JP2012217436A - Transport device, and fluid injection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transport device, with a culture vessel and a channel itself as a closed system structure, intended for feeding a cell fluid, medium, etc. to the channel, and to provide a method for sterilely injecting cells, a fluid such as a medium, etc. into the culture vessel and the channel.SOLUTION: The transport device is provided, being such that: a transport jig 19 is constructed to hold, on a lift 98 or the like, a drive base 27, a culture vessel base 21 holding a culture vessel 20, a medium base 32 holding a cell bag 60 for medium and cells etc., and detachable channels 40, and transport them to a cell culture system; part of the channels 40 installed on the transport jig 19 and the cell bag 60, etc. are put into a clean space 78, where cells and a medium are fed into the channels 40 using the cell bag 60, etc. followed by closing a feed port 89; the various bases and the channels are simultaneously installed in the cell culture system using the transport jig 19; thereby enabling sterile cell culture.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cell culturing apparatus for culturing cells, and particularly to an automatic culture technique for efficiently culturing cells with aseptic cleanness.

  Conventionally, cell culture work has been performed manually by skilled workers under a strict manufacturing process in a clean room that is sterilized without limit. Therefore, when cultivating a large amount of cells for industrialization, the burden on the worker is increased and the time and cost required for education and training of the worker, human error and sample misconception, and possessing bacteria etc. There is a possibility that biological contamination (contamination) by humans may occur, and a lot of cost is required for the countermeasures. This is a major barrier in the industrialization of cell mass culture.

  Therefore, it is expected that these problems can be solved by automating a series of culture operations using an instrument. Therefore, at present, an automated cell culture device that mimics the culture work of human hands using an articulated robot manipulator is mainly developed. However, since the manual culturing operation is a complicated operation, it is necessary to perform handling of the culture vessel and the culture solution aseptically in an automatic culture apparatus, which is equivalent or simplified to that of manual operation.

  For this purpose, for example, Patent Document 1 provides an example in which a culture container transport operation, a medium exchange, and the like are processed by an articulated robot manipulator. This articulated robot manipulator presents a configuration that can sterilize itself.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 2 provides a method in which the culture vessel and the flow path itself are closed. This is a device that cultivates chondrocytes under high pressure. The culture vessel and flow channel are sealed, and the culture vessel and partly plugged flow channel are taken out so as not to touch the outside air after the culture is completed. Means for recovering aseptically generated cartilage tissue.

JP 2006-149268 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-315566

  In the automatic culture apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, since the culture container itself is an open system, an operation of opening the lid and opening the inside of the culture container is required. Therefore, in order to maintain the cleanliness inside the automatic culture apparatus, the size of the air conditioner is increased. As a result, there is a problem that the entire system becomes large and costs high.

  In an automatic culture apparatus such as Patent Document 2, since it is a closed system, a flow path is attached while maintaining the sterility of the inside, and a medium (culture solution) or a cell (cell suspension) is placed in the flow path. The problem is whether to inject it. In addition, when carrying out complicated culture work, it is a problem whether the sealed flow path can be easily installed in the apparatus and the driving force is efficiently given.

  Currently, in regenerative medicine that uses human cells and transplants cells and tissues prepared in culture to humans, the tissues collected in the operating room are placed in aseptically treated test tubes, etc. Necessary cells are isolated from tissues in a clean room (CPC: Cell Processing Center) compliant with manufacturing standards (GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice). In order for the collected cells to be cultured without any contamination within the production process, it must be produced manually in a process and environment that meets particularly strict regulations. Even in an automatic culture apparatus that automatically cultivates cells by a machine, the cells or tissues produced by the apparatus must not be biologically contaminated by any bacteria or viruses in the production process. Under such circumstances, looking at the system of the automatic culture apparatus using the above-mentioned open culture vessel, it is enormous to sterilize the interior of the automatic culture apparatus and to maintain a highly clean environment inside. Air conditioning equipment and sterilization equipment are required, and the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost of the equipment itself are required. Also, the motor drive system cannot withstand sterilization.

