetrates the support member 6. This is preferable in that it makes it easy to replace the support member 6 that has deteriorated with use, or to replace the support member 6 according to the size of the tube 20 or the like that is connected to the culture vessel 10.

[0024] The shape (exposed shape) of the opening 5A of the through-hole 5 on the dome-shaped surface 2 side is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, etc. Among these, a circle is preferable.

[0025] The penetration direction of the through-holes 5 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, it may be approximately perpendicular to the dome-shaped surface 2 or approximately perpendicular to the bottom surface 4 (installation surface).

[0026] The support member 6 preferably has, for example, a connection portion 6A connected to the through-hole 5 and a deformable portion 6B continuous with the connection portion 6A. The connecting portion 6A and the deformable portion 6B may be of an integral, inseparable structure, or may be of a separable structure.

[0027] The connecting portion 6A is not particularly limited as long as it can be connected to the through hole 5, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, it may be an annular member that can be fitted into the through hole 5 (a ring-shaped member if the opening shape of the through hole 5 is circular). The material of the connection part 6A is not particularly limited as long as it can be connected to the through-hole 5, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, the same materials as those of the culture vessel support 1 described above can be used.

[0028] The deformable portion 6B is not particularly limited as long as it is continuous with the connecting portion 6A and is deformable when penetrated by a tube 20 or the like, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, the following materials and structures can be mentioned.

[0029] The material of the deformable portion 6B is preferably at least one of a flexible material and an elastic material. In this case, the deformable portion 6B supports the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10, so that the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 that abuts against the deformable portion 6B can be prevented from being deformed due to the weight of the culture medium or culture solution, which is preferable in that it can effectively prevent spheroids and scaffolding materials (microcarriers, etc.) from gathering at the deformed area. Furthermore, when a tube 20 or the like connected to the culture vessel 10 is passed through the deformable portion 6B, the restoring force of the deformable portion 6B stably holds the tube 20 or the like, thereby preventing the tube 20 or the like from shaking. Also, this is preferable in that it is easy to pass the tube 20 or the like through the deformable portion 6B.

[0030] The flexible material may be, for example, a resin. Examples of the resin include polyurethane resin, urethane foam resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyolefin resin, vinyl chloride resin, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0031] The elastic material may be, for example, rubber. Examples of the rubber include silicone rubber, chloroprene rubber, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0032] Examples of the structure of the deformable portion 6B include (A) a structure in which a cut (slit) is made in a sheet-like surface formed continuously with the connecting portion 6A, (B) a structure in which multiple string-like or strip-like sheet materials are connected to the connecting portion 6A, (C) a continuous sheet structure without cuts, etc., (D) an elastic sheet structure in which a hole smaller than the cross section of the through hole is opened approximately in the center, and (E) an elastic sheet structure with approximately the same shape as the cross section of the through hole. When the deformable portion 6B has these structures, the tube 20, etc. can pass through the deformable portion 6B, and the passed-through tube 20, etc. is held by the deformable portion 6B, which is preferable in that the tube 20, etc. is less likely to swing.

[0033] As an example of the structure of the deformable portion 6B in which cuts (slits) are made in the sheet-like surface formed continuously with the (A) connecting portion 6A, a structure can be given in which a cut is made in the diameter direction from one circumferential side to the other circumferential side of the sheet-like surface forming the deformable portion 6B, which has a circular planar shape, and then similar cuts are made multiple times at different angles to create multiple fan-shaped cuts. In this case, if the apex angle is approximately a right angle, the cut will resemble a so-called chrysanthemum cut. The apex angles of the multiple fan-shaped cuts may be equal or different. The length of the cut, i.e., the length of the cut formed in the diameter direction from one circumferential side to the other circumferential side, is not particularly limited as long as the tube 20 etc. can pass through, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose.

[0034] As the structure of the deformable portion 6B, examples of a structure in which multiple string-like or strip-like sheet materials are connected to the (B) connecting portion 6A include a structure in which multiple rubber cords are arranged parallel to each other or in cross directions and fixed to the connecting portion 6A, and a knitted structure in which the spacing between the meshes is expandable.

[0035] As an example of the structure of the deformable portion 6B in the case of the (C) continuous sheet structure without cuts or the like, for example, when the connection portion connected to the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 in the tube 20 or the like is formed of a hard material, the deformable portion 6B may be formed of a rubber sheet or the like that can be physically penetrated by the connection portion of the hard material.

[0036] As an example of the structure of the deformable portion 6B in the case of the elastic sheet structure (D) having a hole smaller than the cross section of the through-hole approximately in the center, there is a structure formed of a thin rubber sheet or the like having a hole in the center. When a tube or the like is passed through the central hole, the central hole expands and can support the tube or the like.

