Container lid device

Abstract

To provide a container lid device that can replace liquid in a container to make it easily become a liquid-tight state.SOLUTION: A container lid device 10 capable of being attached / detached to / from a container 100 housing a cultured tissue (implant) 200 comprises a lid body 20 covering an opening 110 of the container 100, wherein the lid body 20 has a top surface 30 facing an opening direction of the container 100, a bottom face 40 facing the opposite side of the top surface 30, a first through hole 60 being a liquid injection port, and a second through hole 65 being a liquid discharge port, and the top surface 30 has a recess 31 in which an area around the second through hole 65 is recessed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container lid device used to close a container for transporting cultured cells. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, new regenerative medicines have been developed as a solution for treating severe heart failure. One known regenerative medicine approach involves transplanting cells and tissues collected from a patient into a culture facility. The collected cells and tissues are cultured in a culture dish or other container to form cell spheroids or cell sheets.

[0003] The cultured transplants are transported in a container together with a preservative solution. When the container is transported in this state, fluctuations such as shaking or vibration of the preservative solution surface can easily cause the transplants to move within the container, potentially damaging the transplants through unintended aggregation of cell spheroids or bending of cell sheets.

[0004] In order to prevent fluctuations in the liquid level of the preservation solution during transportation of the culture, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a container that can keep the interior of the transplant liquid-tight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7224122 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The preservative solution in the container needs to be replaced periodically. Furthermore, in order to prevent fluctuations in the liquid level of the preservative solution, the container needs to be reliably kept liquid-tight. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to easily replace the preservative solution in the container so that it remains liquid-tight.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a container lid device that allows the liquid in the container to be easily replaced so as to maintain a liquid-tight state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The container lid device of the present invention, which achieves the above-mentioned object, is a container lid device that can be attached and detached to a container that stores a transplant, and is equipped with a lid body that covers the opening of the container, and the lid body has a top surface facing the direction in which the container opens, a bottom surface facing the opposite side to the top surface, a first through hole that serves as a liquid inlet, and a second through hole that serves as a liquid outlet, and the top surface has a recess that is recessed around the second through hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] When replacing the liquid in the container, the container lid device (1) configured as described above allows the liquid level to be confirmed in the recess when the liquid fills the space inside the container blocked by the lid body, making it possible to easily and reliably make the space inside the container liquid-tight.

[0010] (2) In the container lid device of (1) above, the bottom opening of the first through-hole of the lid body may be covered with a filter member. In this way, when liquid is poured into the container lid device through the first through-hole, the liquid is temporarily received by the filter member before entering the container, thereby suppressing fluctuations in the liquid level in the container caused by pouring the liquid and suppressing the impact on the transplant placed in the container.

[0011] (3) In the container lid device of (1) or (2) above, the lid body may have a convex portion on the bottom surface that is convex toward the second through-hole. With this, when liquid is poured into the container with the lid body closing the container, air inside the container is discharged along the convex portion, thereby facilitating the pouring of the liquid.

[0012] (4) In the container lid device of (3) above, the opening of the second through hole on the bottom side may be located at the apex of the convex portion, thereby enabling the container lid device to reliably discharge air from within the convex portion through the second through hole.

[0013] (5) In the container lid device of any one of (1) to (4) above, the opening of the first through hole on the bottom side may be located on a horizontal portion of the bottom surface. This allows the container lid device to position the filter member horizontally, thereby preventing a gap from occurring between the filter member and the liquid surface in the container and preventing droplets from forming between the filter member and the liquid surface in the container.

[0014] (6) In the container lid device of any one of (1) to (5) above, the lid body may have a sealing member that covers the entire periphery of the gap between the lid body and the container, thereby sealing the inside of the container from the outside and preventing the lid body from slipping off the container.

[0015] (7) In the container lid device of any one of (1) to (6) above, the lid body may have an outer diameter of the top surface larger than that of the bottom surface, thereby allowing the lid body to have a flange-like shape with a larger outer diameter on the top surface side along the circumferential direction, making it easier to attach and detach the lid body to and from the container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the container lid device according to the present embodiment attached to a container. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container lid device. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views showing the process of attaching the container lid device to a container containing an implant and filling it with liquid. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings may be exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0018] The container lid device 10 of this embodiment is a device that can be attached to and detached from a container 100 that stores a transplant 200. The container 100 has an opening 110 that opens upward. The transplant 200 stored in the container 100 is a cell spheroid. A cell spheroid is a culture in which cells aggregate to form a mass. The transplant 200 may be something other than a cell spheroid, and may be, for example, a sheet-shaped cell culture. A sheet-shaped cell culture is a sheet-shaped culture in which cells are linked to each other.

