Device for Cell Culturing and Processing

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device for cell culturing and processing, applicable in the field of biological and genetic engineering experiments, which comprises at least one central distribution compartment, at least one incubation compartment; at least one processing compartment, a number of ducts to transfer fluids between said compartments, wherein a distribution cavity and a piston capable of moving back and forth in said distribution cavity for altering the operational volume of said distribution cavity are provided within said central distribution compartment, and a distribution valve controlling the connection between said distribution cavity and said ducts is provided at one end of said distribution cavity within the distribution compartment. During operation, cells grow and multiply in a cell suspension contained in the incubation compartment. The cell suspension may be transferred from said incubation compartment into one of the processing compartments by means of said central distribution valve and moving the piston within the distribution cavity. The present invention combines the central distribution compartments, the incubation compartments, and the processing compartments into a compact system, which replaces repetitive manual handling, saves time, avoids wasting raw experimental materials, reduces the risk of human exposure to hazardous materials, while accomplishing cell culturing and several types of cell processing experiments. The modular design and automatic operation allows running different types of experimental projects in a short amount of time, in particular experiments requiring multiple iterations.

1 . A device for cell culturing and processing, which comprises at least one central distribution compartment, at least one incubation compartment; at least one processing compartment, a number of ducts to transfer fluids between said compartments, wherein a distribution cavity and a piston capable of moving back and forth in said distribution cavity for altering the operational volume of said distribution cavity are provided within said central distribution compartment, and a distribution valve controlling the connection between said distribution cavity and said ducts is provided at one end of said distribution cavity within the distribution compartment. 
     
     
         2 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 1 , characterized in that, said central distribution compartments, said incubation compartments, said processing compartments are built as separate entities, in such a way that each entity's body is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks, ducts in said entities are connected to a number of fitting surfaces on said entities, said entities can be joined together at the fitting surfaces to connect the ducts in said entities, said distribution valve within the distribution compartment comprises an essentially cylindrical valve cavity at one end of the distribution cavity and an essentially cylindrical valve core inserted into said valve cavity, where the valve core is able to rotate within said valve cavity, and a multitude of flow channels provided in the valve core can establish different connections between said distribution cavity and any of the ducts leading to the distribution compartment's fitting surfaces by rotating the valve core. 
     
     
         3 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 2 , characterized in that at least one incubation compartment comprises an incubation cavity constructed by a cylindrical shell, a plug arranged at the top end of the shell, and a multiway valve arranged at the bottom end of said shell, said plug comprises an air hole, said multiway valve is fitted in a body the volume of which is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks and said body having at least two fitting surfaces and provided with an essentially cylindrical valve cavity, ducts to connect said valve cavity to the fitting surfaces and the incubation cavity, an essentially cylindrical valve core inserted into said valve cavity and able to rotate in the valve cavity, at least two flow channels are provided in said valve core, said flow channels being able to connect the first fitting surface to said incubation cavity, to connect the second fitting surface to the said incubation cavity, or to connect the two fitting surfaces when rotating the valve core in the valve cavity. 
     
     
         4 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 3 , characterized in that, a sleeve is set at the outside of said shell, a cavity is formed between said sleeve and said shell, an exit and an entrance to said cavity are arranged at two opposite ends of said sleeve, a helical partition wall is provided in said cavity to form a helical channel surrounding said shell and connecting the exit and the entrance. 
     
     
         5 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 3 , characterized in that, a helical duct is provided surrounding said shell, characterized in that the inner diameter of said helical duct is slightly less than the outer diameter of the incubation cavity when the helical duct is not mounted on the shell, and that the tension created by expanding the helical duct when fitting it on said shell will provide intimate contact between said helical duct and said shell. 
     
     
         6 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 2 , characterized in that one of said processing units is housed in a body the volume of which is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks, said body is provided with two ducts which connect two fitting surfaces to a central cavity, characterized in that two electrodes are arranged opposite to each other at each sides of said cavity, electric connectors are provided to connect an external power supply or an electrical measurement amplifier at the outer ends of said two electrodes, an insulation member is arranged inside the cavity between the two electrodes, and a flow channel is formed on said insulation member to guide the liquid flow through said cavity between said two electrodes. 
     
     
         7 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 2 , characterized in that, one of said processing compartments is housed in a body the volume of which is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks, said body is provided with a main duct connected to two of the body's fitting surfaces, and a filter unit dividing the main duct into a front segment and a back segment, said filter unit comprises a filter membrane and a porous support arranged at the back side of said filter membrane, said body comprises a front part and a rear part which may be assembled into a whole body, a cavity for the membrane and porous support is formed between said front part and said rear part, a helical fluid guide is provided in close proximity to said filter membrane in said front part, said helical flow guide is connected to a side duct leading to a third fitting surface for injecting external fluid between said filtration membrane and said front part. 
     
     
         8 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 2 , characterized in that, one of said processing compartments is housed in a body the volume of which is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks, in its interior said body is provided with a filtration cavity extending essentially along the long axis of said body, one end of said filtration cavity is connected to a fitting surface by means of a duct, a choke plug is tightly fitted into said processing compartment at the other end of said filtration cavity and provided with an internal duct and a fitting surface, a membrane filter tube inserted into said filtration cavity is attached to the inner end of said choke plug so that said internal duct connects the inside of the filter tube to said fitting surface of said choke plug, and an additional duct connects the filtration cavity with a third fitting surface at the side wall of the processing compartment, and said additional duct merges with the filtration cavity in tangential direction. 
     
     
         9 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 8 , characterized in that, the inner wall of the filtration cavity is provided with a helical fluid guide, which is connected to said additional duct and third fitting surface and arranged surrounding the membrane filter tube inside the filtration cavity. 
     
     
         10 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 2 , characterized in that one of said processing units is housed in a body the volume of which is equivalent to one or more standard shape blocks, said body is provided with ducts which connect two fitting surfaces to a cavity, an optical pathway penetrating the cavity at an angle, the two ends of said optical pathway are formed by a light source and a light sensor respectively, light source and light sensor are connected to the cavity by means of a transparent waveguide component. 
     
     
         11 . The device for cell culturing and processing of  claim 1 , characterized in that, said central distribution compartment is provided with an optical pathway penetrating the distribution cavity at an angle, the two ends of said optical pathway are formed by a light source and a light sensor respectively, light source and light sensor are connected to the distribution cavity by means of a transparent waveguide component.