Culture processing device

Abstract

To efficiently process cultures while preventing contamination. [Solution] The present invention relates to a culture processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing chambers r1 to r4 partitioned to correspond to the first to fourth processing steps, wherein a container moving means 23 moves containers (culture vessels 3, centrifuge tubes 4) from the processing chamber r of the upstream process to the processing chamber r of the downstream process and performs a series of processing steps. Each processing chamber r1 to r4 is equipped with an air conditioning means 10 that supplies purified gas from the top and discharges it from the bottom for ventilation. When processing a container containing a culture different from the culture contained in a container that has been processed earlier, the container moving means 23 moves the earlier container from the adjacent upstream processing chamber r to the downstream processing chamber r, the air conditioning means 10 ventilates the upstream processing chamber r for a predetermined time, and then brings the container containing the different culture into the upstream processing chamber r.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a culture processing apparatus, and more particularly to a culture processing apparatus that performs processing according to a process on a container containing a culture in a plurality of processing chambers partitioned to correspond to a plurality of processing steps.

Background Art

[0002] Today, cells collected from a donor are cultured and used for the treatment of the donor himself / herself. In order to handle the treatments for a large number of donors, a culture processing apparatus capable of automatically performing the processing required for culturing is used. As such a culture processing apparatus, there is known one including a plurality of processing chambers partitioned to correspond to a plurality of processing steps, processing means provided in the plurality of processing chambers for performing processing according to a process on a container containing a culture, container moving means for moving the container from an adjacent upstream process processing chamber to a downstream process processing chamber, and control means for controlling the processing means and the container moving means (Patent Document 1). In this Patent Document 1, the container moving means moves the container from an upstream process processing chamber to a downstream process processing chamber to perform a series of processing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, since contamination is prevented by sterilizing each processing chamber, there is a time loss in continuously performing processing to handle a large number of donors. In view of these problems, the present invention provides a culture processing apparatus that can efficiently process cultures while preventing contamination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] That is, the culture processing apparatus according to claim 1 comprises a plurality of processing chambers partitioned to correspond to a plurality of processing steps, processing means provided in the plurality of processing chambers to perform processing on containers containing cultures according to the process, container moving means for moving the containers from an adjacent upstream processing chamber to a downstream processing chamber, and control means for controlling the processing means and the container moving means. In a culture processing apparatus that moves the above container from the upstream processing chamber to the downstream processing chamber and performs a series of processing operations, Each processing chamber is equipped with an air conditioning system that supplies purified gas from the top and exhausts it from the bottom for ventilation. When processing a container containing a culture different from the culture contained in a container that has been processed previously, The container moving means moves the preceding container from the adjacent upstream processing chamber to the downstream processing chamber, and then the air conditioning means ventilates the upstream processing chamber for a predetermined time before bringing the container containing the different culture into the upstream processing chamber. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the above invention, when processing containers containing different cultures, after processing the preceding container in the processing room, the processing room is ventilated for a predetermined time using an air conditioning means, and then the containers containing the different cultures are brought into the processing room. As a result, droplets and other particles generated during processing of the preceding container are removed from the processing room by ventilation, thus preventing contamination even when containers containing different cultures are brought into the processing room. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Plan view of the culture processing system according to this embodiment [Figure 2] Side cross-sectional view of the culture apparatus [Figure 3] Front cross-sectional view of the culture processing device. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the processing steps in the culture processing device in chronological order. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes the illustrated embodiment. Figure 1 shows a culture processing system 1 that processes cultures. The culture processing system 1 is installed in a culture facility, and a treatment room for collecting cells from subjects is located on the floor above (or below) the floor where the culture processing system 1 is installed. In the culture processing system 1 of this embodiment, collected cells are cultured and proliferated for a predetermined period, and after culturing, the cells and supernatant are separated and recovered. In the following description, cells and culture may refer to the same thing. Furthermore, the culture processing system 1 includes an unmanned workroom R1 where workers are prohibited from entering during cell culture, and a manned workroom R2 where workers perform tasks. In the unmanned workroom R1, multiple unmanned transporters 2 transport containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4. The unmanned workroom R1 is equipped with a lifting device 5 for transferring cells to and from the treatment room, as well as a culture apparatus 6 consisting of an incubator for culturing cells for a predetermined period, and a culture processing apparatus 7 according to the present invention for processing the cultured material. The culture processing system 1 is controlled by a control means 8.

[0009] As shown in Figure 2, the culture container 3 has a configuration in which a lid 3a is attached to the end of a flat, roughly rectangular container. In this embodiment, six culture containers 3 are stacked vertically and placed in the culture chamber 6a of the culture device 6 to culture cells, and then transported by an unmanned transporter 2 in the unmanned workroom R1. These six culture containers 3 constitute one rod, representing one person's worth of cells to be harvested. The centrifuge tube 4 described above has a structure that allows it to be sealed by attaching a lid 4a. As shown in Figure 3, the centrifuge tube 4 is housed in a holding stand C capable of holding it, and is transported by an automated guided vehicle 2 in the unmanned workroom R1. The lid 3a of the culture vessel 3 and the lid 4a of the centrifuge tube 4 are equipped with filters (not shown) that allow only gas to pass through, thus preventing cross-contamination while allowing ambient gas to flow in.

[0010] The unmanned workspace R1 and the manned workspace R2 are sealed off from each other by a wall 9 (shown in Figure 1) that extends from the floor to the ceiling, preventing air circulation between them. Both the unmanned workspace R1 and the manned workspace R2 are maintained in an environment with the required level of cleanliness by separate air conditioning systems. In Figure 1, the symbols indicating the unmanned workroom R1 and the manned workroom R2, as well as the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 formed inside the culture processing device 7 (described later), are accompanied by indications of the cleanliness and pressure inside them. Regarding cleanliness, the air cleanliness levels are indicated according to the "Guidelines for the Manufacturing of Sterile Pharmaceuticals by Aseptic Techniques," with grades A (G:A) and B (G:B) indicating the highest level of cleanliness. Regarding internal pressure, the sections are indicated as (Pressure:++), (Pressure:+), and (Pressure:), starting with the section with the highest positive pressure. The section marked (Pressure:) is assumed to be slightly positive above atmospheric pressure or at atmospheric pressure. Both the unmanned workroom R1 and the manned workroom R2 are maintained at an air cleanliness level equivalent to Grade B, and are set to positive pressure (pressure:+) relative to atmospheric pressure.