  Therefore, a system in which the culture vessel for automatic culture itself has a closed system structure, the inside of which can be sterilized, and a cell is cultured by supplying driving force from the outside is preferable. However, in order to cultivate in a culture vessel having a closed system structure, how to simplify and increase the efficiency of the mechanism and the control for carrying out the culture process by aseptically putting culture media and cells into the inside is a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a transport device for aseptically supplying a cell fluid or the like into a closed flow path of a cell culture device and a method for injecting a liquid such as a sterile cell fluid in order to solve the above-described problems. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a transport device that can transport and detach a plurality of bags of culture media and cells, and supplies the culture media and cells from a plurality of bags and a part of the plurality of bags. A first holder for holding a medium base comprising a first flow path group for discharging the medium and cells to the other part of the plurality of bags, a culture container for culturing the cells, and a medium and cells in the culture container A second holder for holding a culture vessel base comprising a second channel group for discharging the culture medium and cells from the culture vessel, and inside the channels in the first and second channel groups Provided is a transport apparatus having a third holder that holds a drive base that includes a pump unit that controls the amount of medium and cell feeding.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid injecting method for injecting cells into a cell bag that is transported to and detached from a cell culture device, a plurality of bags including cell bags, and a plurality of bags A culture medium base comprising a first flow path group for supplying culture medium and cells from a part of the bag and discharging the culture medium and cells to another part of the plurality of bags, a culture container for culturing the cells, And a culture container base including a second flow path group for supplying cells and discharging the culture medium and cells from the culture container, and feeding of the culture medium and cells in the flow paths in the first and second flow path groups A transport device having a holder that holds a drive base including a pump unit that controls the amount of the cell is transported to the vicinity of the cell direct processing area, and the cell bag connected to the flow path is transferred from the culture medium base to the cell direct processing area. Move and process the cells directly At pass, the cells were injected into the cell bag, after the setting of the cell bag after cell injection the medium base, to provide a liquid injection method for transporting the cell culture device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transfer apparatus for aseptically supplying cell fluid, culture medium and the like to a flow path by making the culture vessel and the flow path itself a closed system structure.

  Further, it is possible to provide a method for injecting a liquid such as a sterile cell solution or culture medium into the culture vessel and the flow path.

  Furthermore, it is possible to realize an apparatus that has the ease of installing a closed system flow channel in a cell culture device and that cultivates cells aseptically and efficiently with an aseptic cleanness at an appropriate production standard level.

It is a figure which shows the whole schematic structure of the automatic culture apparatus which installed the drive base based on a 1st Example. It is a front view which shows the automatic culture apparatus which opened the door based on a 1st Example. It is a side view which shows the inside of the automatic culture apparatus based on a 1st Example. It is a block diagram which shows the state before connecting a sealing mechanism to the nail | claw based on a 1st Example. It is a block diagram which shows the state after connecting a seal | sticker to the nail | claw based on a 1st Example. It is a top surface lineblock diagram showing the state where the channel was installed in the drive base concerning the 1st example. It is a side view which shows the structure of the tank based on a 1st Example. It is a top view which shows the state before a pump connects with a syringe based on a 1st Example. It is a top view which shows the state after the pump connected with the syringe based on a 1st Example. It is a side view which shows the state before a pump connects with a syringe based on a 1st Example. It is a side view showing the state where the pump concerning the 1st example is connected with the syringe. It is a side view which shows the state after the pump connected with the syringe based on a 1st Example. It is the side block diagram which showed the state which is not inject | pouring the cell suspension into a cell bag in the state mounted on the conveying apparatus based on a 1st Example. It is the side block diagram which showed the state which is inject | pouring the cell suspension into a cell bag in the state mounted on the conveying apparatus based on a 1st Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conveying apparatus based on a 1st Example. It is a side lineblock diagram showing the state before installing in a cell culture device in the state where a channel and a drive base were put on a conveyance device concerning a 1st example. It is the side block diagram which showed the state installed in the cell culture apparatus from the state in which the flow path and the drive base were mounted in the conveying apparatus based on a 1st Example. It is the side lineblock diagram showing the state after installing a channel and a drive base in a cell culture device concerning a 1st example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of control of the whole automatic culture apparatus based on a 1st Example.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before describing the embodiment in detail, the present invention will be outlined as follows.

  That is, in the most preferable mode of the automatic culture apparatus, a mechanism called a drive base for the closed system flow path and the liquid feeding in the closed system flow path is used, and the inside of the refrigerator inside the apparatus (about 4 ° C.). A certain cell solution or medium is heated in a culture chamber (about 37 ° C.) and supplied to the cell culture space in the culture vessel. Therefore, the closed system flow path is mainly composed of three modules. Medium module with cell solution and culture medium, washing solution and waste liquid that needs to be refrigerated at 5 ° C, pump module that pumps these liquids into the culture chamber by pump and warms to 37 ° C in tank, cell solution and medium tank It is a culture container module which is sent to the culture space inside the culture container and performs culture processing. There is a microscope around the culture container module, and the cells on the culture surface can be imaged. Each module is called a base and is installed in a holder having a drive mechanism in a part thereof. The closed flow path can be integrated and removed from the inside of the culture apparatus by the transfer device capable of removing the base. The interior of the automatic culture device consists of a culture room, a refrigerator room, and an intermediate room, each with a door. The refrigerator compartment maintains approximately 4 ° C., and the culture chamber interior maintains a state close to 37 ° C., 5% carbon dioxide concentration, and humidity 100%. It has a waste liquid recovery port with a check valve in the cell compartment, cell suspension, medium, washing liquid and waste liquid. In order to prevent condensation and temperature non-uniformity by directly connecting the culture chamber and the refrigeration chamber with completely different environments, an intermediate chamber is provided between them, and the area other than the tube for feeding liquid is sealed with a rubber plug or other seal. Can be divided. In addition, a fan with a filter is provided in the intermediate chamber, and the environment outside the automatic culture apparatus can be maintained. As a result, although the environment is completely different in the same apparatus, the best environment for the cells can be installed, and space saving is possible.

  In addition, the base is moved to the vicinity of the safety cabinet (or clean bench) by the transfer device, the empty bag in the closed system flow path that has been sterilized inside is sterilized and placed inside the safety cabinet, and the cell suspension (or The inside of the closed system flow path can be maintained in a sterile state regardless of the environment outside the closed system flow path. In the method of the present invention, when the closed system flow path is put together with the base into the automatic culture apparatus, the drive mechanism is installed outside the closed system flow path. While keeping the inside sterile, it is possible to perform automatic cell culture operations such as cell seeding, medium exchange, microscopic observation, and collection of waste liquid for inspection.

  Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following examples which will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example for realizing the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are assigned to common components. In this specification, in addition to the drive base described above, the terms culture vessel base and medium base are used. However, as described above, the term “holding base” and “culture container” are used as a holding base because it has a function as a holder. The first, second, and third holders of the transfer device that holds the base and the drive base may be collectively referred to as a holder.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an automatic culture apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic culture apparatus 10. FIG. 3 is a side view of the automatic culture apparatus 10. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams relating to the seal 33 between the cell culture chamber 13 and the refrigerator 14. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram regarding the configuration of the flow path 40.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view relating to the tank 25 which is one of the components of the flow path 40. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are schematic diagrams relating to the pump 23 that is one of the components of the flow path 40. FIG. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams relating to the supply of aseptic cell solution and medium into the flow path 40. FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a circuit for operating the automatic culture apparatus 10.

  Hereinafter, as will be described in order, in the automatic culture apparatus of the present embodiment, cell modules and media that need to be refrigerated, medium modules such as washing liquid and waste liquid, and such liquids are pumped into the culture chamber and stored in a tank. A pump module for heating, and a culture container module for sending a cell solution and a medium from a tank to a culture space inside the culture container and performing a culture process are provided. Each module is connected to the tank, and basically the modules are not connected to each other. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a flow channel in units of modules and install it on each holding base. Also, since each module is independent, it is possible to organize the flow channel and prevent erroneous connection and space saving.

<Configuration of automatic culture device>
The overall configuration of the automatic culture apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 </ b> A, and 4 </ b> B. The automatic culture apparatus 10 includes a cell culture chamber 13, a refrigerator 14, a control unit 15, and an intermediate chamber 16 as basic components. Each basic configuration will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic culture apparatus 10 as a whole is composed of a cell culture chamber 13, a refrigerator 14 constituting a refrigeration unit, a control unit 15, and an intermediate chamber 16. It is possible to access the inside of the automatic culture apparatus 10 by opening the door 12 and the intermediate chamber door 17. In the cell culture chamber 13, a holding base for holding and setting the culture container 20, a culture container base 21 that is a holder, a rotating mechanism 22 that rotates by being connected thereto, and a microscope 28 that captures a cell image in the culture container 20. And a drive base 27 as a holding base that has a drive mechanism such as a stage 29, a pump 23, and a valve 24 and is connected to a flow path 40 having a closed system structure including a tank 25. The rotation mechanism 22 is fixed to one end of the drive base 27, and the culture vessel base 21 and the drive base 27 are connected via the rotation mechanism 22. Furthermore, there is a connector board 30 that is connected to all the internal drive mechanisms and wired to the control unit 15. The wiring between the control unit 15 and the connector board 30 is not shown. During cell culture, the inside of the cell culture chamber 13 maintains an environment close to a temperature of 37 ° C., humidity of 100%, and 5% carbon dioxide. However, only the peripheral part including the culture vessel 20 can be configured to maintain the aforementioned environment as necessary. The culture medium base 32 can be placed in the refrigerator 14, and the cell culture chamber 13 and the refrigerator compartment are provided with a seal 33 that allows only the tube 41 of the flow path 40 to pass while the three sections of the cell culture chamber 13, the refrigerator 14, and the intermediate chamber 16 are independent. It is possible to keep the temperature inside 14 and prevent condensation. The intermediate chamber 16 has a fan 50 with a filter 51. The filter 51 is installed at the exhaust port. It is possible to prevent an increase in humidity by causing movement of the airflow by the fan 50. In addition, a seal mechanism that shuts off the inside of the cell culture chamber 13 and the inside of the refrigerator 14 and flows only the culture solution is used at the entrance of the intermediate chamber 16 described in detail later. The culture medium base 32 is connected to the drive base 27 by a tube 41 that passes through the seal 33.

