Stackable Microorganism Culture Kit with Circulating Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microorganism culture methods, such as the agar-plate surface smear method, are limited in their ability to maintain nutrient concentration and remove metabolic byproducts, leading to inhibited growth and difficulty in culturing a wide range of microorganisms.
Innovation Solution
A microorganism culture kit featuring stackable frame bodies with inflow and outflow passages that allow for the circulation of nutrient-containing gases or liquids, enabling flexible configuration of culture conditions and easy exchange of media, thereby supporting the growth of difficult-to-culture microorganisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a closed culture environment is used, then the culture system is simple and easy to operate, but metabolites and environmental components accumulate and inhibit microorganism growth
Solution Approach 1:
The culture system is divided into multiple frame bodies that can be independently configured. Each frame body can be selectively opened or closed, allowing the system to segment the culture environment. This enables controlled access to remove metabolites while maintaining overall system simplicity and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame bodies are designed with openable and closable passages, transforming the static closed culture environment into a dynamic system. The passages can be opened to remove harmful metabolites and closed to maintain sterile conditions, providing operational flexibility that resolves the contradiction between simplicity and metabolite removal.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a solid medium is used for culturing, then the structure is stable and easy to maintain, but it is difficult to maintain the concentration of required nutrients
Solution Approach 1:
The frame bodies can serve multiple functions: they can be used with solid media for structural stability, or configured with fluid passages for nutrient circulation. The same basic structure supports both solid and fluid culture modes, allowing flexible adjustment of nutrient supply while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates fluid passages that can transport liquid nutrients through the culture medium. This hydraulic approach allows continuous or periodic nutrient supply to maintain required concentrations, while the frame body structure remains stable and easy to maintain.
3Productivity
If conventional agar-plate surface smear method is used, then the procedure is simple and rapid, but only about 1% of microorganisms can be cultured
Solution Approach 1:
The culture system uses multiple frame bodies that can be independently configured and stacked. This segmentation allows creation of diverse culture conditions (aerobic, anaerobic, different nutrient concentrations) simultaneously, dramatically increasing the number of cultivatable microorganisms while keeping each individual frame body simple and easy to operate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows flexible adjustment of culture parameters such as oxygen concentration, nutrient supply rate, and fluid flow patterns. By changing these parameters across different frame bodies, the system can optimize conditions for diverse microorganisms, increasing culture efficiency without requiring complex equipment for each condition.
4Adaptability or versatility
If frame bodies are made stackable with threads, then the device can be configured in various arrangements, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The same thread-based coupling mechanism is used across all frame bodies, allowing them to be stacked in various arrangements (vertical, horizontal, different configurations). This universal interface provides configuration flexibility while using a single standardized manufacturing process, thereby not significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for culturing microorganisms are disclosed. In some aspects, the devices include two frame bodies. The two frame bodies may comprise a first-type frame body and a second-type frame body. The first-type frame body may comprise a first frame body surrounding a first internal space. The first frame body may comprise an inflow passage for a fluid to flow into the first internal space and an outflow passage for the fluid to flow out from the first internal space, the inflow passage and the outflow passage being each provided to be openable and closable. The second-type frame body may comprise a second frame body surrounding a second internal space. In some aspects, the two frame bodies are stackable on each other.