Laminar Flow Bioreactor with Bypasses for Cell Culture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bioreactors for growing three-dimensional cell tissues face challenges in maintaining a laminar flow, which is crucial for efficient cell growth, as turbulent flow can hinder the process and prolong the growth time, making it unsuitable for rapid cell mass production needed for medical applications.
Innovation Solution
A laminar flow reactor design with a grid in the middle, surrounded by adjustable bypasses controlled by a handle or motor to ensure a constant laminar flow without turbulence, allowing for maximum laminar flow conditions and featuring a grid carrier system for easy grid exchange and observation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the flow rate is increased to reduce growth time, then productivity is improved, but turbulent flow occurs which harms cell growth
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is segmented into multiple parallel channels instead of a single channel. This divides the high flow rate into lower velocity streams in each individual channel, preventing turbulence while maintaining high overall productivity through parallel processing of nutrient delivery to cell cultures.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a single-channel flow path to a multi-channel parallel architecture. By adding the dimension of parallelism, the system achieves high productivity through multiple simultaneous flow paths while each individual path maintains laminar flow conditions necessary for healthy cell growth.
2Productivity
If the flow rate is increased to reduce growth time, then productivity is improved, but flow stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flow system is segmented into multiple independent parallel channels. This segmentation stabilizes the overall flow by distributing the total flow rate across multiple paths, where each channel operates at a stable, lower velocity that prevents turbulence and maintains consistent laminar flow conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the flow parameters by distributing high total flow rate across multiple channels with individually optimized velocity. This parameter transformation allows the system to achieve high productivity through increased total flow while each channel maintains the stable, low-velocity conditions necessary for laminar flow.
3Stability of the object's composition
If bypasses are added to control flow, then flow stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass system is segmented into multiple discrete control elements, one for each parallel channel. While this adds components, each control element is simple and modular, allowing independent adjustment of flow distribution across channels to optimize laminar flow conditions without requiring complex integrated control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass system incorporates dynamic control elements that allow adjustment of flow distribution among parallel channels. This dynamic capability enables the system to adapt flow rates to maintain optimal laminar flow conditions across different operating scenarios, improving flow stability through flexible rather than fixed control.
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
This design enables consistent and efficient growth of cells over a wide surface area, ensuring rapid production of three-dimensional tissue by maintaining a steady laminar flow and allowing for real-time observation of cell growth, thereby meeting the need for timely cell mass production in medical settings.
Implementation Method 1
the flow through the mass of growing cells is steady and laminar
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for the culture and growth of cells to a three dimensional tissue. Object of the invention is to build an apparatus for the culture and growth of cells in a homogenous thickness over a wide plain (surface) to a three dimensional tissue to be used e.g. in hospitals. The apparatus of the invention for the culture and growth of cells to a three dimen-sional tissue of the invention consists of a laminar flow reactor, in which the growing of the cells takes place, a pump, a storage tank for a nutrient fluid and pipes connecting these parts to create a permanent circulation of the nutrient fluid through these parts. The reactor whoose housing consists of three parts, two shells each with a hole used for an entrance or an outlet of the nutrient fluid, and between theese shells a chamber carrying a grid to support the biomaterial. In this apparatus should the grid in the chamber be surronded by a plurality of bypasses. With theese bypasses it is possible to get a constant laminar flow in the whole area of the grid and it is further on possible to reach the maximum of the laminar flow without turbulences in this flow.