Sealed Multi-Well Plate With Septum Access for Controlled Cell Atmospheres
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-well plates are inadequate for specific niche cases requiring customized atmospheric conditions for cell culture, as they either allow ambient atmosphere contamination or lack individual well access without disrupting neighboring cultures, and are costly when multiple incubators are needed.
Innovation Solution
A multi-well plate design featuring a base with cylindrical wells, a gasket-sealed lid, and concentric circular structures with septum injection ports, allowing independent well access while maintaining a sealed atmosphere and enabling gas exchange between wells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional multi-well plate is used without sealing, then ease of operation is improved, but atmospheric contamination occurs and reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible sealing gasket made of elastomeric material that conformally seals around the perimeter of the multi-well plate and individual well apertures. This flexible membrane structure provides atmospheric sealing while allowing the plate to be assembled and disassembled for operations, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and contamination prevention.
2Reliability
If the lid is sealed tightly to prevent contamination, then reliability is improved, but individual well access becomes difficult and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into two levels: a perimeter seal that seals the entire plate when the lid is closed, and individual well seals that can be selectively opened by piercing with needles through septa. This segmentation allows the plate to maintain overall atmospheric sealing while enabling individual well access for injections and sampling without compromising the sealed environment of other wells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces septa as intermediary components at each well aperture that can be selectively pierced by needles. These septa act as mediators between the sealed well environment and the external injection equipment, allowing individual well access while maintaining the integrity of the overall sealed atmosphere.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple incubators are used to provide different atmospheric conditions, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-well plate is divided into separate sealed compartments (wells) that can be independently configured with different atmospheric conditions through selective injection of gases and liquids via needle access through the septa. This segmentation allows a single plate to replace multiple incubators by enabling different atmospheric compositions in different wells.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate design provides universal functionality by combining atmospheric sealing with selective well access capabilities, allowing a single device to perform the functions previously requiring multiple specialized incubators. The system can accommodate various cell culture conditions (different gas compositions, oxygen levels) within one plate through controlled injection and sealing.
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
Provides a cost-effective, atmospherically sealed environment for individual well manipulation, preventing contamination and enabling controlled gas exchange, suitable for various cell cultures without the need for multiple incubators.
Implementation Method 1
The lid is configured to rest on the gasket attached circumferentially to the perimeter wall and thereby forming a seal about a periphery of the rectangular array. The seal formed about the periphery of the rectangular array prevents mixing of an internal atmosphere defined within the base and lid with an external atmosphere.
Implementation Method 2
Each injection port includes a sealing septum
Implementation Method 3
each aperture having a gas permeable membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-well plate includes a base and a lid. The base includes multiple wells arranged in a rectangular array, each well having a cylindrical shape with a circular opening on a top end of the well. A perimeter wall is arranged about a periphery of the rectangular array and includes a stacked edge arranged about an entirety of the perimeter wall. A gasket is attached to the perimeter wall at a notch on the stacked edge of the perimeter wall. The lid includes multiple circular structure axially aligned with the plurality of wells of the base. Each circular structure includes a concentric circular aperture and an injection port disposed at a center of each concentric circular aperture on each of the plurality of circular structures. Each injection port includes a sealing septum, where the lid rests on the gasket.