JP2006288311A - Monitoring system for cultivation vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring system for cultivation vessel that can confirm the shut tightness of the culture system. <P>SOLUTION: This culture vessel-monitoring system is equipped with a means for measuring the shut tightness of the whole culture vessel system comprising the reagent vessel, the cultivation vessel and the waste fluid vessel at discontinuous different time and the measurement of shut tightness of the whole vessel system is carried out at least once. The measurement is carried out by measuring the amount of the air injected into the vessels and these operations are backed up with a pressure sensor set at the culture apparatus and with the gas charging. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for culturing cells by integrating a reagent container, a culture unit, and a waste liquid container, and controlling them by valve control and movable control of the culture unit.

Advantages of automatically performing cell culture by a machine include prevention of contamination such as contamination in addition to automating complicated culture operations. In this case, it is desirable to minimize as much as possible the portion that directly touches the outside via a liquid or gas. Therefore, a reagent container, a culture unit, and a waste liquid container are integrated to form a closed structure, and these conditions are sufficiently satisfied by using a culture system for culturing cells by valve control and movable control of the culture unit. . In addition, it is preferable to prove that the integrated culture system can be cultured while maintaining the closed structure. This is necessary to ensure that the sample to be cultured is free from external contamination such as contamination (for ensuring traceability). (For example, Patent Document 1)
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-2161736

  Containers that have been confirmed to be sealed by quality control in advance can be used for culturing, but there is a method to check whether culturing has been performed without any change in the closure of the container system by actual culturing. do not do. In particular, in the case of a culture system that combines tubes and bags, there is a high possibility of variation, deterioration, and breakage between individual containers and each container configuration due to the large number of parts and structural complexity, and the detection thereof. It is difficult. The object of the present invention is to confirm the closure of the culture system.

  In order to solve this problem, there is provided means for measuring the sealing degree of the entire container system in a device that cultures in an integrated manner with a reagent container, a culture container, and a waste liquid container at different times. Make at least one measurement of the tightness of the entire container system. Moreover, measurement is performed by measuring the amount of air injected into the container, and these are supported by a pressure sensor provided in the culture apparatus system and gas filling.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to confirm the closing property of the culture system.

  The present invention is an apparatus in which a reagent container, a culture unit, and a waste liquid container are integrated and the cells are cultured by controlling the valve and the culture unit by moving the culture unit. Measure the sealing degree until the removal of. In addition, the sealing degree is measured at a different time or a pre-recorded sealing degree is obtained. And it proves that the closure nature of the container system was able to be maintained by measuring those changes.

  This is an example in which the degree of sealing was measured immediately after the culture system was installed in the culture apparatus system and after the culture was completed to ensure that the culture was performed in a closed environment.

  In this embodiment, a cell culture apparatus system having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is used. Specifically, cell culture is performed in a part (cell culture unit) in which the parts 4, 2, and 10 in FIG. 1 are integrated, and the other part (culture system main body). The reagent container 4 in the cell culture unit is kept at a low temperature in the storage chamber 3, and the culture unit 2 is set in the culture tank 1 under conditions suitable for cell culture (37oC / 5% CO2 for general animal cells). ing. The injection of the solution from the reagent container 4 to the culture unit 2 and the movement of the waste liquid from the culture unit 2 to the waste liquid bottle 10 are controlled by the reagent control valve 41 and the supply side pump 8, the waste liquid control valve 42 and the waste liquid side pump 9, respectively. The operation itself is controlled by the control device 32. With these configurations, the cells in the culture unit 2 can be carried out without direct manual work in exchanging the medium or maintaining the culture environment.

  When the culture is actually performed, the operator attaches the cell culture unit in which the reagent container 4, the culture unit 2 and the waste liquid bottle 10 are integrally formed to the culture system main body. Thereafter, after the exhaust control valve 43 is closed, clean air is sent from the suction pump 33 through the intake side filter 11. The pressure of the supplied air is measured by the intake side pressure sensor 13 and the exhaust side pressure sensor 21. The degree of sealing in the cell culture unit is measured by the difference between the two pressures. In addition, the filter provided in the exhaust side filter 22 prevents the inside of the culture system from being contaminated even if air or the like flows backward. After culturing cells using the main culture system, the exhaust control valve 43 is closed again, and clean air is sent from the suction pump 33 through the intake side filter 11. The pressure of the supplied air is measured by the intake side pressure sensor 13 and the exhaust side 21. The degree of sealing in the cell culture unit is measured by the difference between the two pressures. These controls and measurements are controlled manually or automatically by the control device 32. By recording the change in the sealing degree of the cell culture system twice as described above, it is possible to detect damage or deterioration due to cell culture or the like in the cell culture system. On the contrary, if no problem occurs, it can be proved that the culture was possible without damaging or deteriorating the container during the culture period.

  An example in which the degree of sealing was measured after the completion of cultivation, and the culture was ensured in a closed environment as compared with a predetermined degree of sealing.

  In this embodiment, a cell culture apparatus system having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is used. This system is divided into a culture system main body and a cell culture unit shown in FIG. The basic configuration of the culture system main body is the same as that of the first embodiment, but there is a recording device 51 and an information reading device that transmits the information to the reading control device 32 as a difference. Therefore, the sealing degree of the culture system main body recorded in advance at the time of attachment can be read.

  By adopting this configuration, the operator attaches the cell culture unit formed integrally with the reagent container 4, the culture unit 2 and the waste liquid bottle 10 to the culture system body, and after culturing the cells, the exhaust control valve 43 Then, clean air is sent from the suction pump 33 via the intake side filter 11. The pressure of the supplied air is measured by an intake side pressure sensor 13 and an exhaust side pressure sensor 21 for sealing. The degree of sealing during the cultivation in the cell culture unit is estimated from the difference between this pressure and the two sealing degrees set in the device in advance. These controls and measurements are controlled manually or automatically by the control device 32.

  By measuring the degree of sealing of the culture container after completion of the culture and comparing the degree of sealing previously set for each container, it is possible to detect damage or deterioration due to cell culture or the like in the cell culture system. . On the other hand, if no problem occurs, the culture can be performed without causing breakage or deterioration of the container during the culture period.

1 is a diagram showing Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing Example 2 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Culture tank, 2 Culture unit, 3 Storage box, 4 Reagent container, 6 Injection flow path, 8 Supply side pump, 9 Waste liquid side pump, 10 Waste liquid pump, 11 Intake side filter, 13 Intake side pressure sensor, 21 Exhaust side pressure Sensor, 22 Exhaust side filter, 32 Control device, 33 Suction pump, 41 Reagent control valve, 42 Waste liquid control valve, 43 Exhaust control valve

Claims (3)

  A culture container monitoring system comprising means for measuring the degree of sealing of the entire container system in a device that cultures a reagent container, a culture container, and a waste liquid container in an integrated manner at different times that are not continuous.   The culture vessel monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the measurement of the sealing degree of the whole vessel system is performed at least once.   The culture vessel monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the measurement is performed by measuring the amount of air injected into the vessel and is supported by a pressure sensor provided in the culture device system and gas filling.

Images