Patent
Interlinked culture chamber for biologicals
| العنوان: | Interlinked culture chamber for biologicals |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 7,144,727 |
| تاريخ النشر: | December 05, 2006 |
| Appl. No: | 10/821455 |
| Application Filed: | April 09, 2004 |
| مستخلص: | The bioreactor system of the present invention has two fluid-filled culture compartments in which cells, tissues and other biologicals are cultured. The two culture compartments are in fluid communication with each other and each culture compartment is transversed by a filter that prevents the exit of the cells from the culture compartment. Both reusable and disposable culture chambers are described for use as the first and/or second culture compartment. |
| Inventors: | Akers, Roger (Houston, TX, US); Anderson, William J. (Richmond, TX, US); Navran, Jr., Stephen S. (Houston, TX, US) |
| Assignees: | Synthecon, Inc. (Houston, TX, US) |
| Claim: | 1. A culture system comprising: (a) a fluid inlet; (b) a first culture compartment having a tubular housing; (c) a first end piece attached to the fluid inlet on one side and to a first end of the tubular housing on a second side, (d) a second culture compartment coaxial with the first culture compartment, the second culture compartment having a proximal end and a distal end; (e) a fluid connector having a first side mounted on a second end of the tubular housing and a second side mounted on the proximal end of the second culture compartment, the fluid connector having a through bore passing from the first side to the second side of the fluid connector, wherein the through bore directs a fluid stream from the first culture compartment into the second culture compartment; (f) a connector filter positioned on the first side of the fluid connector to filter a fluid stream passing out of the first culture compartment and into the through bore of the fluid connector; (g) a fluid outlet; (h) a distal end piece mounted on the distal end of the second culture compartment and connected to the fluid outlet; and (i) an outlet filter transversing the second culture compartment including: a support cylinder having a first end supported by the fluid connector and a second end supported by the distal end piece, a molecular weight cut-off membrane secured to an exterior surface of the support cylinder, and a chamber between the exterior surface of the cylinder and an interior surface of the membrane, the chamber in fluid communication with the through bore of the fluid connector and the fluid outlet. |
| Claim: | 2. A culture system comprising: (a) a fluid inlet; (b) a first culture compartment having a tubular housing made of a fluid-impenetrable material, wherein the tubular housing has a first end and an opposed second end; (c) a first end piece attached to the fluid inlet on one side and to the first end of the tubular housing on a second side, (d) a second culture compartment coaxial with the first culture compartment and in fluid communication with the first culture compartment, the second culture compartment having a proximal end and a distal end; (e) a fluid connector having a first side mounted on the second end of the tubular housing and a second side mounted on the, proximal end of the second culture compartment, the fluid connector having a through bore passing from the first side to the second side of the fluid connector; (f) a connector filter having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is mounted on the first side of the fluid connector, the connector filter positioned to filter a fluid stream passing out of the first culture compartment into the through bore of the fluid connector and into the second culture compartment; (g) a fluid outlet; (h) a distal end piece mounted on the distal end of the second culture compartment and connected to the fluid outlet; and (i) an outlet filter having a one end mounted on a proximal side of the distal end piece, wherein the outlet filter is a membrane carrier assembly transversing the second culture compartment wherein the membrane carrier assembly has: a support cylinder; a molecular weight cut-off membrane secured to an exterior surface of the support cylinder, and a chamber between the exterior surface of the cylinder and an interior surface of the membrane, the chamber in fluid communication with the through bore of the fluid connector and the fluid outlet. |
| Claim: | 3. The culture system of claim 2 , wherein the through bore of the fluid connector is intersected by a through bore of a second fluid inlet. |
| Claim: | 4. The culture system of claim 2 , further comprising at least one penetration port extending through a wall of the first or second culture compartment. |
| Claim: | 5. The culture system of claim 2 , further comprising a gas venting means for allowing gas to escape from the first or second culture compartment as the compartment is filled with fluid. |
| Claim: | 6. The culture system of claim 2 , further comprising a fill means for inserting fluids into or removing fluids out of the first or second culture compartment. |