[0019] The transplant 200 is formed by culturing tissue collected from a living body. The cells constituting the transplant 200 are myoblasts, such as skeletal myoblasts. However, the cells are not limited to these and include, for example, somatic stem cells, adult stem cells, or differentiated cells derived from ES cells (embryonic stem cells) and iPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells). Somatic stem cells include, for example, mesenchymal stem cells, vascular endothelial stem / progenitor cells, and skeletal myoblasts (myoblast cells). Differentiated cells include, for example, cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. In addition, the transplant 200 may include, for example, cell lines and genetically modified cells.

[0020] The container 100 has a number of concave and convex shapes on which cell spheroids can be placed on the container bottom surface 120. The transplant 200, which is a cell spheroid, is placed on the container bottom surface 120 and stored in the container 100.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the container lid device 10 includes a lid body 20 that covers the opening 110 of the container 100. The lid body 20 has a top surface 30 that faces the direction in which the container 100 opens, a bottom surface 40 that faces the opposite side to the top surface 30, and a side surface 50 that faces in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the top surface 30 and the bottom surface 40 face. When the lid body 20 covers the opening 110 of the container 100, a closed space in which the transplant 200 is stored is formed between the container 100 and the container lid device 10. This closed space is filled with a preservation solution 300 without any air portion.

[0022] The lid body 20 has a first through-hole 60 serving as a liquid inlet and a second through-hole 65 serving as a liquid outlet between the top surface 30 and the bottom surface 40. The first through-hole 60 is closed by an inlet cap 70. The second through-hole 65 is closed by an outlet cap 71.

[0023] The outer diameter of the top surface 30 of the lid body 20 is larger than the outer diameter of the bottom surface 40, which is also larger than the outer diameter of the container 100. Therefore, the lid body 20 has a flange shape around the entire periphery on the top surface 30 side, allowing it to be placed on the opening edge of the container 100. The top surface 30 also has a handle portion 34 that extends in one direction. This makes it easy to attach and detach the container lid device 10 to and from the container 100 by hooking a finger onto the handle portion 34.

[0024] The top surface 30 of the lid body 20 has a recess 31 recessed around the second through-hole 65. The second through-hole 65 is located at the bottommost position of the recess 31. The recess 31 has two notches 32 that are further recessed at two locations facing each other. The notches 32 are provided to prevent interference between the tweezers and the recess 31 when grasping the discharge port cap 71 to be attached to or detached from the second through-hole 65, making it easier to attach or detach the discharge port cap 71.

[0025] The bottom surface 40 of the lid main body 20 has a convex portion 41 that is convex toward the second through-hole 65. The convex portion 41 has a dome-like shape, and the opening of the second through-hole 65 on the bottom surface 40 side is located at the apex of the convex portion 41. The convex portion 41 allows air inside the container 100 to be pushed along the convex portion 41 and out of the second through-hole 65 when liquid is poured into the container 100 whose opening 110 is closed by the container lid device 10. The volume of the convex portion 41 is larger than the volume of the recess 31. By making the volume of the convex portion 41 as large as possible, the opening area of ​​the convex portion 41 on the bottom surface 40 and the inclination angle from the opening of the convex portion 41 on the container bottom surface 120 side to the second through-hole 65 can be set to form a shape that makes it easy for air to be pushed along the convex portion 41 toward the second through-hole 65. Furthermore, the diameter of the convex portion 41 on the bottom surface 40 can be larger than the diameter of the recess 31 on the top surface 30.

[0026] A side recess 51 is formed around the entire periphery on the side surface 50 of the lid body 20. A sealing member 55 made of an elastic material such as rubber is disposed around the entire periphery in the side recess 51. The sealing member 55 covers the space between the lid body 20 and the container 100 around the entire periphery, sealing the area where the transplant 200 is stored from the outside and preventing the lid body 20 from slipping off the container 100. The sealing member 55 may be disposed somewhere other than the side surface 50 of the lid body 20; for example, it may be disposed so as to cover the space between the top surface 30 and the opening edge of the container 100 around the entire periphery.

