Microcavity Dish Sidewall Liquid Delivery Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cell culture dishes with microcavities face turbulence issues during medium aspiration and dispensing, leading to spheroids being dislodged or merging, which is undesirable for maintaining uniform cell cultures and high-throughput screening.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a liquid medium delivery surface on the sidewall of microcavity dishes, featuring a transition portion that slopes inward, creating a ramp-like structure to support liquid handling and reduce turbulence, along with a removable lid for sealing and gas exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard cell culture dishes are used for three-dimensional spheroid culturing, then cells can form spheroids in a more natural environment, but turbulence during medium handling causes spheroids to be dislodged or merge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a liquid medium delivery surface and liquid delivery track into the dish structure before use. These features are pre-designed to guide liquid flow along the sidewall, preventing turbulence before it can dislodge spheroids during medium aspiration or dispensing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid medium delivery surface acts as an intermediary structure between the medium reservoir and the microcavities. It controls liquid flow path and velocity, mediating the interaction between medium handling operations and spheroid-containing microcavities to prevent direct turbulent impact
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple spheroids are cultured in a single microcavity, then cell interaction increases, but spheroids join together forming larger spheroids that compromise experimental uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid medium delivery surface creates a physical barrier and controlled flow path that prevents spheroids from moving between microcavities. By directing liquid flow along the sidewall away from the microcavity openings, it preemptively stops the mechanism that would cause spheroid merging
3Productivity
If aspiration activities are performed to create turbulence in culture media, then medium exchange is efficient, but spheroids are lifted out of microcavities and move to other microcavities
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid delivery track and delivery surface are pre-configured to provide a controlled liquid flow path during aspiration operations. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that even when aspiration creates turbulence, the flow follows the designated path along the sidewall rather than directly impacting spheroids
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 liquid medium delivery surface minimizes turbulence during medium handling, maintaining spheroid size consistency and stability, enhancing the accuracy of cell culture experiments by mimicking natural tissue environments.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid delivery track has a first end nearer the top than the bottom of the dish body and an opposite second end nearer the bottom than the top of the dish body
Data Source
AI summary
A microcavity dish (10) for cultivating cells includes a dish body including a sidewall (16) that encloses a cell culture chamber within the dish body. The dish body has a top and a bottom (12). The bottom includes a cell culturing substrate comprising an array of microcavities (46). The sidewall includes a transition portion (30) that divides the sidewall into an upper portion and a lower portion that is offset inward relative to the upper portion defining a liquid medium delivery surface (26) that extends at least partially along an interior surface (28) of the sidewall and slopes toward the bottom.