[0037] As an example of the structure of the deformable portion 6B, in the case of a sheet structure having approximately the same shape as the cross section of the (E) through hole, for example, a hexagonal rubber sheet smaller than the cross section of the through hole is connected to one side of the hexagon of the through hole with a hexagonal cross section, and when a tube or the like is passed through it, the rubber sheet enters the through hole and deforms to fit the shape of the tube or the like, and can support the tube or the like.

[0038] The culture vessel support 1 may further have a tubular member 7 that houses the culture vessel 10, as shown in Figure 6. When the tubular member 7 is provided, the dome-shaped surface 2 is preferably positioned at the bottom of the tubular member 7. It is preferable that the culture vessel support 1 has a cylindrical member 7, since deformation of the peripheral side surface of the culture vessel 10 can be suppressed.

[0039] The cylindrical member 7 may be open at one end or at both ends. When one end is open, the dome-shaped surface 2 is positioned on the bottom surface located at the other end, and when both ends are open, the cylindrical member 7 is positioned so as to cover the installed dome-shaped surface 2. The cylindrical member 7 may be formed integrally with the culture vessel support 1 inseparably.

[0040] In the culture vessel support 1, a support member 6 positioned at an opening 5A on the dome-shaped surface 2 side of a through-hole 5 penetrating the dome-shaped surface 2 supports the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10. This prevents the curved surface (dome-shaped surface) of the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10, which abuts against the deformable portion 6B of the support member 6, from being deformed by the weight of the medium or culture solution, effectively preventing spheroids and scaffolding materials (such as microcarriers) from gathering at the deformed area. Furthermore, in the culture vessel support 1, the support member 6 has a connecting portion 6A that connects to the through-hole 5, so the support member 6 can be attached and detached to the culture vessel support 1. This facilitates the replacement of the support member 6 that has deteriorated with use, or the replacement of the support member 6 according to the size of the tube 20, etc. Furthermore, since the support member 6 has a deformable portion 6B that is continuous with the connection portion 6A, when a tube 20 or the like connected to the culture vessel 10 is passed through the deformable portion 6B, the deformable portion 6B suppresses the shaking of the tube 20 or the like, and the tube 20 or the like is held stably.

[0041] 5 to 7 includes a culture vessel 10 and a culture vessel support 1. The bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 and the dome-shaped surface 2 of the culture vessel support 1 abut against each other. The culture vessel 10 may be single-use (disposable).

[0042] The material of the culture vessel 10 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately, and examples thereof include thermoplastic resins. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include general-purpose resins such as polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0043] Depending on the material of the culture vessel 10, the side or top surface of the culture vessel 10 may not be flat but may have a wavy shape. Even in such a case, when a culture medium or the like is poured into the culture vessel 10, the weight and pressing force of the culture medium or the like causes the side surface of the culture vessel 10 to come into contact with the cylindrical member 7.

[0044] The structure of the culture vessel 10 may be formed of a single-layer sheet material or a laminated sheet material. Examples of the laminated sheet material include a laminated sheet material containing at least one of the general-purpose resins. The culture vessel 10 may also have a foldable gusset bag structure. A gusset bag structure is easy to fold and is preferable in terms of storage efficiency, etc. The culture vessel 10 may also be a multi-layered culture vessel 10 (packaging bag) with a double structure, triple structure, or the like.

[0045] The shape of the culture vessel 10 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately, and examples thereof include polygonal pillars such as square pillars, hexagonal pillars, and octagonal pillars, and cylindrical pillars. Among these, cylindrical pillars having the curved surface on the bottom surface 11 are preferred. The shape of the curved surface of the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 is not particularly limited and can be selected as appropriate, for example, a curved surface in which the center is located higher and the peripheral portion is located lower than the center, and which is inclined from the center to the peripheral portion.

[0046] The planar shape of the culture vessel 10 is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately, but a circular shape is preferable. Furthermore, the culture vessel 10 can have a cylindrical side surface on the bottom surface. Above the side surface, the top surface of the culture vessel 10 may be closed or open.

[0047] The capacity of the culture vessel 10 is not particularly limited and can be selected as appropriate, for example, 1 L or more, 5 L or more, 10 L or more, 20 L or more, 50 L or more, 100 L or more, 200 L or more, 1000 L or more, 3000 L or more, 5000 L or more, etc. Among these, 1 L or more is preferred, 10 L or more is more preferred, 20 L or more is even more preferred, and 50 L or more is particularly preferred, as this has a significant effect in suppressing deformation even though deformation of the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 is prone to occur.

