Segmented Cell Culture Container with ECM Coating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cell culture containers, both open and closed types, face challenges in maintaining uniform cell clump size and controlling culture positions, leading to contamination risks and inefficient cell culture management.

Innovation Solution

A closed-type cell culture container with serpentine passages, branching sections, and merging sections, featuring cell-seeding areas at regular intervals, cavities on the bottom surface, and an extracellular matrix (ECM) coating, which allows for controlled cell seeding, uniform cell distribution, and reduced contamination risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a closed-type culture container is used to reduce contamination risk, then reliability is improved, but the ability to directly access cells for uniform clump size control and position control is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontamination riskVSAvoidcell access capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into multiple independent culture chambers, each with its own access port. This segmentation allows cells to be cultured in a closed environment to prevent contamination, while still enabling direct access to each chamber through its dedicated access port for cell manipulation, clump size control, and position control without compromising the closed-system advantage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If cells are cultured on a continuous culture surface in a closed container, then contamination risk is reduced, but the ability to make uniform cell clump sizes and control culture positions is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontamination riskVSAvoidcell clump size uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous culture surface is segmented into multiple discrete culture chambers. Each chamber provides a defined space where cell clumps can be cultured with controlled sizes and positions. The segmentation maintains the closed-container advantage for contamination prevention while enabling precise control over cell clump characteristics within each chamber.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the container (individual chambers) are designed with specific local characteristics to control cell behavior. Each chamber can be optimized for specific cell clump sizes and positions, allowing uniform cell clump sizes and controlled culture positions while maintaining the overall closed-system structure for contamination prevention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If multiple cell clumps are cultured simultaneously in a closed container, then productivity is improved, but the ability to control culture positions and uniform clump sizes becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of cell clumps culturedVSAvoidculture position control
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into multiple independent culture chambers, allowing simultaneous culture of multiple cell clumps. Each chamber acts as an independent unit with defined boundaries, enabling precise control over culture positions and uniform clump sizes within each chamber while increasing overall productivity through parallel cultivation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The container design utilizes a two-dimensional array of culture chambers arranged in rows and columns. This dimensional organization allows multiple cell clumps to be cultured simultaneously at controlled positions, with each chamber providing a defined location for uniform cell clump development, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3109312B1Cell culture container
Publication Date: 2019.08.28 SINFONIA TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP3109312B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3109312B1 patent drawingFigure 1B~1C
  • EP3109312B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C

AI summary

A cell culture container characterized by being equipped with a container main body and a flat plate attached onto one surface of the container main body, wherein the container main body is equipped with an inflow port through which a liquid can flow into the container main body, a passage through which the liquid flowing into the container main body from the inflow port can pass, and an outflow port through which the liquid passing through the passage can flow out from the container main body, and wherein, on the bottom surface of the passage, multiple cell-seeding areas in which cells passing through the passage can be seeded are arranged side by side along the passage.