[0011] Furthermore, the temperature inside the unmanned workroom R1 is set to a range of 32 to 37°C, relative to the 37°C set as the temperature for culturing cells in the culture device 6. In this embodiment, it is set to 32°C. This design mitigates the heat shock stress that cells experience when the culture vessel 3 is removed from the culture chamber 6a of the culture device 6, by preventing the adverse effects of heat shock stress on cell quality. In contrast, the temperature in the manned workroom R2 is set to around 25°C or lower, maintaining a comfortable temperature for the workers and thus providing a suitable working environment.

[0012] As shown in Figure 3, the above-mentioned air conditioning means 10 is configured to provide air conditioning for the unmanned workroom R1 and the culture material processing device 7. Here, we will describe the part that provides air conditioning for the unmanned workroom R1. The unmanned workroom R1 is provided with two sets of air conditioning means. The first air conditioning means consists of a filter F1, which is a high-performance purification filter such as a HEPA or ULPA filter, installed on the ceiling of the unmanned workroom R1, and a circulation duct 11, which has a circulation port 11a below the unmanned workroom R1. The first air conditioning means also includes a blower pipe 11b installed between the filter F1 and the circulation duct 11, an adjustable on / off valve V1 installed in the blower pipe 11b, a catalyst C1 that adsorbs decontamination gas when the inside of the unmanned workroom R1 is decontaminated, a blower B1 that blows air from the circulation duct 11 toward the filter F1, and a temperature control means T1 that adjusts the temperature of the gas flowing through the blower pipe 11b. The gas blown by the blower B1 has its temperature adjusted as it passes through the temperature control means T1, is purified by the filter F1, and is then supplied from the top of the unmanned workroom R1. The gas that descends to the bottom of the unmanned workroom R1 flows in through the circulation port 11a of the circulation duct 11, circulates through the air supply pipe 11b, and is then circulated from the filter F1 back to the unmanned workroom R1.

[0013] The second air conditioning means of the above-mentioned unmanned working room R1 is composed of a filter F2 made of a high-performance purification filter such as a HEPA or ULPA filter on the ceiling of the unmanned working room R1, and an air supply pipe 12 drawn from the outside of the unmanned working room R1 and connected to the filter F2. The air supply pipe 12 has an opening / closing valve V2 with adjustable opening degree, a blower B2 for blowing air from the outside toward the filter F2, and a temperature adjusting means T2 for adjusting the temperature of the gas flowing through the air supply pipe 12. When the gas blown by the blower B2 passes through the temperature adjusting means T2, its temperature is adjusted, and after being purified by the filter F2, it is supplied from the upper part of the unmanned working room R1. The air gas that has descended to the lower part of the unmanned working room R1 flows in from the circulation port 11a of the circulation duct 11 that constitutes the first air conditioning means, circulates through the air supply pipe 11b, and is circulated from the filter F1 to the unmanned working room R1. Here, in addition to the lower part of the circulation duct 11, a plurality of the circulation ports 11a are also formed dispersedly on the floor surface of the unmanned working room R1, and these circulation ports 11a are also connected to the circulation duct 11. Here, the control means 8 adjusts and controls the air volume of the blowers B1 and B2, the opening / closing amount of the opening / closing valves V1 and V2, and the temperature adjusting means T1 and T2, so as to adjust the circulation volume of the gas in the unmanned working room R1, the supply amount of outside air, and their temperatures.

[0014] The above-mentioned unmanned transporter 2 shown in FIG. 1 adopts an AIV (Automated Guided Vehicle), and has a configuration in which a robot hand 2b is provided on the upper part of a carriage 2a that can create a map by itself and move. Each unmanned transporter 2 is controlled by the control means 8 via wireless. The carriage 2a is configured to transport the culture vessel 3 and the centrifuge tube 4 in a state where they are placed on the tray T. The tray T has a handle Ta, and the robot hand 2b grips the handle Ta and places the tray T on the carriage 2a, so that it is possible to move the holding table C holding the culture vessel 3 and the centrifuge tube 4 together with the tray T. In addition, a charging station 14 is provided in the unmanned workroom R1, and the control means 8 automatically charges at the charging station 14 while monitoring the remaining amount of the rechargeable battery.

[0015] The lifting device 5 is configured to lift and lower a carriage supplied with gas purified by a filter such as HEPA or ULPA in the air-conditioning duct 5a, and move the culture vessel 3 and the centrifuge tube 4 placed on the tray T while maintaining a clean state between the floor where the culture processing system 1 is provided and the floor where the treatment room is provided. The interior of the air-conditioning duct 5a is partitioned from the unmanned workroom R1, is set to a cleanliness grade of B, pressure:, and the interior of the air-conditioning duct 5a is at a lower pressure than the unmanned workroom R1. Thereby, the inflow of the atmosphere from the lifting device 5 into the unmanned workroom R1 is suppressed as much as possible.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the culture device 6 is composed of an incubator having a plurality of culture chambers 6a as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-184127. Each culture chamber 6a is maintained at a cleanliness level equivalent to Grade A inside, and is set to a positive pressure (pressure: ++) higher than that of the unmanned workroom R1. The culture device 6 has four stages of culture chambers 6a formed in three rows in the horizontal direction, and a total of 12 culture chambers 6a are provided to constitute one incubator. In this embodiment, four incubators are connected in the horizontal direction to have a total of 48 culture chambers 6a. Each culture chamber 6a is provided with an opening / closing door 6b at the front loading / unloading port, the upper and lower culture chambers 6a are communicated with each other at an exhaust port 6c, a gas merging chamber 6d is provided below the lowermost culture chamber 6a, and a humidifying part 6e for generating steam is arranged. Behind each culture chamber 6a, a gas pressurized section 6g is formed via a ventilation wall 6f made of perforated metal with numerous openings. Between the gas confluence chamber 6d and the gas pressurized section 6g, a fan unit 6h that supplies air towards the gas pressurized section 6g and a high-performance purification filter 6i such as HEPA or ULPA are provided. Each incubator is equipped with three sets of fan units 6h and a purification filter 6i, corresponding to the number of rows in the culture chamber 6a, for each gas confluence chamber 6d and gas pressurization unit 6g.