[0048] The culture vessel 10 may have an opening 12 on the bottom surface 11 . The opening 12 may be provided with, for example, a tube 20, a hose, an outlet, an inlet, a cock, a cap, a spout, or the like for extracting cells, culture medium, or the like. The tube 20 may be equipped with, for example, a filter, a flow monitor, a flow meter, a valve, a pump, and the like. The culture vessel 10 may have a built-in stirring blade.

[0049] When a tube 20, hose, spout, inlet, cock, cap, etc. are provided, a depression or groove may be provided on the installation surface that the tube 20, hose, spout, inlet, cock, cap, etc. contacts.

[0050] The culture device 100 can be equipped with a drive device for shaking the culture vessel 10 and a drive device for rotating the agitator blades. When the culture device 100 has a drive device for shaking the culture vessel 10, it functions as a tank shaking type culture device, and when the culture device 100 has a drive device for rotating the agitator blades, it functions as an impeller type culture device.

[0051] The shaking tank culture device preferably shakes the culture vessel 10 while rotating the center of the bottom surface 11 of the culture vessel 10 horizontally on a circular orbit, creating an orbital motion. This causes the liquid surface to rise on both sides during stirring, with the center becoming concave. In the peripheral areas near the sides of the bottom surface, the liquid level oscillates up and down.

[0052] Although the present invention has been described above based on preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Modifications include addition, substitution, omission, and other changes to components in each embodiment. Furthermore, components used in two or more embodiments can be combined as appropriate.

[0053] The present invention includes, for example, the following aspects. <1> The support for a culture vessel has a dome-shaped surface, and is characterized in that a part of the dome-shaped surface has a penetrable portion that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel. <2> the penetrable portion is located at an opening on the dome-shaped surface side of a through-hole penetrating the dome-shaped surface, and the penetrable portion has a support member that supports a bottom surface of the culture vessel and supports a member that penetrates the support member; <1> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. <3> the support member has a connecting portion connected to the through hole and a deformable portion continuous with the connecting portion; <2> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. <4> The deformable portion is formed of at least one of a flexible material and an elastic material. <3> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. <5> The flexible material is a resin, and the elastic material is a rubber. <4> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. <6> The container has a cylindrical member having at least one open end for accommodating a culture vessel, and the dome-shaped surface is located at the bottom of the cylindrical member. <1> The culture vessel support according to claim 1. <7> A culture vessel and the <1> and a culture vessel support according to claim 1. <8> the bottom surface of the culture vessel is a dome-shaped surface in which the center is higher than the periphery. <7> The culture device is as described above. <9> The volume of the culture vessel is 10 L or more. <7> The culture device is as described above. <10> The shaking culture device <7> The culture device is as described above. <11> The aforementioned <1> The present invention is a method for culturing cells, characterized in that the culture vessel support according to the above item 1 is placed in contact with the bottom surface of a culture vessel and cells are cultured in the culture vessel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Culture vessel support 2 Domed surface 3 Penetrable parts 4 Bottom 5 through holes 5A Opening (dome-shaped surface 2 side of through-hole 5) 6 Support member 6A connection 6B Transformable part 7 Cylindrical member 10 Culture vessel 11 Bottom of culture vessel 12 Opening (at the bottom of the culture vessel) 20 tubes 100 Culture equipment

Claims

1. having a dome-shaped surface, A culture vessel support characterized in that a part of the dome-shaped surface has a penetrable portion that suppresses deformation of the bottom surface of the culture vessel.

2. The penetrable portion is a through hole penetrating the dome-shaped surface, the through hole being located at an opening on the dome-shaped surface side; The culture vessel support according to claim 1 , further comprising a support member that supports the bottom surface of the culture vessel, the support member supporting a member that penetrates the support member.

3. The culture vessel support according to claim 2 , wherein the support member has a connection part connected to the through-hole and a deformable part continuous with the connection part.

4. The culture vessel support according to claim 3 , wherein the deformable portion is formed from at least one of a flexible material and an elastic material.

5. The culture vessel support according to claim 4 , wherein the flexible material is a resin and the elastic material is a rubber.

6. The culture vessel support according to claim 1 , comprising a tubular member having at least one open end for accommodating a culture vessel, the dome-shaped surface being located at the bottom of the tubular member.

7. A culture device comprising a culture vessel and the culture vessel support according to claim 1.

8. The culture device according to claim 7 , wherein the bottom surface of the culture vessel is a dome-shaped surface in which the center is higher than the periphery.

9. The culture device according to claim 7 , wherein the volume of the culture vessel is 10 L or more.

10. The culture device according to claim 7, which is a shaking culture device.

11. A method for culturing cells, comprising: disposing the culture vessel support according to claim 1 so as to contact the bottom surface of the culture vessel; and culturing cells in the culture vessel.

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