  The control unit 15 is independent of other compartments and is installed below the cell culture quality 13 and the intermediate chamber 16. As a result, the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide in the cell culture chamber 13 are blocked to protect the internal electrical equipment. The control unit 15 includes a fan 52 that allows the intake heat 53 and the exhaust filter 54 to dissipate internal heat to the outside aseptically. The fan 52 and the filters 53 and 54 constitute a cooling unit of the control unit 15. Reference numeral 57 denotes a control panel of the control unit 15, which includes various buttons, a display unit, and the like, similar to a normal operation panel, and is used for the operation of the control unit 15. Needless to say, the control unit 15 includes a central processing unit (CPU) that is a processing unit (not shown), a memory that is a storage unit that stores control programs and data, and the like.

  FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of each component device as viewed from the front of the automatic culture apparatus 10 with the cell culture chamber door 11 and the refrigerator door 12 opened. Centering around the drive base 27 inside the cell culture chamber 13, the culture vessel 20 is configured to be rotated in the horizontal direction, and the refrigerator 14 is provided with a culture medium base 32 containing the cell solution and culture medium in the vertical direction. . As is clear from FIG. 1 and FIG. 1, in the automatic culture apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, if the space (first space) in which the drive base 27 is installed is the first quadrant, the first space and the refrigeration unit. The intermediate chamber 16 that partitions the refrigerator 14 is positioned in the fourth quadrant, and the culture container base 21 that is a holding member on which the culture container 20 is held and placed is positioned in the second quadrant or the third quadrant by rotation. According to the arrangement configuration of the present embodiment, a space-saving configuration with a short distance between each device is obtained, and the medium stored at around 4 ° C. in the refrigerator 14 located in the fourth quadrant is placed on the drive base 27 located in the first quadrant. It can be warmed in the tank 25 and quickly supplied to the culture space located in the second quadrant, and cell damage due to movement can be minimized.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 2, the microscope 28 for imaging the cells is configured in the vertical direction from the culture vessel 20 located in the second quadrant when viewed from the front. The microscope 28 is fixed to a stage 29 for movement and focusing. With regard to these arrangements, it is possible to arrange them all in the horizontal direction or all in the vertical direction with the drive base 27 located in the first quadrant as the center, but select the optimum arrangement according to the cells to be cultured. Can do. Since the refrigerator 14 is inside the intermediate chamber 16 located in the fourth quadrant and separates each section by the seal 33, the cell culture chamber 13 and the space are separated except for the inside of the flow path 40. Since this configuration has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, it will be described later.

  The drive base 27 is provided with a drive mechanism such as a pump 23 for feeding the liquid in the flow path 40, a valve 24 for switching a liquid feed circuit, and a tank 25 for warming the culture medium and changing the flow direction of the liquid. Details will be described later. In order to operate the drive mechanism, a connector board 30 is provided on the back surface of the drive base 27 and can be connected to the connector 31 of the drive base 27. Wiring from the connector board 30 to the control unit 15 is possible. At that time, the connector board 30 has a heat insulation / waterproof structure in order to connect the wiring of the connector 31 to the external control unit 15 while maintaining the environment inside the cell culture chamber 13. Although the control unit 15 is described in the vertical direction of the cell culture chamber 13 in this figure, for example, when used on a tabletop, it may be installed in a horizontal direction or in an extra space.

  FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of each component device viewed from the side of the automatic culture apparatus 10. The cell culture chamber 13 and the refrigerator 14 having completely different environments such as temperature and humidity are arranged in the same apparatus, and the intermediate chamber 16 and the seal 33 are installed in order to connect the flow path 40. The cell culture chamber 13 generally has a temperature of 37 ° C. and 100% humidity, and the refrigerator 14 generally holds the interior at 4 to 5 ° C. Therefore, when the cell culture chamber 13 is installed in the immediate vicinity of the cell culture chamber 13, condensation occurs. In addition, temperature unevenness inside the cell culture chamber 13 occurs. General incubators (cell culture rooms) and refrigerators are designed to be used at room temperature and indoor humidity. Therefore, by providing an intermediate chamber 16 for maintaining the indoor environment between the refrigerator 14 and the cell culture chamber 13, the occurrence of condensation due to a rapid temperature change is prevented. However, it is desired that the culture medium, the washing liquid, and the cell suspension in the refrigerator 14 can be fed into the cell culture chamber 13 through the tube 41 that constitutes the flow path 40.

  Therefore, the space of the refrigerator 14, the intermediate chamber 16, and the cell culture chamber 13 is separated by inserting the tube 41 into the groove 42 of the seal 33 as shown in FIGS. The suspension can be sent from the refrigerator 14 to the cell culture chamber 13. The claws 34 are respectively provided on a wall 13 </ b> A that partitions the cell culture device 13 and the intermediate chamber 16, and a wall 14 </ b> A that partitions the refrigerator 14 and the intermediate chamber 16.

  In FIG. 3, the refrigerator 14 has a cooler 18 for cooling the inside thereof. This discharges the cooled heat to the outside of the refrigerator 14. In order to prevent the temperature inside the intermediate chamber 14 from rising, air that has passed through the filter 51 from the outside of the automatic culture apparatus 10 is sucked by the fan 50 and applied to the cooler 18, and is discharged to the outside of the automatic culture apparatus 10 through the filter 51. It was set as the structure to do. That is, the cooler 18, the fan 50, and further the filter 51 constitute a cooling unit for the intermediate chamber.