[0017] The gas pressurization unit 6g described above can be selectively connected via a gas switching means 6j to a culture gas supply source that supplies culture gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas to each culture chamber 6a during cultivation, and a decontamination medium supply source that supplies decontamination media such as hydrogen peroxide vapor and hydrogen peroxide mist to each culture chamber 6a during decontamination. During cultivation, the amount of gas supplied from the culture gas source is adjusted for each incubator to maintain the pressure in each culture chamber 6a at a predetermined positive pressure. Furthermore, the operation of the fan unit 6h circulates the culture gas from each culture chamber 6a to the gas confluence chamber 6d and the gas pressurization unit 6g, while the humidification unit 6e maintains the humidity in each culture chamber 6a at a level suitable for cultivation, and the purification filter 6i maintains the required level of cleanliness within each culture chamber 6a. Furthermore, each incubator has a heater 6k embedded in its casing, and each incubator maintains the temperature inside each culture chamber 6a at a temperature suitable for cultivation. In addition, during decontamination, a decontamination medium is supplied to each incubator, allowing for decontamination of the inside of each culture chamber 6a.

[0018] When transferring the culture vessels 3 from the automated guided vehicle 2 to the culture chamber 6a, the control means 8 automatically opens the designated door 6b, and the robot hand 2b grasps the handle Ta of the tray T, which is stacked on the trolley 21b of the automated guided vehicle 2, and places the entire tray T into the culture chamber 6a. When removing the culture vessel 3 from the culture chamber 6a, the control means 8 automatically opens the designated door 6b, and, as with storage, the robot hand 2b grasps the handle Ta of the tray T, removing the culture vessel 3 together with the tray T from the culture chamber 6a and placing it on the trolley 21b.

[0019] The culture apparatus 6 in this embodiment consists of four incubators and has a total of 48 culture chambers 6a. Each culture chamber 6a houses six culture vessels 3, and each culture chamber 6a is designed to house culture vessels 3 in which cells collected from different subjects have been seeded. In this embodiment, the 12 culture chambers 6a of one incubator are configured to house culture vessels 3 to be processed on the same day. Specifically, on the first day, six culture vessels 3 are housed in each culture chamber 6a of the first incubator, which consists of rows 1 to 3. On the second day, six culture vessels 3 are housed in each culture chamber 6a of the second incubator, which consists of rows 4 to 6. On the third day, six culture vessels 3 are housed in each culture chamber 6a of the third incubator, which consists of rows 7 to 9. On the fourth day, culture vessels 3 are placed in each culture chamber 6a of the fourth incubator, which consists of rows 10 to 12, and all culture vessels 3 that have completed 3 days of cultivation are sequentially removed from each culture chamber 6a of the first incubator, which consists of rows 1 to 3. Additionally, on the fourth day, the gas switching mechanism 6j of the first incubator is switched to supply decontamination gas to the culture chambers 6a from rows 1 to 3 from which the culture vessels 3 were removed, thereby performing decontamination. On the fifth day, new culture vessels 3 are placed in each culture chamber 6a of the first incubator. In this embodiment, the culture process is repeated for three days, processing a total of 72 culture containers 3 with 12 rods (for 12 subjects) each day. However, the number of culture containers 3 processed is not limited to this; it is possible to process even more culture containers 3 per day by increasing the number of culture rooms 6a.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, an observation device 15 for checking the state of the culture during cultivation is provided adjacent to the culture processing device 7 in the unmanned workroom R1. The observation device 15 is equipped with a microscope for observing the cultured material in the culture vessel 3. When the automated guided vehicle 2 places the culture vessel 3 at a predetermined observation position on the observation device 15, the operator can view the image from the manned workroom R2 and perform the observation.

[0021] Figure 3 shows the culture processing apparatus 7, which comprises a housing 22 whose interior is divided into first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 corresponding to processing steps by a partition wall 21 having a communication port 21a at the bottom, processing means for processing culture containers 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 provided in the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 according to the process, and container moving means 23 (23a, 23b, 23c) for moving culture containers 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 from an adjacent upstream processing chamber r to a downstream processing chamber r, thereby performing a series of processing steps by moving culture containers 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 to the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4. As shown in Figure 1, the housing 22 is installed inside the unmanned workroom R1, and as shown in Figure 3, the ceiling of the housing 22 is located below the ceiling of the unmanned workroom R1, and the floor surface is located above the floor surface of the unmanned workroom R1.

[0022] The interiors of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 of the culture processing device 7 are maintained at a level equivalent to Grade A in terms of air cleanliness by the air conditioning means 10, and are also maintained at a positive pressure (pressure:++) higher than the pressure in the surrounding unmanned workroom R1, and the temperature is maintained at approximately 32°C, similar to the unmanned workroom R1. To explain in more detail, the housing 22 is equipped with an air supply unit 26 corresponding to each processing chamber r that purifies and supplies gas within the unmanned workroom R1, and an exhaust unit 27 corresponding to each processing chamber r that discharges gas from each processing chamber r. The gas discharged by the exhaust unit 27 is exhausted to the outside through an exhaust duct 28. The above-mentioned air supply unit 26 consists of a filter F3, which is a high-performance purification filter such as a HEPA or ULPA filter, installed in the ceiling of each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 of the housing 22, and a fan 26a for supplying air to the filter F3. The fan 26a above supplies gas with a cleanliness equivalent to Grade B from the unmanned workroom R1 to the filter F3, and after being purified by the filter F3, it is supplied to each of the first to fourth processing rooms r1 to r4 with a cleanliness equivalent to Grade A. At this time, the gas from the unmanned workroom R1 is supplied to each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4, so that the internal temperature of each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 is maintained at approximately 32°C, which is adjusted by the temperature control means T1 and T2.

[0023] The exhaust unit 27 includes a filter F4, which is a high-performance purification filter such as a HEPA or ULPA filter, installed on the floor surface below each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 to protect against backflow of outside air; a recovery pipe 27a connected to the filter F4; and a blower B3 installed on the recovery pipe 27a. The gas that has flowed through each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 is drawn into the filter F4 and then exhausted into the exhaust duct 28. Furthermore, the lower part of the side wall of the housing 22 is open with a gap between it and the floor surface of each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4, allowing the gas inside each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 to flow out into the unmanned workroom R1. The flowing gas is exhausted from the exhaust port 11a below the circulation duct 11.

