Blender for cell culture media

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium, and more specifically, to a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium configured by additionally installing a rotating blade wheel inside a mixing container, thereby solving clumping or entanglement of the medium raw materials and reducing variations in chemical composition as additional rotation occurs through the blade wheel along with the rotation of the mixing container, and thereby enabling uniform stirring, dispersion, and composition of the medium raw materials.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium that resolves clumping or entanglement of the medium raw materials and reduces variations in chemical composition when preparing a cell culture medium, thereby enabling uniform stirring, dispersion, and composition of the medium raw materials. Background Technology

[0002] In general, cell culture media is a general term for the process of growing cells under controlled conditions outside of their natural environment. After being isolated from living tissue, cells must be subsequently maintained under carefully controlled conditions. While these conditions vary by cell type, they generally consist of suitable containers containing substrates or media that supply essential nutrients (amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals), growth factors, hormones, and gases (carbon dioxide, oxygen). These are designed to allow for the regulation of the physicochemical environment (buffer solutions, osmotic pressure, temperature). Most cells require surface or artificial substrates to form an adherent culture in a monolayer (a single cell thickness), whereas some cells can grow by floating freely in the medium in suspension cultures. The lifespan of most cells is genetically determined, but some cultured cells are modified to regenerate indefinitely when provided with optimal conditions.

[0003] In reality, the term "cell culture" refers to the cultivation of cells derived from animal cells, rather than plant tissue culture, fungal culture, or microbial culture. The historical development and methods of cell culture are closely related to tissue culture and organ culture. Virus culture is also related, along with cells that serve as hosts for viruses.

[0004] Meanwhile, a general culture medium production process consists of securing raw materials, weighing, primary mixing, grinding, secondary mixing, inspection, and packaging processes.

[0005] More specifically, for DMEM / F12 medium, approximately 51 types of raw materials are required. After securing the raw materials, they are weighed using a precision electronic scale to measure down to minute weights of 0.001g. Then, the raw materials are mixed once using a mixer, ground into a powder of approximately D97 (㎛) using a grinder, and mixed a second time using a mixer. After conducting tests for pH, osmotic pressure, loss on drying, transparency, endotoxin, etc., the products are packaged in plastic bags in units of 1, 2, 5, and 10L and labeled.

[0006] Here, the most important process can be seen as the mixing process. This is because the mixing process involves mixing about 50 types of raw materials, and since trace amounts of 0.1g or less account for such a small portion of the total weight, it is important to ensure that the materials are evenly dispersed after mixing.

[0007] As related prior art, Patent Document 1 proposes a mixer in which a driving device (4) equipped in a conventional control means and a mixing container (10) are connected via a rotating shaft (3), and after opening the cover (11) of the mixing container (10) to input and seal raw materials, the mixing container (10) is rotated based on the driving force of the driving device (4) to agitate the raw materials inside the mixing container (10), and when agitation is completed, the mixture can be discharged through an extraction valve (12).

[0008] However, conventional technology such as the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to achieve uniform stirring, dispersion, and composition because it simply rotates the mixing container, which frequently results in the raw materials clumping or tangling. Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Document 1: Registered Patent No. 10-1245415 The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention was developed to improve upon the above-mentioned problems. By additionally installing a rotating blade wheel inside a mixing container, additional rotation is achieved through the blade wheel along with the rotation of the mixing container, thereby resolving clumping or entanglement of the culture medium raw materials and reducing variations in chemical composition, which in turn enables uniform stirring, dispersion, and composition of the culture medium raw materials.

[0011] The problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems that the present invention aims to solve that are not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0012] The present invention provides a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium as a means of solving the problem, comprising: a control unit including a driving means; a mixing container connected to the driving means via a first rotating shaft and rotating; and a wing wheel installed inside the mixing container and connected to the driving means via a second rotating shaft and rotating, wherein the first rotating shaft is formed as a cylindrical shape with a through hole and connected to the mixing container, and the second rotating shaft is connected to the wing wheel while inserted inside the cylindrical first rotating shaft.

[0013] Here, the wing wheel may include: a first disc connected to the second rotation axis; a second disc spaced apart from the first disc by a predetermined distance and interconnected with the first disc by a bar; a plurality of circular rings provided between the first disc and the second disc and interconnected by a bar; and a plurality of bars interconnecting the first disc, the second disc, and the circular rings.

[0014] In addition, it is preferable that the first disc, the second disc, and the circular ring have the same diameter.

[0015] In addition, a plurality of first perforations may be formed on the first disc, and a plurality of second perforations may be formed on the second disc.

[0016] It may also be constructed as a double structure in which a separate wing wheel smaller in size is inserted inside a single wing wheel. Effects of the invention

[0017] The present invention has the effect of resolving clumping or entanglement of the raw materials of the culture medium and reducing variations in chemical composition, thereby enabling uniform stirring, dispersion, and composition of the raw materials of the culture medium. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mixer according to prior art patent document 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wing wheel according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view of a wing wheel according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a projected perspective view of a wing wheel according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of the first disc and the second disc according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of a wing wheel according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a wing wheel according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0019] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings.

[0020] However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but will be implemented in various different forms.

[0021] The embodiments described in this specification are provided to ensure that the disclosure of the invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention.

[0022] And the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0023] Accordingly, in some embodiments, well-known components, well-known operations, and well-known techniques are not specifically described to avoid the invention being interpreted ambiguously.

[0024] Additionally, throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components, and the terms used (mentioned) in this specification are for describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0025] In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text, and components and operations referred to as 'comprising (or comprising)' do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components and operations.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning that is commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0027] Also, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless otherwise defined.

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wing wheel according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a front view of a wing wheel according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a projected perspective view of a wing wheel according to the present invention, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another example of a first disc and a second disc according to the present invention, FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of a wing wheel according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of a wing wheel according to the present invention.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 10, the present invention comprises a mixer for preparing a cell culture medium, a control unit (100), a mixing container (200), and a wing wheel (300).

[0031] The above control unit (100) performs ON / OFF control of the mixer, control of the rotation amount of the driving means (110), monitoring of the culture medium manufacturing process, etc., and can use known equipment in which general electronic equipment, wiring, circuit boards, displays, etc. are housed internally.

[0032] In addition, the driving means (110) can also be a general motor, and the driving means (110) may be provided in multiple numbers to be connected to each of the first rotation axis (210) and the second rotation axis (310) to be described later, or a single driving means may be used to connect both the first rotation axis (210) and the second rotation axis (310) by utilizing a conventional two-axis motor.

[0033] The above mixing container (200) is a means for receiving and mixing the culture medium raw material inside, and rotates and mixes in conjunction with the driving means (110) of the control unit (100).

[0034] More specifically, the mixing container (200) is connected to and rotated via a driving means (110) and a first rotating shaft (210), and the first rotating shaft (210) is formed as a cylindrical shape with a through hole in the interior and is connected to the mixing container (200).

[0035] The above wing wheel (300) rotates in conjunction with the driving means (110) of the control unit (100) as a means to further rotate the culture medium raw material rotating inside the mixing container (200).

[0036] More specifically, the wing wheel (300) is installed inside the mixing container (200) and rotates by being connected to the driving means (110) and the second rotation shaft (310), and at this time, the second rotation shaft (310) is connected to the wing wheel (300) while being inserted inside the cylindrical first rotation shaft (210).

[0037] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned wing wheel (300) uses a wing wheel (300) having an overall drum shape to further improve stirring and dispersion efficiency.

[0038] More specifically, the wing wheel (300) is configured such that a first disc (320) connected to the second rotation axis (310) is provided, a second disc (330) is provided spaced apart from the first disc (320) by a predetermined distance, and a plurality of circular rings (340) are arranged between the first disc (320) and the second disc (330), and the first disc (320), the second disc (330), and the circular rings (340) are connected through a bar (350).

[0039] To this end, it is preferable that the first disc (320), the second disc (330), and the circular ring (340) have the same diameter, and to further improve stirring and dispersion efficiency, a plurality of first perforations (321) may be formed on the first disc (320) and a plurality of second perforations (331) may be formed on the second disc (330).

[0040] In addition, the wing wheel (300) may have a double structure in which a wing wheel (300') of the same shape is formed inside. That is, the mixing efficiency may be further improved by creating a double structure in which a separate wing wheel (300') consisting of a first disc (320'), a second disc (330'), a circular ring (340'), and a bar (350') that has the same shape as the wing wheel (300) but is smaller in size is inserted inside the wing wheel (300).

[0041] To prove this, an experiment was conducted to verify whether the uniformity of stirring and other factors were improved. The improvement in stirring uniformity and other factors was verified by checking the sodium levels before and after the application of the blade wheel (300) using an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) analyzer, as sodium accounts for about 70% of the medium. At this time, when collecting the medium before and after application, samples were taken from at least three locations and repeated tests were conducted. More specifically, sodium analysis was performed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma analyzer, vitamin analysis was performed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and amino acid analysis was performed using an amino acid analyzer. As a result, when the blade wheel (300) was not applied, the difference in chemical composition was generally within about 3.8% when three samples A, B, and C were collected, whereas when the blade wheel (300) was applied, the difference in chemical composition was within about 1.8% when three samples A, B, and C were collected.

[0042] As described above, it can be seen that the basic technical concept of the present invention is to provide a mixer for preparing cell culture media. Furthermore, it is obvious that many other variations and applications are possible for those skilled in the art within the scope of the basic technical concept of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0043] 100 : Control unit 110 : Driving means 200 : Mixing container 210: First rotation axis 300: Wing wheel 310: Second rotation axis 320: The first disc 321 : 1st Drilling Unit 330: Second disc 331 : 2nd Drilling Unit 340: Circular ring 350 : Bar

Claims

Claim 1 A mixer for preparing a cell culture medium comprises: a control unit including a driving means; a mixing container connected to the driving means via a first rotating shaft and rotating; and a wing wheel installed inside the mixing container and connected to the driving means via a second rotating shaft and rotating; wherein the first rotating shaft is formed as a cylindrical shape with a hollow interior and is connected to the mixing container, and the second rotating shaft is connected to the wing wheel while inserted inside the cylindrical first rotating shaft, and the wing wheel comprises: a first disc connected to the second rotating shaft; a second disc spaced apart from the first disc by a predetermined distance and interconnected with the first disc by a bar; and a plurality of circular rings provided between the first disc and the second disc and interconnected by a bar. A mixer for preparing a cell culture medium, comprising: a plurality of bars interconnecting the first disc, the second disc, and the circular ring; wherein the first disc, the second disc, and the circular ring have the same diameter, a plurality of first perforations are formed in the first disc, a plurality of second perforations are formed in the second disc, and a separate wing wheel smaller in size is inserted inside a single wing wheel. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete

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