Cell Harvesting Instrument with Disposable Fluidic Kit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cell harvesting systems are inadequate for therapeutic applications due to insufficient quality and quantity of cell output, requiring improved methods and devices that can operate under aseptic conditions with reduced infrastructure and are simple to maintain and operate.
Innovation Solution
A cell harvesting instrument with a disposable processing kit that includes a housing with a touch screen, a tangential flow filter, and a detachable processing reservoir, utilizing a peristaltic pump and pinch valve to maintain sterility and efficiently concentrate and wash cells, with a weighing mechanism to measure fluid volume, ensuring high-quality cell harvesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional cell harvesting systems are used, then infrastructure requirements are reduced, but cell output quality and quantity are insufficient for therapeutic applications
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular components: a processing chamber for cell concentration, a filtering device for separation, a collection chamber for harvested cells, and a weighing mechanism for volume measurement. Each module performs a specific function, allowing the system to achieve high cell output quality through specialized processing while maintaining manageable infrastructure through modular design that can be assembled and disassembled as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A filtering device acts as an intermediary between the processing chamber and collection chamber, enabling selective passage of cells while retaining impurities. This intermediary component ensures high cell output quality by filtering out contaminants during the concentration process, while the filtering device can be easily replaced or cleaned, preventing infrastructure complexity from becoming a barrier to therapeutic application.
2Reliability
If cells are processed through multiple wash cycles to remove impurities, then cell quality improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous processing where cells are constantly circulated through the processing chamber and filtering device, allowing concentration and washing to occur simultaneously in an uninterrupted flow. This continuous action achieves thorough cell quality improvement through multiple effective wash cycles while minimizing processing time by eliminating idle periods between steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighing mechanism continuously monitors fluid volume in the processing chamber, providing real-time feedback on processing progress. By tracking volume changes during wash cycles, the system can dynamically adjust processing parameters to optimize the balance between cell quality improvement and processing time, stopping wash cycles at the optimal moment when quality requirements are met without unnecessary time extension.
3Reliability
If aseptic processing conditions are implemented, then cell purity improves, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing chamber and filtering device are designed as disposable components that can be pre-sterilized and discarded after single use. This approach ensures high cell purity through guaranteed aseptic conditions without requiring complex sterilization procedures or maintenance protocols, as each disposable unit is factory-sterilized and ready for immediate use, greatly simplifying operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The weighing mechanism is extracted as a separate, non-contact measurement device that monitors fluid volume without compromising sterility. This extraction of the measurement function allows aseptic processing to be maintained while simplifying operation, as the weighing mechanism provides automatic volume tracking without requiring manual intervention or complex sterilization of measurement instruments.
4Measurement precision
If precise fluid volume measurement is implemented, then cell concentration accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical weighing mechanism is replaced with an electronic or digital measurement system that provides precise fluid volume measurement through automated sensing. This substitution achieves high cell concentration accuracy through precise volume tracking while reducing device complexity by eliminating the need for manual measurement procedures and associated mechanical components, allowing for more compact and easier-to-operate system design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves high-quality cell harvesting with reduced contamination and operational complexity, enabling efficient processing and reduced costs, suitable for therapeutic applications with improved aseptic conditions and faster turnaround times.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a peristaltic pump and pinch valve to maintain sterility and efficiently concentrate and wash cells
Implementation Method 2
a processing chamber and a filtering device wherein the fluidic material has a volume and the processing chamber has an overall capacity, circulating the fluidic material through the processing loop
Implementation Method 3
with a weighing mechanism to measure fluid volume
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a cell harvesting instrument suitable for concentrating cells from a source suspension of cells and/or washing said cells, the instrument comprising: a housing for accommodating mechanical elements including at least one fluid pump, at least one valve; and a processing kit removably insertable into the housing, said kit including a generally flat frame having or supporting plural sealed fluid paths arranged in a generally flat plane and such that fluids in the paths do not contact said mechanical elements, wherein at least portions of the fluid paths comprise flexible tubes, or outer surfaces of which are manipulateable by the or each fluid pump, to provide fluid flow in one or more of the pats and/or by the or each valve to restrict fluid flow in one or more of the paths. In an embodiment, the kit comprises also a fluid processing reservoir and a filter suitable for separating cells from fluid in said paths. A transfer mechanism for moving and weighing the fluid processing reservoir is disclosed also.