[0024] The exhaust duct 28 comprises an exhaust pipe 28a that is open to the outside and a branch pipe 28b connected to a filter F2 that constitutes the second air conditioning means of the unmanned workroom R1, and is composed of an on / off valve V3 provided in the exhaust pipe 28a and a catalyst C2 that adsorbs decontamination gas. The gas discharged by the exhaust unit 27 from each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4 flows through the recovery pipe 27a and is collected in the exhaust duct 28. Thereafter, it is discharged to the outside according to the amount the on / off valve V3 installed in the exhaust pipe 28a is opened. The gas that is not discharged is purified by the filter F2 via the branch pipe 28b and circulated to the unmanned work chamber R1.

[0025] The control means 8 adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied by each air supply unit 26 to each processing chamber r, the airflow rate of the blower B3 of each exhaust unit 27, and the opening amount of the on-off valve V3 of the exhaust pipe 28a, thereby maintaining a positive pressure (pressure:++) inside each processing chamber r. Furthermore, each of the above-mentioned air supply units 26 supplies air from the top of each processing chamber r, and each exhaust unit 27 exhausts air from the bottom of each processing chamber r to provide ventilation. In addition, gas is constantly discharged into the unmanned workroom R1 from the lower side of each processing chamber r, so that a laminar flow is formed inside each of the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4, moving from top to bottom. Here, the air supply unit 26 and exhaust unit 27 are set to operate continuously during the processing of culture materials, and ventilation of each processing room r continues even when no processing is being performed on the culture vessels 3 or centrifuge tubes 4 in each of the first to fourth processing rooms r1 to r4.

[0026] The container moving means 23 includes first to third conveyors 23a to 23c provided between adjacent processing chambers r and processing chamber r, a loading means for loading culture containers 3 from the loading section 24 to the first processing chamber r1, and an unloading means for unloading centrifuge tubes 4 from the fourth processing chamber r4 to the unloading section 25. The first to third conveyors 23a to 23c are provided to pass through the communication opening 21a formed in the partition wall 21. The first conveyor 23a transports the culture containers 3 from the first processing chamber r1 of the upstream process to the second processing chamber r2 of the downstream process. The second conveyor 23b transports the culture containers 3 from the second processing chamber r2 of the upstream process to the third processing chamber r3 of the downstream process. The third conveyor 23c transports the centrifuge tubes 4 from the third processing chamber r3 of the upstream process to the fourth processing chamber r4 of the downstream process. Here, each of the above-mentioned communication ports 21a is configured to constantly connect adjacent processing chambers r to each other. In other words, the above-mentioned communication ports 21a are not configured to be opened and closed by opening and closing doors, and culture containers 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 can be moved to adjacent processing chambers r by the above-mentioned conveyors 23a to 23c without any opening and closing operation.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the loading section 24 includes a tray placement section 24a on which the culture container 3 is placed along with the tray T, an alcohol spraying section 24b for spraying alcohol onto the culture container 3, and a drying section 24c for drying the alcohol. In the loading section 24 described above, a robotic hand and conveyor (not shown) transport the culture containers 3. Once the six culture containers 3 stacked on the tray placement section 24a are placed on the tray, the culture containers 3 are transported one by one to the alcohol spraying section 24b and the drying section 24c. The alcohol spray section 24b and the drying section 24c are covered by a required housing, and the drying section 24c and the first processing chamber r1 are in communication via a communication port. The culture containers 3 are stacked again in the drying section 24c and are carried into the first processing chamber r1 by being held by a loading means such as a robot hand or conveyor (not shown). The interior of the drying section 24c is connected to the first processing chamber r1, thereby setting the cleanliness level to Grade A and the pressure to a high positive pressure (pressure++), while the alcohol spray section 24b and the tray placement section 24a are maintained in an environment equivalent to that of the unmanned workroom R1.

[0028] The above-mentioned unloading section 25 comprises an unloading chamber 25a from which the culture container 3 is discharged from the fourth processing chamber r4, and a tray placement section 25b on which the tray T is placed. The two centrifuge tubes 4 held on the holding stand C in the fourth processing chamber r4 are unloaded to the unloading chamber 25a by unloading means such as a robot hand or conveyor (not shown). The above-mentioned discharge chamber 25a is covered by the required housing and is connected to the above-mentioned fourth processing chamber r4 via a communication port, and its interior is set to a cleanliness grade A and a high positive pressure (pressure++). In the tray placement section 25b, an automated guided vehicle 2 transports and places empty trays T from the tray placement section 24a of the loading section 24. A holding stand C that holds the two centrifuge tubes 4 of the unloading chamber 25a is placed on the trays T, and the tray placement section 25b is maintained in an environment equivalent to that of the unmanned work chamber R1.

[0029] Inside the first processing chamber r1, a first processing step is performed in which the culture medium in the culture vessel 3 is removed and a release agent is supplied. The processing means for the first processing chamber r1 includes a first opening / closing means O1 for attaching and detaching a lid 3a to the culture container 3, a first pipette P1 for supplying washing solution to the culture container 3, an aspirator A for discharging culture solution and washing solution from the culture container 3, and a second pipette P2 for supplying stripping solution to the culture container 3, all of which are provided above the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21. Furthermore, as a processing means, the first processing chamber r1 is provided with a first robot hand H1 as a holding and moving means for holding the culture containers 3 and moving them upward and downward. It is possible to hold each of the six culture containers 3 supplied from the drying section 24c of the loading section 24 and move them above the communication opening 21a. Alternatively, the first robot hand H1 may be used as a loading means to hold and load the six culture containers 3 stacked in the drying section 24c one by one.

[0030] The first robot hand H1, upon holding one culture vessel 3 at a time, sequentially moves it to the first opening / closing means O1, the first pipette P1, the aspirator A, the second pipette P2, and then moves it back to the first opening / closing means O1. The first opening / closing means O1 grasps the lid 3a attached to the culture container 3 held by the first robot hand H1, rotates it to remove it, and when the culture container 3 is moved again, it rotates the grasped lid 3a in the opposite direction to reattach it to the culture container 3. The first pipette P1 described above is used for aspirating and dispensing liquid. It aspirates a predetermined amount of washing solution from a bottle of washing solution that is raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown) located in the first processing chamber r1, and dispenses it into the culture vessel 3. The aspirator A described above is designed to draw in the culture medium and washing solution from the culture vessel 3 and discharge them into a waste liquid tank (not shown). The second pipette P2 described above is used for aspirating and dispensing liquid. It aspirates a predetermined amount of stripping agent from a bottle of stripping agent that is raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown) located in the first processing chamber r1, and dispenses it into the culture vessel 3. After the culture medium has been removed and the release agent has been supplied, the culture container 3 is fitted with the lid 3a again by the first opening / closing means O1, then moved by the first robot hand H1 to a height that allows it to pass through the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21 below, and then placed on the first conveyor 23a and transported to the second processing room r2.

