Magnetic Cell Separation Device with Upward Flow Mesh
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for separating cells and scaffold materials in suspension culture face challenges such as the need for large amounts of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, incomplete degradation of scaffold materials, and clogging issues during centrifugation or filtration, which lead to inefficient recovery of cells and humoral factors.
Innovation Solution
A separation device with a mesh structure that allows liquids to pass through while trapping scaffold materials, utilizing a vertically upward directional flow to prevent clogging and enable efficient separation of cells from scaffold materials without enzyme-induced damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If polysaccharide-degrading enzyme is used to decompose scaffold material, then cells can be isolated without protease damage, but large amounts of enzyme are required and undegraded polysaccharides remain mixed with recovered cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a magnetic separation system as an intermediary method to physically separate cells from scaffold materials without relying solely on enzymatic degradation. Magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies bind to target cells, allowing their separation from the culture medium and undegraded scaffold material through magnetic field application, thus reducing the dependency on large amounts of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical/enzymatic degradation system with a magnetic field-based separation system. Instead of relying on polysaccharide-degrading enzymes to break down scaffold material, the invention uses magnetic fields to physically separate cells bound to magnetic beads from the culture medium, achieving cell isolation without requiring complete enzymatic decomposition of the scaffold
2Productivity
If centrifugation is used to recover cells, then separation speed is improved, but cultured cells are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic beads as intermediaries to bind to target cells, enabling their separation through magnetic field application rather than centrifugation. This intermediary approach allows for gentle separation that maintains cell integrity while achieving efficient recovery, avoiding the mechanical stress and damage caused by high-speed centrifugation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical centrifugation system with a magnetic field-based separation system. Instead of using centrifugal force that can damage cultured cells, the invention applies magnetic fields to separate cells bound to magnetic beads, achieving both rapid recovery and minimal cell damage through non-mechanical separation
3Ease of operation
If porous filter is used to recover liquid medium, then separation simplicity is improved, but filter clogging occurs frequently requiring replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic beads as intermediaries to selectively bind and separate target cells from the culture medium. This approach allows for the recovery of cell-free liquid medium without using porous filters, as the magnetic separation process naturally partitions cells (bound to beads) from the medium, eliminating filter clogging issues while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts target cells from the culture medium using magnetic beads, leaving the liquid medium free of cellular material and scaffold debris. This extraction approach eliminates the need for porous filtration, preventing filter clogging and the associated time loss from frequent filter replacements while maintaining ease of operation
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 device effectively separates cells from scaffold materials, reducing enzyme usage and clogging, and allows for efficient recovery of cells and humoral factors, enhancing the efficiency and minimization of cell damage during the separation process.
Implementation Method 1
a separation device with a mesh structure that allows liquids to pass through while trapping scaffold materials
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a vertically upward directional flow to prevent clogging
Data Source
AI summary
A separation device for separating a solid separation target contained in a suspension obtained by suspension culture of adherent cells by using a fine scaffold material, and a separation method. The separation device has a separation chamber having a first chamber and a second chamber, and the first chamber and the second chamber are divided by a mesh structure for separation. The mesh structure for separation has mesh-holes with a predetermined size to suppress passage of the separation target, and a mesh structure for separation is configured in the separation chamber such that the liquid in the aforementioned suspension has a vertically upward directional component in the advancing direction of the liquid when the liquid passes through the mesh-holes.