  The flow of air is indicated by an arrow 55 in FIG. Thereby, the air temperature and humidity inside the intermediate chamber 16 can maintain the same state as the outside of the automatic culture apparatus 10. There are many things that generate heat, such as a computer and a power source, inside the control unit 15, and the internal heat must be released. In order to prevent dust from entering the control unit 15, air outside the control unit 15 is introduced by the fan 52 through the intake filter 53, and returned to the outside of the control unit 15 through the exhaust filter 54. The air flow 56 is shown by the arrows in FIG. Thereby, for example, dust can be prevented from being scattered in a clean area of a clean room, and the cleanliness can be maintained.

<Configuration of flow path and drive base>
The configuration of the flow path 40 and the driving method thereof in the cell culture device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7A-7E. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the flow path 40, the tank 25, and the drive base 27. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the configuration of the tank 25. 7A shows a top view of a state where the syringe 43 and the pump 23 are separated, FIG. 7B shows a top view of a state where the syringe 43 and the pump 23 are integrated, and FIG. 7C shows a state where the syringe 43 and the pump 23 are separated. 7D shows a side view of the syringe 43 set in the pump 23, and FIG. 7E shows a side view of the syringe 43 and the pump 23 integrated into the syringe pump 44. Yes. The syringe 43 can translate on the same axis. In this embodiment, a syringe pump is used as the driving pump. However, other pumps such as a tube pump can be used as the driving pump.

  First, the configuration of the closed channel 40 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. The flow path 40 is exchangeable with the tank 25 as a center. The tube 41, the culture container 20, the syringe 43, the filter 45, the fitting 46 to the tank 25, the cell bag 60 that functions as a bag for liquid insertion, and the medium bag, respectively. 61, a cleaning liquid bag 62, a waste liquid bag 63, and a recovery bag 64. The flow path 40 rotates around the rotary shaft 22a from the horizontal direction located in the second quadrant to the vertical direction located in the third quadrant, the valve 24 that changes the flow direction as a driving mechanism, the pump 23 that feeds the liquid. Then, by connecting to the rotation mechanism 22 that eliminates bubbles in the culture vessel 20, it is possible to perform cell seeding and culture medium exchange by feeding a cell solution or culture medium into the culture vessel 20 and washing the flow path with a washing solution. become. Here, the rotation around the rotation axis 22a from the second quadrant to the third quadrant of the culture vessel base 21 as a holding base on which the culture vessel 20 is installed refers to the culture vessel base 21 from the horizontal position shown in FIG. Can be realized by rotating it downward by the rotation mechanism 22 counterclockwise.

  The drive mechanism is disposed on the drive base 27, and all wiring and mechanisms that cannot be exposed to humidity and the like can be placed inside the drive base 27 and installed in a high humidity environment. In order to connect to the control unit 15, the drive base 27 has a waterproof connector 31. When the drive base 27 is installed inside the automatic culture apparatus 10, the drive mechanism is operated by connecting the connector 31 to the connector 31. Can do.

  Regarding the arrangement of the flow path 40, the culture container module 35, which is a second module for feeding the culture container 20 around the tank 25, and the first module for feeding the medium in the refrigerator 14 to the tank 25. The medium module 36 is divided into three independent modules: a pump module 37 which is a third module for controlling the flow of gas (direction and flow velocity) for feeding the liquid inside the flow path 40. This modularization can improve the optimal arrangement of the drive mechanism and the ease of installation of the flow path. In this embodiment, the flow paths 40 formed by using the tubes 41 connected from the tank 25 to the first, second, and third modules are respectively designated as the first, second, and third flow path groups. Sometimes called. Note that first, second, and third valve groups each including a valve 24 are formed on the drive base 27 in the middle of the tubes 41 that constitute the first, second, and third flow path groups. .

  The configuration of the tank 25 installed at the center of each of the first, second, and third modules of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The tank 25 has an injection tank 65 and a waste liquid tank 66 for the culture container 20. Further, there is a fitting 46 having different roles depending on the height. It is divided into a first fitting 67, a second fitting 68, and a third fitting 69 from the bottom. In the first fitting 67, the injection tank 65 side is a liquid supply port to the culture container 20, and the waste liquid tank 66 side is a liquid supply port to the waste liquid bag 63 and the collection bag 64. In the second fitting 68, the cell suspension, medium, and washing solution sent from the medium module 36 are injected into the injection tank 65 on the injection tank 65 side, and the liquid waste from the culture vessel 20 is transferred to the waste liquid tank 65 on the waste liquid tank 66 side. It is an inlet to the inside. The liquid that can enter the tank 25 has a capacity that does not reach the second fitting 68. The third fitting 69 is connected to the pump module 37 and is used for air flow control for liquid feeding in the flow path 40. The tank 25 has a taper 47 so that cells do not remain on the wall surface during liquid feeding. By this inclination, it is possible to prevent the cells in the cell suspension 25 from remaining in the tank 25. When the liquid is fed into the culture container 20 for cell seeding or medium exchange, it can be once warmed to the ambient temperature in the tank 25. It is also possible to install a heater in the injection tank 65.

7A to 7E exemplify the syringe pump 44 and describe the configuration of the pump. The syringe pump 44 includes the motor 70, the ball screw 71, the encoder 72, the drive base 73, the syringe stopper 74, and the fastener 75 in the state shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C. Two syringes 43 connected to a valve 76 that makes the gas flow inside the syringe 43 one side are installed on the syringe stopper 74 and the drive base 73 so as to face each other. The fastener 75 is pulled up and rotated as shown in FIG. 7D, and the syringe 43 is fixed as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7E. By rotating the motor 70, the drive base 73 moves to the left and right with the ball screw 71, so that suction on one side and ejection on the other side can always be repeated, and continuous liquid feeding is possible in a state close to laminar flow. It is possible to switch the discharge and suction of gas to the tank 25 by the arrangement method of the valve 24 of the pump module 37. The syringe pump 44 can be driven while maintaining the closed system state. Since precise control by the encoder 72 is possible, the required amount can be accurately fed.
<A series of operations related to injection of cell suspension or culture medium into a culture vessel>
Based on the configuration of each part described above, an example of a series of cell culture operations of the automatic culture apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. The cell suspension or culture medium is sent to the injection tank 65 side of the tank 25 by the syringe pump 44. When a predetermined amount is entered, the liquid in the tube 41 is removed through the gas from the filter 45, or a process of returning the liquid to the origin position in the opposite direction is performed to enable accurate liquid delivery next time. Warm the cell suspension or medium in the injection tank 65. The solution is fed to the culture vessel 20 by the syringe pump 44 through the valve 24. At that time, the gas and waste liquid in the culture vessel 20 are sent to the waste liquid tank 66 side in the tank 25. The valve 24 of the pump module 37 is switched, and the waste liquid is sent to the waste liquid bag 63 or the recovery bag 64. The valve 24 of the pump module 37 is switched, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning bag 62 is sent to the injection tank 65 side of the tank 25. When a predetermined amount is entered, the liquid in the tube 41 is removed through the gas from the filter 45, or a process of returning the liquid to the origin position in the opposite direction is performed to enable accurate liquid delivery next time. The cleaning liquid is sent to the waste liquid tank 66 side in the tank 25 so as not to send the washing liquid to the culture vessel 20 via the valve 24. The valve 24 of the pump module 37 is switched to send the waste liquid to the waste bag 66. The above operation is repeated a predetermined number of times during the culture period. In the flow path 40, particularly in the culture vessel module 35, the liquid flows in one way. As a result, a clean and fresh medium is always supplied to the cells without returning the waste liquid to the culture space in the culture vessel 20 and the circuit of the medium bag 61, so that a clean environment is maintained without entering bacteria. enable.

<Liquid injection into the closed channel>
A specific example of the method of injecting liquid into the closed system flow channel in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8F. Specifically, as an example, a method for aseptically injecting the cell suspension 48 into the channel 40 having a closed structure will be described. The same injection method can be used for liquids other than the cell suspension 48.

  FIG. 8A shows the state of the drive base 27 and the culture medium base 32 in which the cell suspension 48 is not injected into the flow path 40, and FIG. 8B shows that the cell suspension 48 is injected into the cell bag 60 of the flow path 40. It shows the state. 8C shows the configuration of the transport jig 19 having a plurality of holders, which is the transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIGS. 8D, 8E, and 8F, the automatic culture apparatus is used by using the transport jig 19. A method for installing the flow path 40 and the like will be described. 8D shows a state before the flow path 40 and the like are installed in the automatic culture apparatus 10, FIG. 8E shows a state where the flow path 40 and the like are installed in the automatic culture apparatus 10, and FIG. 8F shows the automatic culture apparatus. 109 shows a state after the holding base including the flow path 40 is installed.

