Non-Contact Wetting Evaluation for Fragile Cell Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Evaluating the wetting characteristic of cell sheets is challenging due to their fragility, susceptibility to contamination, and inability to separate from culture dishes, making traditional methods like the Wilhelmy plate method and contact angle methods impractical, and fluorescence microscopy is hindered by cytotoxic dyes.
Innovation Solution
A non-contact method involving jetting air at a cell sheet in a liquid medium to partially remove the medium, measuring the dimension of the residual region, and using the measured dimension as an index for wetting characteristic evaluation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the Wilhelmy plate method or contact angle method is used to evaluate wetting characteristic, then measurement can be performed, but the cell sheet cannot be separated from the culture dish or the method is impossible to apply due to fragility and contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based measurement methods (Wilhelmy plate method requiring suspension, contact angle method requiring droplet placement) with an optical measurement system that uses light reflection and imaging to evaluate wetting characteristics without physical contact, thereby eliminating the problems of cell sheet separation and mechanical damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light as an intermediary medium to indirectly measure wetting characteristics. By analyzing how light reflects off the liquid-gas interface on the cell sheet surface, the system obtains wetting information without direct mechanical contact, thus protecting the fragile cell sheet while enabling measurement
2Measurement precision
If fluorescence microscopy is used to detect cell sheet properties, then specific intracellular proteins can be detected, but cytotoxic dyes cannot be used for medical purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces fluorescence microscopy that requires cytotoxic dyes with an optical reflection-based measurement system. By analyzing light reflection patterns from the cell sheet surface, the system evaluates wetting characteristics and cell quality without introducing any harmful substances, thus eliminating cytotoxicity while maintaining evaluation capability
3Measurement precision
If air is supplied from below the cell sheet in the contact angle method, then contact angle measurement is attempted, but the air does not rest on the cell sheet surface under water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the measurement approach by observing light reflection from the top surface of the cell sheet rather than trying to supply air from below. This top-down optical measurement approach works reliably under water conditions where bottom-up air supply fails, thus solving the reliability problem while maintaining measurement capability
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
Enables effective evaluation of the wetting characteristic of cell sheets and culture dishes without damaging them, providing a reliable index for assessing their quality and transplant compatibility.
Implementation Method 1
jetting air at the cell sheet in a liquid medium to partly remove the liquid medium
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a means for evaluating the wetting characteristic of an object such as a cell sheet and a culture dish in a non-contact fashion. The wetting characteristic of an object is evaluated by a method comprising the steps of: (1) removing a liquid by jetting a gas at a surface of the object covered with the liquid, (2) measuring a dimension of a region in which the liquid is removed after the completion of the gas jetting and (3) evaluating the wetting characteristic of the object using the measured dimension as an index.