[0031] Inside the second processing chamber r2, a second processing step is performed in which the cells in the culture vessel 3 are heated and detached. A plate-shaped heating means 31 is provided as a processing means for the second processing chamber r2, and this heating means 31 is located above the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21. Furthermore, as a processing means, the second processing chamber r2 is equipped with a second robot hand H2 as a holding and moving means for holding the culture containers 3 and moving them upward and downward. The first conveyor 23a transports the culture containers 3, which are supplied from the first processing chamber r1 to the second processing chamber r2, and the robot hand H2 holds each of them one by one, moves them to the heating means 31 above the communication opening 21a, and places them on top. By heating the culture vessel 3 with the heating means 31 described above, the cells inside the culture vessel 3 are detached from the culture vessel 3. After heating is complete, the culture container 3 is held by the second robot hand H2 and moved to a height that allows it to pass through the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21 below. It is then placed on the second conveyor 23b and transported to the third processing room r3.

[0032] Inside the third processing room r3, the third processing step is performed to collect cells from the culture vessel 3. The processing means for the third processing chamber r3 includes a second opening / closing means O2 for attaching and detaching a lid 3a to the culture vessel 3, a third pipette P3 for supplying neutralizing medium to the culture vessel 3, a fourth pipette P4 for aspirating the neutralizing medium and cells in the culture vessel 3 and discharging them into the centrifuge tube 4, and a third opening / closing means O3 for attaching and detaching a lid 4a to the centrifuge tube 4. These are all located above the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21. Furthermore, as processing means, the third processing chamber r3 is equipped with a third robot hand H3 as a holding and moving means for holding the culture container 3 and moving it upward and downward, and a fourth robot hand H4 as a holding and moving means for holding the centrifuge tube 4, which has been supplied to the third processing chamber r3 as material in advance, and moving it upward and downward. Here, the centrifuge tubes 4 are supplied with two tubes, including one to be used in the next process, held on a holding stand C. The fourth robot hand H4 holds the holding stand C with the two centrifuge tubes 4 in place and places it on the third conveyor 23c.

[0033] The third robot hand H3 picks up one culture container 3 at a time from the second conveyor 23b, moves it sequentially to the second opening / closing means O2, the third pipette P3, the fourth pipette P4, and then moves it back to the second opening / closing means O2. The second opening / closing means O2 grasps the lid 3a attached to the culture container 3 held by the third robot hand H3, rotates it to remove it, and when the culture container 3 is moved again, it rotates the grasped lid 3a in the opposite direction to reattach it to the culture container 3, and the culture container 3 with the lid 3a attached again is collected in a collection box (not shown). The third pipette P3 described above draws a predetermined amount of neutralizing medium from a bottle of neutralizing medium that is raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown) located in the third processing chamber r3, and dispenses it into the culture vessel 3. The fourth robot hand H4, upon acquiring one centrifuge tube 4 from the holding stand C placed on the third conveyor 23c, sequentially moves it to the third opening / closing means O3, then to the fourth pipette P4, and then moves it back to the third opening / closing means O3. The fourth pipette P4, when it aspirates cells along with the neutralizing medium from the culture vessel 3 held by the third robot hand H3, dispenses them into the centrifuge tube 4 held by the fourth robot hand H4. The third opening / closing means O3 grasps the lid 4a attached to the centrifuge tube 4 held by the fourth robot hand H4, rotates it to remove it, and when the centrifuge tube 4 is moved again, it rotates the grasped lid 4a in the opposite direction to reattach it to the centrifuge tube 4. Then, the third robot hand H3 moves the empty culture container 3 downwards after attaching the lid 3a with the second opening / closing means O2, and disposes of it in a waste box (not shown).

[0034] In the third processing step in the third processing chamber r3, neutralizing medium is supplied to the culture vessel 3 using the third pipette P3, and cells are aspirated from the culture vessel 3 together with the neutralizing medium using the fourth pipette P4 and discharged into the centrifuge tube 4. This process is repeated six times, and the suspensions consisting of neutralizing medium and cells aspirated from the six culture vessels 3 are collected together in a single centrifuge tube 4. The fourth robot hand H4 moves the centrifuge tube 4 containing the suspension, after attaching the lid 4a with the third opening / closing means O3, to a height that allows it to pass through the communication opening 21a of the partition wall 21 below, and holds it on the holding stand C placed on the third conveyor 23c. Once the centrifuge tubes 4 are held on the holding stand C, the third conveyor 23c transports the centrifuge tubes 4 containing the suspension and the empty centrifuge tubes 4, while they are still held on the holding stand C, from the third processing chamber r3 to the fourth processing chamber r4, and brings them into the fourth processing chamber r4.

[0035] In the fourth processing chamber r4, a fourth processing step is performed to separate the suspension into cells and supernatant. In this embodiment, this fourth processing step is the final step, and the fourth processing chamber r4 is the processing chamber for the final step. The processing means for the fourth processing chamber r4 includes a centrifugation means 32 for centrifuging the culture in the centrifuge tube 4, a fourth opening / closing means O4 for attaching and detaching a lid 4a to the centrifuge tube 4 while it is held on the holding stand C, and a fifth pipette P5 for aspirating the supernatant from the centrifuge tube 4 containing the suspension and transferring it to an empty centrifuge tube 4. These are located above the communication port 21a of the partition wall 21. Furthermore, as a processing means, the fourth processing chamber r4 is provided with a fifth robot hand H5 as a holding and moving means that either directly holds the centrifuge tube 4 or holds a holding stand C that holds two centrifuge tubes 4 and moves it upward and downward.