  First, the configuration of each element will be described with reference to FIG. 8A. The culture vessel base 21, the drive base 27, and the culture medium base 32 in which the flow path 40 detailed in the description of FIG. 5 is installed are installed in the transfer jig 19 according to the present embodiment before being installed in the automatic culture apparatus 10. ing. Note that the illustration of the culture vessel base 21 is omitted for the sake of illustration. As for this conveyance jig 19, the culture container base 21, the drive base 27, and the culture medium base 32 can be installed in or removed from the automatic culture apparatus 10, and only the conveyance jig 19 can be removed after installation. is there. An empty cell bag 60 is contained in the medium base 32. For example, in the cell culture clean room (CPC), the transfer jig 19 can be placed in a space 77 of class 10,000. In Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), the cell direct processing area is only the class 100 space 78 inside the safety cabinet 79 (including the clean bench). Therefore, only the cell bag 60 that has been carefully sterilized with ethanol or the like is placed in the safety cabinet 79. Reference numeral 200 denotes a floor surface of a class 77 space 77.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the cell suspension 48 processed in the safety cabinet 79 is injected into the cell bag 60 from the injection port 89 by a syringe or the like. After the injection, the inlet 89 of the cell bag 60 is sealed to hold the closed system of the flow path 40. The cell bag 60 containing the cell suspension 48 is taken out of the class 100 space 78 and placed in the medium base 32 of the class 10,000 space 77. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the flow path 40 holds the class 100 space 78 by sterilization in advance. Therefore, even if the flow path 40 exists in the class 10,000 space 77 as shown in FIG. Can hold a class 100 space 78. After that, even if the automatic culture apparatus 10 is installed, the drive mechanism is not connected to the inside of the flow path 40. Therefore, regardless of the installation space of the automatic culture apparatus 10, the inside of the closed-system flow path 40 is always a class. 100 spaces 78 can be maintained.

  8A and 8B show a detailed configuration of the transport jig 19 including a plurality of holders according to the present embodiment. 8A shows a side view and FIG. 8C shows a top view of FIG. 8B. The lift 98, which is a third holder that holds the drive base itself, includes a conveyance jig side pin 90 that is a fixing portion, a second holder 92 that holds the culture vessel base, and a first holder that holds the culture base. 93, and the drive base 27, the culture vessel base 21, and the culture medium base 32 described above can be installed respectively. The lift 98 can be moved in the vertical movement direction 96 by a handle 99 that functions as a vertical drive mechanism. A counterweight 97 that functions as a center-of-gravity stabilizing portion is installed in the conveying jig 19, and when a heavy object is installed on the lift 98, stability can be maintained when stationary or moving. Instead of the handle 99, an electric vertical drive mechanism such as a motor may be employed.

  Next, a method for installing the flow path 40 and the like in the automatic culture apparatus 10 using the conveying jig 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8D to 8F. As shown in FIG. 8D, the transfer jig 19 that is in the state after the processing described in FIG. 8B and is located on the floor surface 200 that is the installation surface of the cell culture device 10 includes the culture vessel base 21, the drive base 27, The medium base 32 and the flow path 40 are installed, and the height is adjusted to a height that can be inserted into the automatic culture apparatus 10 by a height adjusting mechanism such as a handle 99. On the other hand, the automatic culture apparatus 10 has a drive base guide 94 and a device side pin 91 that adjust the position as a guide portion when the drive base 27 is inserted into the cell culture chamber 13, and when the medium base 32 is inserted into the refrigerator 14, There is a drive base guide 95 that adjusts the position as a guide portion.

  When the transport jig 19 is inserted into the automatic culture apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. 8E, the position is adjusted by the drive base guide 94 and the culture medium base guide 95 which are guide portions. At this time, the position adjustment for installing the culture vessel base 21 on the rotation mechanism 22 is also performed at the same time. A state in which the second holder 92 that holds the culture vessel base and the culture vessel base claw 100 shown in FIG. 1 are separated, a state in which the pin 90 is separated from the drive base 27 and is connected to the pin 91, and a medium base is held. Until the first holder 93 is separated from the culture medium base 32, the handle 98 moves the lift 98, which is the third holder for holding the drive base 27, in the movement direction 96. Thereafter, when the transport jig 19 having the first, second, and third holders is taken out from the automatic culture apparatus 10, the culture vessel base 21 is moved to the rotation mechanism 22 and the drive base 27 is cell culture as shown in FIG. 8F. The culture medium base 32 is installed in the refrigerator 13 at the same time. At this time, the seal 33 is installed on the claw 34 (see FIG. 4A). Thereafter, the cell culture chamber door 11, the refrigerator door 12, and the intermediate chamber door 17 are closed to perform automatic culture processing. 8F, 8E, and 8D after the completion of the automatic culture process, the culture vessel base 21, the drive base 27, and the culture medium base 32 can be taken out from the automatic culture apparatus 11 by the transport jig 19 held by the corresponding holders. it can.

<Circuit configuration of automatic culture equipment>
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system circuit of a control panel (control unit) 57 for controlling internal devices in the automatic culture apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The control system circuit of the automatic culture apparatus 10 includes an input unit (keyboard, mouse, etc.) 81 connected to an internal bus for inputting data and instructions, and a central processing unit that controls each operation of the automatic culture apparatus 10 ( CPU), a display unit 80 indicating the control status to the user, a ROM 85 for storing programs and parameters, a RAM 86 for temporarily storing data and processing results, a cache and the like A memory 83 for performing the above-described operations, an environment holding device 87 of the automatic culture apparatus 10 that performs an sterilization process, a heater, a fan, carbon dioxide supply, water supply, and the like and uses an output of a sensor that detects them, Communication serving as an interface for communicating with the drive unit such as the rotation mechanism 22 and the drive base 27, the refrigerator control 88 for controlling the environment in the refrigerator 14, and the host device. It is equipped with a 84. As shown in FIG. 9, the drive unit includes a rotation mechanism 22 and a drive base 27.