| Claim: | 7. The culture system of claim 2 , wherein the first end, the distal end and the fluid connector are concurrently rotated by a drive assembly. |
| Claim: | 8. The culture system of claim 2 , wherein the second culture compartment has a greater volume than the first culture compartment. |
| Claim: | 9. The culture system of claim 2 , further comprising an identifier. |
| Claim: | 10. The culture system of claim 9 , wherein the identifier is a bar code. |
| Claim: | 11. A culture system comprising: (a) a fluid inlet; (b) a first culture compartment having (i) a fluid-impenetrable tubular sleeve having a first end and an opposed second end, (ii) a growth compartment within the sleeve, and (iii) a first end piece having one side attached to the fluid inlet and a second side attached to a first end of the tubular sleeve; (c) a second culture compartment coaxial with the first culture compartment, the second culture compartment having (i) a fluid-impenetrable housing having a proximal end and a distal end; and (ii) a growth compartment within the housing that is in fluid communication with the growth compartment within the sleeve, (d) a fluid connector having a first side mounted on the second end of the tubular sleeve and a second side mounted on the proximal end of the housing, the fluid connector having a through bore passing from the first side to the second side of the fluid connector wherein the through bore is in fluid communication with the growth compartment of the first and second culture compartment; (e) a connector filter having a one end supported by the first side of the fluid connector; (f) a membrane carrier assembly transversing the second culture compartment comprising (i) a support cylinder, (ii) a molecular weight cut-off membrane secured to an exterior surface of the support cylinder, and (iii) a chamber between the exterior surface of the cylinder and an interior surface of the membrane, the chamber in fluid communication with the through bore of the fluid connector and the growth compartment within the housing; (g) a fluid outlet; and (h) a distal end piece mounted on the distal end of the second culture compartment and connected to the fluid outlet. |
| Claim: | 12. The culture system of claim 11 , wherein the connector filter includes a molecular weight cut-off membrane. |
| Claim: | 13. The culture system of claim 12 , wherein the connector filter includes a molecular weight cut-off membrane having a different molecular weight cut-off than the molecular weight cut-off membrane of the membrane carrier assembly. |
| Claim: | 14. The culture system of claim 12 , wherein the molecular weight cut-off membrane of the connector filter is identical to the molecular weight cut-off membrane of the membrane carrier assembly. |
| Claim: | 15. The culture system of claim 11 , wherein the connector filter includes: a cylindrical support transversing the first culture compartment, the support having a first end supported by the first end of the sleeve and a second end supported by the first side of the fluid connector; a molecular weight cut-off membrane secured to an exterior surface of the cylindrical support, and a channel between the exterior surface of the cylindrical support and an interior surface of the membrane, the channel in fluid communication with the through bore of the fluid connector and the growth compartment of the first and second culture compartment. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 4352/941 |
| Patent References Cited: | 4988623 January 1991 Schwartz et al. 5026650 June 1991 Schwartz et al. 5104802 April 1992 Rhodes et al. 5153131 October 1992 Wolf et al. 5153133 October 1992 Schwartz et al. 5155034 October 1992 Wolf et al. 5155035 October 1992 Schwartz et al. 5194157 March 1993 Ghezzi et al. 5415770 May 1995 Heskett 5449617 September 1995 Falkenberg et al. 5576211 November 1996 Falkenberg et al. 5637477 June 1997 Spaulding et al. 5686301 November 1997 Falkenberg et al. 5763275 June 1998 Nagels et al. 5998202 December 1999 Schwartz et al. 6022733 February 2000 Tam et al. 6080581 June 2000 Anderson et al. 6255106 July 2001 Marx et al. 2004/0110273 June 2004 Akers et al. 06134210 May 1994 |
| Other References: | Rai M. et al.; Expression systems for production of heterologous proteins, Current Science, vol. 80, No. 9, May 10, 2001, pp. 1121-1128. cited by other Verma, R. et al.; Antibody engineering: Comparison of bacterial, yeast, insect and mammalian expression systems, Journal of Immunological Methods, 216, 1998, pp. 165-181. cited by other Hernaeus Instruments, Inc.; Genetic Engineering News, vol. 14, No. 12, Jun. 15, 1994. cited by other FiberCell Hollow Fiber Cell Culture Systems, Dec. 1, 2004 printout, Internet at bellcoglass.com. cited by other Gerecht-Nir, Sharon, et al. Bioreactor cultivation enhances the efficiency of human embryoid body (hEB) formation and differentiation, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Early view online Apr. 8, 2004. cited by other |
| Primary Examiner: | Beisner, William H. |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Hall, Elizabeth R. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.07144727 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |