Multi-Compartment Cell Culture Vessel with Pooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cell culture methods are laborious and prone to contamination due to the need for continuous transfer of cell cultures between vessels during split-pool procedures, limiting the efficiency and accuracy of exposing cells to various culture conditions.
Innovation Solution
A cell culture vessel with multiple isolated compartments and a pooling compartment that allows for the mixing and re-splitting of cell cultures without external transfer, equipped with ports for medium addition/removal and filters to retain cells while allowing liquid media exchange, facilitating efficient and contamination-reduced exposure to different culture conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cell cultures are transferred between vessels during split-pool procedures, then different culture conditions can be applied to cell units, but manual labor increases and contamination risk rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple culture compartments and a pooling compartment into a single vessel system. Cell units can be transferred between compartments and pooled within the same vessel, eliminating the need to transfer cultures between separate vessels while still enabling exposure to different culture conditions through compartment-specific media addition.
Solution Approach 2:
The vessel is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both culture compartments and a pooling compartment. The same vessel can hold cell units, provide different culture conditions in different compartments, and facilitate pooling operations, reducing the need for multiple specialized vessels and external transfer operations.
2Reliability
If multiple culture compartments are integrated in a single vessel, then transfer operations are reduced and contamination risk decreases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel is segmented into multiple culture compartments and a pooling compartment, each serving specific functions. This segmentation allows cell units to be isolated in different culture conditions while enabling controlled pooling within the same vessel, reducing cross-contamination risk while maintaining functional complexity through modular compartment design.
3Reliability
If filters are added to ports for medium exchange, then cell retention is improved while medium addition/removal is facilitated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Filters are integrated into the ports as intermediary components that mediate between medium addition/removal operations and cell retention requirements. The filters allow selective passage of medium while blocking cells, facilitating easy medium exchange without cell loss while adding minimal structural complexity through standard filter integration.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The present invention provides an apparatus for culturing cells comprising two or more culture compartments and a pooling compartment, wherein each of said two or more culture compartments is separated from the other culture compartments; each of said two or more culture compartments comprises a port for the addition or removal of medium; and the pooling compartment communicates with said two or more culture compartments. The present invention also relates to a stand for apparatus for culturing cells.