[0027] The first through-hole 60 has a tapered portion 61 in which the opening diameter on the top surface 30 side is larger than the opening diameter on the bottom surface 40 side, and the diameter decreases from the opening on the top surface 30 side toward the bottom surface 40 side. The tapered portion 61 makes it easier to attach and detach the injection port cap 70 that closes the first through-hole 60. The opening of the first through-hole 60 on the bottom surface 40 side is located in the horizontal portion of the bottom surface 40.

[0028] In the lid body 20, the opening of the first through-hole 60 on the bottom surface 40 side is covered with a filter member 42. The filter member 42 may be any filter that absorbs and transmits droplets of liquid, and a membrane filter may be used. The filter member 42 may be any other type of filter, such as a hollow fiber filter. The filter member 42 absorbs impacts caused by droplets of liquid poured through the first through-hole 60, preventing fluctuations in the liquid level in the container 100 and preventing foreign matter in the liquid from entering the container 100.

[0029] Next, the process of attaching the container lid device 10 to the container 100 and filling the inside of the container 100 with the preservation solution 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the upward-opening container 100 has the transplanted plant 200 placed on the container bottom surface 120 and is filled with the preservation solution 300 up to a certain water level. With the container lid device 10 attached to the container 100, the container 100 is filled with the preservation solution 300 so that the position of the filter member 42 is at the water level. The container lid device 10 is inserted into the container 100 from above so as to close the opening 110. At this time, the inlet cap 70 and the outlet cap 71 are not attached to the container lid device 10.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3(b), by attaching the container lid device 10 to the container 100, the sealing member 55 covers the entire gap between the container 100 and the lid body 20, forming a closed space between the container bottom surface 120 and the bottom surface 40 of the lid body 20. After attaching the container lid device 10 to the container 100, the operator injects the preservation solution 300 into the first through-hole 60 from the injection device 400. For example, a dropper can be used as the injection device 400. However, the injection device 400 may be a device other than a dropper as long as it is capable of injecting a liquid through the first through-hole 60.

[0031] The preservation solution 300 injected from the injection device 400 is in the form of droplets in the first through-hole 60. The preservation solution 300 is absorbed by the filter member 42 provided to cover the bottom surface 40 side of the first through-hole 60, and is added to the preservation solution in the container 100. Therefore, the container lid device 10 can prevent droplets from the injection device 400 from fluctuating the liquid level in the container 100 by the filter member 42. This makes it possible to prevent the injection of the preservation solution 300 from affecting the transplant 200 contained in the container 100.

[0032] When liquid is injected into container 100 from injection device 400, the air inside container 100 is pushed out and the liquid level of preservation solution 300 rises. Lid body 20 has convex portion 41 on bottom surface 40, and second through-hole 65 is located at the apex of convex portion 41, so that air inside container 100 is smoothly pushed out along convex portion 41, and the air inside container 100 can be replaced with liquid.

[0033] 3(c), when the preservation solution 300 is further poured, the liquid level in the container 100 rises to a position above the second through-hole 65 and overflows into the recess 31 formed in the top surface 30 of the lid body 20. This allows the operator to visually confirm that the inside of the container 100 closed by the container lid device 10 has been filled with liquid. When the operator visually confirms the liquid level of the preservation solution 300 in the recess 31, he or she stops pouring the preservation solution 300.

[0034] After the preservation solution 300 has been poured into the container 100, the operator attaches an inlet cap 70 to the first through-hole 60 and an outlet cap 71 to the second through-hole 65, respectively, to close the first through-hole 60 and the second through-hole 65. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the inside of the container 100, which is closed with the container lid device 10, can be filled with the preservation solution 300 without any air portions. Since the inside of the container 100 is filled with the preservation solution 300, there is no liquid level of the preservation solution 300 within the container 100, and fluctuations in the liquid level can be prevented from affecting the transplant 200.