[0036] When the two centrifuge tubes 4 are moved from the third processing chamber r3 to the fourth processing chamber r4 while being held on the holding stand C, the fifth robot hand H5 removes the centrifuge tubes 4 containing the suspension from the holding stand C and moves them to the centrifugal separation means 32. The centrifugation means 32 centrifuges the suspension in the centrifuge tube 4 for a predetermined time, thereby separating the suspension into cells and supernatant. Next, the fifth robot hand H5 removes the centrifuge tube 4 from the centrifugal separation means 32, returns it to the holding stand C, holds the holding stand C, and sequentially moves it to the fourth opening / closing means O4 and the fifth pipette P5, and then moves it back to the fourth opening / closing means O4. The fourth opening / closing means O4 rotates and removes the lids 4a attached to the two centrifuge tubes 4 held on the holding stand C, and when the centrifuge tubes 4 are moved again, it rotates the lids 4a in the opposite direction to reattach them to the culture container 3. In this case, the fourth opening / closing means O4 grasps and removes the lid 4a of one centrifuge tube 4, temporarily places the lid 4a on a temporary stand (not shown) that moves downward, and then grasps and removes the lid 4a of the other centrifuge tube 4. When reattaching the lid 4a, first attach the lid 4a being held to the other centrifuge tube 4, then grasp the lid 4a on the temporary stand (not shown) that is moving downwards, and attach it to the first centrifuge tube 4. Here, the fourth opening / closing means O4 includes a gripper O4a that grips the centrifuge tube 4, which is held on the holding base C, so that it does not rotate together with the lid 4a.

[0037] The fifth pipette P5 aspirates only the supernatant from the centrifuge tube 4 held by the holder C, which is held by the fifth robot hand H5. Then, the fifth robot hand H5 moves the holder C laterally to discharge the aspirated supernatant into the other empty centrifuge tube 4. The fourth opening / closing means O4 causes the fifth robot hand H5 to move the holding base C and sequentially attach the lids 4a to the two centrifuge tubes 4 that it is holding. The fifth robot hand H5 then moves the holding stand C, which holds the two centrifuge tubes 4 with their lids 4a attached, to the unloading chamber 25a of the unloading unit 25. The holding stand C and centrifuge tube 4 placed in the unloading chamber 25a are placed on a tray T on the tray placement section 25b by a robot hand or conveyor (not shown), and the tray T is removed from the unloading section 25 by the robot hand 2b of the automated guided vehicle 2. In addition to the fifth robot hand H5, other robot hands or conveyors (not shown) may also be provided as means for transporting the centrifuge tube 4 from the fourth processing chamber r4 to the transport section 25.

[0038] In the culture processing apparatus 7 of this embodiment, processing by processing means such as the pipette P, aspirator A, and opening / closing means O is performed above the communication opening 21a formed in the partition wall 21 that divides each processing chamber r. In other words, each robot hand H moves the culture container 3 or centrifuge tube 4 above the communication port 21a, and in the upper position, opens the culture container 3 or centrifuge tube 4 to allow processing by the processing means. In this embodiment, since the adjacent upstream processing chamber r and the downstream processing chamber r are constantly connected by the communication port 21a, even if a laminar flow (unidirectional flow) is formed from the top to the bottom of the processing chamber r, there is a risk that an atmosphere containing droplets and other particles generated from the culture material may flow into the adjacent processing chamber r. However, in this embodiment, since the above-mentioned processing, which is performed by opening the culture vessel 3 and centrifuge tube 4, is carried out above the communication port 21a, even if an atmosphere containing droplets or the like flows into the adjacent processing chamber r from the communication port 21a, it will not flow upward from the communication port 21a due to the laminar flow that flows downward, and thus it is possible to prevent as much as possible from contaminating the culture vessel 3 and centrifuge tube 4 which are opened above the communication port 21a.

[0039] Furthermore, on the side of the culture processing apparatus 7 facing the manned workroom R2, a pass box and gloves (not shown) are provided to replenish the materials necessary for processing in each processing room r. The materials mentioned above include pipettes and centrifuge tubes, as well as bottles containing liquids such as washing solutions and release agents. In other words, in the manned workroom R2, an operator carries the materials, which are supplied in packaging bags and sterilized by gamma ray sterilization or the like, into a pass box. After decontaminating the outside of the packaging bags with a decontamination medium such as hydrogen peroxide vapor or hydrogen peroxide mist inside the pass box, the operator uses gloves provided in the pass box to remove the materials from the packaging bags inside the pass box, opens the pass box to the culture processing device 7, and supplies these sterilized materials to the processing room r while maintaining a sterile state.

[0040] The operation of the culture processing system 1 having the above configuration will be described below. First, cells are collected from the subjects in the treatment room and seeded in six culture vessels 3. When collecting cells from different subjects, seeding is performed in six new culture vessels 3, taking care to avoid contamination. Next, in the treatment room, six culture vessels 3 are stacked and placed on a tray T, and the tray T is moved to the culture processing system 1 shown in Figure 1 using the lifting device 5. Culture vessels 3 containing cells seeded from different subjects are placed on separate trays T and moved separately. In the culture processing system 1, the automated guided vehicle 2 is waiting in the unmanned workroom R1 at a position adjacent to the lifting device 5, and the robotic hand 2b of the automated guided vehicle 2 holds the tray T on which the culture container 3 is placed and transfers it to the trolley 2a. Here, the unmanned workroom R1 is maintained at 32°C or higher by the air conditioning means 10, bringing it closer to the temperature required for cultivation in the culture device 6.

[0041] Next, the automated guided vehicle 2 moves the culture container 3 to the culture apparatus 6. The culture apparatus 6 described above is equipped with 48 culture chambers 6a consisting of 4 rows x 12 columns. On the first day, six culture vessels 3, each containing cells for one person, are placed in one of the 12 culture chambers 6a in the first to third columns, and the culture of cells from 12 subjects is started in one day. The number of culture chambers 6a provided as the culture device 6 can be increased or decreased depending on the number of individuals who wish to have their own cells cultured. The interior of each culture chamber 6a is maintained in an environment suitable for cell culture, for example, a temperature of 37°C, a humidity of 95%, and a carbon dioxide concentration of 5%. When six culture vessels 3, which are placed on trays T, are placed in the culture chamber 6a, the cells seeded in the culture vessels 3 are then cultured for three days. From the second day onward, six culture vessels 3 are supplied from the treatment room mentioned above. On the second day, the culture vessels 3 are placed in the culture chambers 6a of rows 4 to 6 of the culture apparatus 6; on the third day, in the culture chambers 6a of rows 7 to 9; and on the fourth day, in the culture chambers 6a of rows 10 to 12.

