Cell Handling Protective Surface for Contamination-Free Pipetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cell culture processing methods in open environments increase the risk of contamination from foreign matter, bacteria, or viruses due to the movement of operators or instruments, which cannot be effectively managed by closed system equipment.
Innovation Solution
A processing device with a protective surface larger than the holding section, incorporating a fixing structure and a positioning mechanism to secure objects like pipettes, ensuring the entire holding member is covered, thereby preventing foreign matter from mixing with the cells or samples during handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a lid or microfilter is used in the culture container to prevent foreign matter, then contamination risk is reduced, but the lid must be opened during processing steps such as culture medium exchange and pipetting, which allows foreign matter to fall into the cell or sample
Solution Approach 1:
A protective surface is introduced as an intermediary component between the processing instruments and the holding section. This protective surface acts as a mediator that allows instruments to access the holding section while preventing foreign matter from falling into the cells or samples, thus maintaining contamination protection without compromising operational convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective surface extends in a horizontal dimension across the opening of the holding section, creating a new spatial plane that instruments can rest on or pass through. This dimensional addition allows simultaneous access for processing and protection from contamination, resolving the contradiction between operational needs and contamination prevention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If processing is performed in an open environment to handle special processing requirements, then flexibility for special processing is improved, but the risk of cell contamination from foreign matter, bacteria, or viruses increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective surface serves as a mediator that enables open environment processing while maintaining contamination barriers. It allows various processing instruments to access the holding section for flexible operations while simultaneously preventing foreign matter and contaminants from entering the cell culture environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective surface provides localized protection specifically at the opening of the holding section where contamination risk is highest during processing. This localized quality approach maintains flexibility for special processing elsewhere in the system while providing targeted contamination prevention where needed.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective surface is introduced to prevent foreign matter from falling, then contamination prevention is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The protective surface is designed as a simple, easily replaceable component that can be disposed of or quickly changed between uses. This approach provides effective contamination prevention without requiring complex, expensive, or difficult-to-maintain structures, as the protective surface can be replaced rather than cleaned and sterilized.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective surface is extracted as a separate, independent component from the main device structure. This extraction simplifies the overall device design by isolating the contamination prevention function into a standalone element that does not complicate the main processing system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3A
Figure 3B~3D
AI summary
A processing device is a processing device for performing processing of handling a cell or a sample for cell culture by using a holding member including at least one holding section that holds the cell or the sample for cell culture. The processing device includes a protective surface that faces the holding section. The protective surface has an area larger than a planar area of a compartment in which the holding section is disposed. The processing device includes a first fixing structure for fixing an object that accesses the holding section for the processing.