[0035] As described above, the container lid device 10 according to the present embodiment (1) is a container lid device 10 that can be attached to and detached from a container 100 that stores a transplant 200, and includes a lid body 20 that covers the opening 110 of the container 100. The lid body 20 has a top surface 30 that faces the direction in which the container 100 opens, a bottom surface 40 that faces the opposite side from the top surface 30, a first through-hole 60 that serves as a liquid inlet, and a second through-hole 65 that serves as a liquid outlet, and the top surface 30 has a recess 31 that is recessed around the second through-hole 65. When replacing the liquid in the container 100, the container lid device 10 configured in this manner allows the liquid level to be confirmed in the recess 31 when the space within the container 100 that is closed by the lid body 20 is filled with liquid, and the space within the container 100 can be easily and reliably made liquid-tight.

[0036] (2) In the container lid device 10 described in (1) above, the opening of the first through-hole 60 on the bottom surface 40 side of the lid body 20 may be covered with a filter member 42. In this way, when liquid is injected through the first through-hole 60 of the container lid device 10, the liquid is temporarily received by the filter member 42 before entering the container 100, thereby suppressing fluctuations in the liquid level in the container 100 caused by the injection of the liquid and suppressing the impact on the transplant 200 stored in the container 100.

[0037] (3) In the container lid device 10 described in (1) or (2) above, the lid body 20 may have a convex portion 41 on the bottom surface 40 that is convex toward the second through-hole 65. This allows the container lid device 10 to expel air from the container 100 along the convex portion 41 when liquid is poured into the container 100 while the container 100 is closed with the lid body 20, thereby facilitating the pouring of the liquid.

[0038] (4) In the container lid device 10 described above in (3), the opening of the second through hole 65 on the bottom surface 40 side may be located at the apex of the convex portion 41. This allows the container lid device 10 to reliably discharge air from the convex portion 41 through the second through hole 65.

[0039] (5) In any of the container lid devices 10 described above in (1) to (4), the opening of the first through hole 60 on the bottom surface 40 side may be located in a horizontal portion of the bottom surface 40. This allows the container lid device 10 to position the filter member 42 horizontally, thereby preventing a gap from occurring between the filter member 42 and the liquid surface in the container 100 and preventing droplets from forming between the filter member 42 and the liquid surface in the container 100.

[0040] (6) In the container lid device 10 of any of (1) to (5) above, the lid body 20 may have a sealing member 55 that covers the entire periphery of the gap between the lid body 20 and the container 100. This allows the container lid device 10 to seal the inside of the container 100 from the outside and prevent the lid body 20 from slipping off the container 100.

[0041] (7) In the container lid device 10 of any of (1) to (6) above, the lid body 20 may have an outer diameter of the top surface 30 that is larger than the outer diameter of the bottom surface 40. This allows the lid body 20 of the container lid device 10 to have a brim-like shape in which the outer diameter on the top surface 30 side is larger along the circumferential direction, making it easier to attach and detach the lid body 20 to and from the container 100.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10. Container Lid Device 20 Lid body 30 Top 31 Recess 32 Notch 34 Handle 40 bottom 41 Convex part 42 Filter member 50 Side 51 Side recess 55 Sealing material 60 First through hole 61 Tapered section 65 Second through hole 70 Inlet Cap 71 Outlet cap 100 containers 110 Opening 120 Bottom of container 200 implants 300 Preservation solution 400 Injection Device

Claims

1. A container lid device that can be attached to and detached from a container that contains an implant, a lid body for covering an opening of the container; the lid body has a top surface facing a direction in which the container is opened, a bottom surface facing the opposite side to the top surface, a first through hole serving as a liquid inlet, and a second through hole serving as a liquid outlet, The container lid device, wherein the top surface has a recess that is recessed around the second through hole.

2. The container lid device according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of the first through hole on the bottom side of the lid body is covered with a filter member.

3. The container lid device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lid body has a convex portion on a bottom surface thereof that is convex toward the second through hole.

4. The container lid device according to claim 3 , wherein the opening of the second through hole on the bottom side is located at the apex of the convex portion.

5. The container lid device according to claim 2 , wherein the opening of the first through hole on the bottom side is located in a horizontal portion of the bottom surface.

6. The container lid device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lid body has a sealing member that covers the gap between the lid body and the container over the entire periphery.

7. The container lid device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer diameter of the top surface of the lid body is larger than the outer diameter of the bottom surface.

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