[0042] Furthermore, on the second day after the start of cultivation, the culture state of the cells in the culture vessel 3, which is housed in the culture apparatus 6, is checked using the observation device 15. The culture containers 3 housed in the culture chamber 6a of the culture apparatus 6 are temporarily removed along with their trays T by the automated guided vehicle 2 and moved to the observation device 15, where an operator checks the culture status from the manned workroom R2. Once the observation by the observation device 15 is complete, the automated guided vehicle 2 returns the culture vessel 3, which has been observed, to its original culture chamber 6a in the culture device 6.

[0043] The culture device 6 cultures the cells for three days, and on the third day, the automated transporter 2 removes six culture containers 3, along with their trays T, from the first to third rows of culture chambers 6a of the culture device 6 for each sample recipient, and moves and places them on the tray placement section 24a of the loading section 24 of the culture processing device 7. In the culture processing device 7, a series of processes are divided into four processing steps and processed sequentially in the first to fourth processing chambers r1 to r4. As described above, the first processing chamber r1 performs the first processing step of removing the culture medium from the culture vessel 3 and supplying a release agent, the second processing chamber r2 performs the second processing step of heating and releasing the cells in the culture vessel 3, the third processing chamber r3 performs the third processing step of recovering the cells from the culture vessel 3, and the fourth processing chamber r4 performs the fourth processing step of separating the suspension into cells and supernatant. In the first to fourth treatment rooms r1 to r4 described above, the purified gas flows in one direction, forming a laminar flow from the ceiling above to the floor below, and each treatment is carried out in a highly clean space with constant ventilation. The two centrifuge tubes 4 containing the obtained cells and supernatant are held on a holding stand C and placed on a tray T, and are removed from the discharge section 25 of the culture processing device 7 by the automated transporter 2. The automated transporter 2 then moves the centrifuge tubes 4, along with the holding stand C, onto the tray T to the lifting device 5, and the lifting device 5 moves them to the treatment room.

[0044] The series of operations described here are for processing cells collected from one subject, and the same processing is carried out for culture vessel 3 containing different cells collected from different subjects. Figure 4 shows, over time, which processing room r processed culture vessels 3, each containing cells collected from different subjects. Here, cells collected from one subject are divided and seeded into five culture vessels 3. The five culture vessels 3 initially loaded into the culture processing device 7 are referred to as the first group, and the subsequent five culture vessels 3 are referred to as the second group and the third group, respectively. In Figure 4, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, and the numbers attached to each block indicate that culture vessel 3 is being processed in the corresponding processing chambers r1 to r4.

[0045] First, when the five culture vessels 3 of the first group are brought into the first processing chamber r1 of the culture processing device 7, processing in the first processing chamber r1 begins sequentially, starting with the first culture vessel 3 (time: t0). Once the processing of the first culture vessel 3 in the first processing room r1 is completed and the first culture vessel 3 is moved to the second processing room r2 (time: t1), processing of the second culture vessel 3 of the first group, which is already housed in the first processing room r1, begins, followed by the processing of the third to fifth culture vessels 3 in sequence. The first culture vessel 3 is then processed in the second and third processing chambers r2 and r3, respectively. In the third processing chamber r3, five culture vessels 3 are processed, and five suspensions are collected in one centrifuge tube 4. Subsequently, the centrifuge tube 4 containing the suspension and the empty centrifuge tube 4 are moved from the third processing room r3 to the fourth processing room r4, where the process of separating the suspension into cells and supernatant is initiated (time: t5).

[0046] While the five culture vessels 3 of the first group are being processed sequentially in the first processing room r1, the five culture vessels 3 of the second group are being prepared in the loading section 24 by the automated transporter 2. However, while the first group is being processed, the culture vessel 3 of the second group is not brought into the first processing room. Furthermore, even if the fifth culture vessel 3 of the first group is moved from the first processing room r1 to the second processing room r2 (time t2), the culture vessel 3 of the second group is not brought into the first processing room r1. In this embodiment, the five culture vessels 3 of the first group are made to wait until they have all moved from the second processing room r2 to the third processing room r3 (time t3), and at that point, the five culture vessels 3 of the second group are brought into the first processing room r1.

[0047] In this way, after the fifth culture vessel 3 of the first group is moved to the second processing room r2 (time t2), no processing will be performed in the first processing room r1 until the subsequent five culture vessels 3 of the second group are brought into the first processing room r1 (time t3). During this time, ventilation is constantly performed in the first processing room r1 by the air conditioning system 10. Therefore, even if droplets or other particles are generated from the culture vessels 3 during the processing performed on the culture vessels 3 of the first group, they will be completely eliminated before the processing of the second group begins. At this time, the air conditioning means 10 exhausts air through a recovery pipe 27a installed on the floor of the first processing chamber r1, and also exhausts air to the unmanned work room R1 outside through an exhaust gap formed in the lower part of the side wall of the housing 22, thereby enabling the discharge of as much airborne droplets and other debris generated in the first processing chamber r1 as possible.

[0048] As described above, the processing of culture vessel 3 of the second group in the first processing room r1 begins when the fifth culture vessel 3 of the first group is moved to the third processing room r3 (time: t3). At this time, since the first culture vessel 3 of the first group has been moved to the third processing room r3, the second processing room r2 becomes empty. As a result, until the first culture vessel 3 of the second group is moved from the first processing chamber r1 to the second processing chamber r2 (time t4), the second processing chamber r2 remains empty, and during that time, the second processing chamber r2 is ventilated by the air conditioning means 10 in the same way as when the first processing chamber r1 is empty.

[0049] Next, in the third processing room r3, the cultures of the first group are placed in one centrifuge tube 4 and moved to the fourth processing room r4 (time: t5). From then until the first culture container 3 of the second group is brought into the third processing room r3 (time: t6), the third processing room r3 is empty, and during that time, the third processing room r3 is ventilated by the air conditioning means 10 in the same way as when the first processing room r1 is empty.

