Culture Medium Panel Configuration for Cell Suitability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Developing a culture medium dedicated to a specific cell is time-consuming and costly, and existing methods for selecting an appropriate culture medium through repeated experiments are limited and unreliable.

Innovation Solution

Configuring a 'culture medium panel' with a small number of culture media, where a culture experiment is performed once on the panel, and a culture medium with satisfactory results is selected, reducing the duration and cost of developing a dedicated culture medium.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If a culture medium panel with a small number of culture media is configured, then the duration and cost of developing a dedicated culture medium are reduced, but the suitability for cells with various characteristics may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveduration of developing culture mediumVSAvoidsuitability for cells with various characteristics
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring a culture medium panel with a small number of carefully selected culture media before actual cell culture experiments. The panel is designed in advance based on analysis of cell characteristics and culture medium compositions, allowing researchers to quickly select an appropriate culture medium without time-consuming development processes. This preliminary configuration resolves the contradiction by providing ready-to-use options that maintain high suitability while reducing development time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Device complexity

If the size of the culture medium panel is reduced, then the cost and complexity of experiments are reduced, but the reliability of selecting an appropriate culture medium may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesize of culture medium panelVSAvoidreliability of culture medium selection
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the culture medium selection problem into a parameter optimization problem. It analyzes cell characteristics (such as cell type, growth rate, metabolic properties) and culture medium compositions (such as nutrient concentrations, pH, additives) as parameters, then uses computational methods to identify the optimal subset of culture media that maximizes selection reliability. This approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining high reliability with a reduced panel size through scientific parameter analysis rather than exhaustive experimentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If conventional methods are used to configure a culture medium panel, then proven culture media can be selected based on experience, but the panel size cannot be large due to experimental constraints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of culture medium selectionVSAvoidnumber of culture media in panel
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies copying by creating a virtual model or database of cell characteristics and culture medium compositions that can be analyzed computationally. Instead of relying solely on physical experimentation with large numbers of culture media, the system creates a digital representation that allows virtual screening and prediction of suitable culture media. This copying approach resolves the contradiction by enabling the evaluation of many more culture medium options than would be feasible through traditional experimentation, thereby expanding the effective panel size while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4502141A1Construction method, construction device, and construction program
Publication Date: 2025.02.05 FUJIFILM CORP
  • EP4502141A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4502141A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4502141A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An aspect of the present invention provides a configuration method, a configuration apparatus, and a configuration program that enable configuration of a culture medium panel having high suitability for cells having various characteristics under a size constraint of a limited culture medium set. A configuration method according to an aspect of the present invention is a configuration method for configuring a culture medium panel constituted by a plurality of culture media to optimize a cell culture result. The configuration method includes, by a processor, a region setting step of setting a region of a culture medium composition space; a characteristic listing step of listing a plurality of cell characteristics; a prediction step of making a prediction of a culture result of a target cell for a given culture medium composition, based on a cell characteristic of the target cell; a search listing step of searching for and listing, for respective cell characteristics included in the plurality of cell characteristics, culture medium compositions for which cell culture results have local maximum values; and a configuration step of configuring the culture medium panel from culture medium composition candidates corresponding to the local maximum values.