[0050] Subsequently, until the processing of the fifth culture vessel 3 of the second group is completed in the first processing room r1 (time: t7), processing is carried out in the first to fourth processing rooms r1 to r4, respectively. Then, in the fourth processing chamber r4, the processing of the first group of centrifuge tubes 4 is completed (time: t8), and while the second group of centrifuge tubes 4 are moving from the third processing chamber r3 to the fourth processing chamber r4 (time: t10), the fourth processing chamber r4 is empty, and during that time, the fourth processing chamber r4 is ventilated by the air conditioning means 10 in the same way as when the first processing chamber r1 is empty.

[0051] Meanwhile, in the culture processing device 7, processing for the third group begins after the second group. By the time the culture vessels 3 of the third group are brought into the first processing chamber r1 (time: t9), the fifth culture vessel 3 of the second group has moved from the second processing chamber r2 to the third processing chamber r3, and during this time the first processing chamber r1 is ventilated. Subsequently, the culture vessels 3 of the 4th and 5th groups are supplied to the culture processing device 7. When processing culture vessels 3 of different groups in this manner, each processing chamber r is ventilated before processing the subsequent group.

[0052] As described above, with the culture processing apparatus 7 of this embodiment, the adjacent upstream processing chamber r and the downstream processing chamber r are constantly in communication through the communication port 21a, so that containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 can be moved quickly, and efficient processing of cultures is possible.

[0053] In this embodiment, when processing cells from different individuals, once the processing of cells from the preceding individual is complete, the processing of cells from the subsequent individual is not performed immediately. Instead, the processing chamber r is left empty and ventilated for a predetermined period of time. In other words, even if droplets or other particles originating from the cells of a previously sampled individual are generated during processing of those cells, these can be eliminated through ventilation. This makes it possible to prevent contamination as much as possible when processing cells from a different subject in the ventilated processing chamber r, by preventing droplets and other particles originating from the preceding subject's cells from contaminating containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4. The ventilation time, i.e., the time during which the processing room r is empty, should be set appropriately based on the size of the processing room r, the time the culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 are open, the ventilation airflow, etc., to ensure that droplets and other contaminants are sufficiently removed.

[0054] Furthermore, in the culture processing apparatus 7 of this embodiment, processing of containers such as the culture vessel 3 and centrifuge tube 4 is performed above the communication opening 21a formed in the partition wall 21 that separates the adjacent upstream processing chamber r and the downstream processing chamber r. Since a laminar flow from top to bottom is formed in the processing chamber r by the air conditioning means 10, even if droplets or other particles flow in from an adjacent processing chamber r, their rise above the communication opening 21a is prevented as much as possible. Therefore, as long as processing is carried out above the communication opening 21a, contamination can be completely prevented.

[0055] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, at the same time that processing of the fifth culture vessel 3 of the first group begins in the third processing chamber r3, processing of the first culture vessel 3 of the second group begins in the second processing chamber r2 (time: t4). In other words, from time t4 until the fifth culture vessel 3 of the first group moves to the fourth processing room r4 (time t5), processing is being carried out on cells from different subjects in the adjacent third processing room r3 and fourth processing room r4. However, in this embodiment, since processing is not performed with the lid 3a open in the second processing chamber r2, even if droplets or the like flow in between the third processing chamber r3 and the second processing chamber r2, contamination will not occur. To avoid this situation, the start of processing for the second group can be slightly delayed. Specifically, the completion time of processing for the second group in the first processing chamber r1 (t4 in Figure 4) should be aligned with the start time of processing for the first group's centrifuge tube 4 in the fourth processing chamber r4 (t5 in Figure 4).

[0056] In addition, the above embodiment is a culture processing system 1 that cultures cells collected from a subject for only 3 days and then collects them, but it may also have a configuration that performs other processing on the culture. For example, when culturing cells for a longer period, processing such as changing the culture medium and subculturing is necessary. Therefore, the processing chamber r of the culture processing apparatus 7 can be equipped with processing means and containers necessary for changing the culture medium. Furthermore, the number of processing steps is not limited to four and can be increased or decreased. Furthermore, the container transfer means 23 for transporting containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4 between adjacent processing rooms r is not limited to a conveyor that carries containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4, but may also be a handling means that holds and moves containers such as culture vessels 3 and centrifuge tubes 4, and it is also possible to transfer them between robot hands H installed in each processing room r. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1. Culture processing system 2. Automated guided vehicle (AGV) 3 Culture container (container) 4 Centrifuge tube (container) 6. Culture apparatus 7. Culture material processing apparatus 10 Air conditioning means 21 Bulkhead 21a Communication port 23 Container moving means r1~r4 Processing Rooms 1~4 R1 Unmanned Workroom R2 Manned workroom A Aspirator (processing means) O Opening / closing means (processing means) P Pipette (processing means) H Robot hand (holding and moving means)

Claims

1. The system comprises multiple processing chambers partitioned to correspond to multiple processing steps, processing means provided in the multiple processing chambers to perform processing on containers containing cultured materials according to the process, container moving means for moving the containers from an adjacent upstream processing chamber to a downstream processing chamber, and control means for controlling the processing means and the container moving means. In a culture processing apparatus that moves the above container from the upstream processing chamber to the downstream processing chamber and performs a series of processing operations, Each processing chamber is equipped with an air conditioning system that supplies purified gas from the top and exhausts it from the bottom for ventilation. When processing a container containing a culture different from the culture contained in a container that has been processed previously, A culture processing apparatus characterized in that, after the container moving means moves the preceding container from an adjacent upstream processing chamber to a downstream processing chamber, the air conditioning means ventilates the upstream processing chamber for a predetermined time, and then brings the container containing the different culture into the upstream processing chamber.

2. If, in the final processing chamber among the multiple processing chambers mentioned above, a container containing a culture different from the containers that have been processed earlier is to be processed, The culture apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the preceding container is removed from the processing chamber of the final process, the air conditioning means ventilates the processing chamber of the final process for a predetermined time, and then the container containing the different culture is brought into the processing chamber of the final process.

3. A group is formed by multiple containers containing the same culture. When processing containers of the same group, the container moving means sequentially moves multiple containers from the processing chamber of the upstream process to the processing chamber of the downstream process. When processing containers of different groups containing cultures different from those of a group being processed earlier, the container moving means moves all of the containers of the earlier group from an adjacent upstream processing chamber to a downstream processing chamber, and then the air conditioning means ventilates the upstream processing chamber for a predetermined time before bringing the containers of the different groups into the upstream processing chamber, as described in claim 1 or 2.

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