  An example of the operation of the control system circuit will be described. When the user instructs a culture process to be processed from the input unit 81 or the communication unit 84, the control processing unit 82 follows the culture preparation program stored in the ROM 85 to maintain the environment holding device. The inside of the automatic culture apparatus 10 is sterilized by the sterilization function 87, and the culture environment holding process is advanced after the process is completed, and the temperature is 37 ° C., the 5% carbon dioxide concentration, the humidity 100%, and the clean environment field. . Then, according to the automatic culture program stored in the ROM 85, the control unit 82 detects the set of the drive base 27 with the position sensor, and when the installation of the connector 31 is detected, the drive unit such as the rotation mechanism 22 and the drive base 27 A cell culture process in the culture vessel 20 is performed. At any time, the display unit 80 and the communication unit 84 can indicate the processing status to the user. When the cell culture process is completed, the display unit 80 and the communication unit 84 indicate the completion to the user. When the removal of the drive base 27 is detected, the control processing unit 82 performs the termination process according to the termination program stored in the ROM 85. As described above, a series of cell culture processes by the automatic culture apparatus 10 can be realized.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. As described above, various modifications such as using a tube pump instead of a syringe pump as a driving pump are possible. Further, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for better understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described above.

  In addition, each configuration, function, processing unit, and the like of the control mechanism of the automatic culture apparatus described above may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. It goes without saying that a part or all of them may be realized by software by creating a program that is executed by a CPU that is a processing unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic culture apparatus 11 Cell culture room door 12 Refrigerator door 13 Cell culture room 14 Refrigerator 15 Control part 16 Intermediate room 17 Intermediate room door 18 Cooler 19 Transfer jig 20 Culture container 21 Culture container base 22 Rotating mechanism 23 Pump 24 Valve 25 Tank 27 Drive base 28 Microscope 29 Stage 30 Connector board 31 Connector 32 Medium base 33 Seal 34 Claw 35 Culture vessel module (second module)
36 Medium module (first module)
37 Pump module (third module)
40 channel 41 tube 42 groove 43 syringe 44 syringe pump 45 filter 46 fitting 47 taper 48 cell suspension 50 fan (intermediate chamber)
51 Filter (intermediate chamber)
52 Fan (control unit)
53 Intake filter 54 Exhaust filter 55 Air flow (intermediate chamber)
56 Air flow (control unit)
57 Control panel (control unit)
60 Cell bag 61 Medium bag 62 Washing solution bag 63 Waste solution bag 64 Collection bag 65 Injection tank 66 Waste solution tank 67 First fitting 68 Second fitting 69 Third fitting 70 Motor 71 Ball screw 72 Encoder 73 Drive base 74 Syringe stopper 75 Fastener 76 Valve 77 Class 10,000 space 78 Class 100 space 79 Safety cabinet 80 Display unit 81 Input unit 82 Control processing unit 83 Memory 84 Communication unit 85 ROM
86 RAM
87 Environmental maintenance device 88 Refrigerator control 89 Inlet port 90 pin (conveying jig side)
91 pin (cell culture equipment side)
92 Culture vessel base holder 93 Medium base holder 94 Drive base guide 95 Medium base guide 96 Movement direction (up and down)
97 Counterweight (weight)
98 Lift 99 Handle 100 Culture container base claw 200 Floor surface

Claims (10)

A transport device capable of transporting and detaching a plurality of bags of media and cells to a cell culture device,
A medium base comprising the plurality of bags and a first flow path group for supplying the medium and cells from a part of the plurality of bags and discharging the medium and cells to the other part of the plurality of bags. A first holding tool to hold;
A second container that holds a culture container base that includes a culture container that cultures the cells, and a second flow path group that supplies the culture medium and cells to the culture container and discharges the culture medium and cells from the culture container. Ingredients,
And a third holder for holding a drive base including a pump unit for controlling the amount of the medium and cells fed inside the channels in the first and second channel groups. A transport device. It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising:
The transport device according to claim 3, wherein the third holder has a fixing portion that fixes a position where the drive base is held. It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising:
The first and third holders have a shape for attaching and detaching the medium base and the drive base to and from the cell culture device along a guide portion formed in the cell culture device. Conveying device to do. It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising:
A drive mechanism for changing the distance between the first, second and third holders and the grounding surface of the transfer device;
The drive mechanism is
When the transport device is inserted into the cell culture device, the distance from the ground plane is changed, and from the first, second and third holders, the culture medium base, the culture container base, A transport apparatus, wherein the drive base is removed and installed in the cell culture apparatus. It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising:
A transporting device comprising a center of gravity stabilizing portion that stabilizes the stance of the transporting device. It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising:
The transport device, wherein the second holder is connected to a third holder via the rotation mechanism. A liquid injection method for injecting a cell solution into a cell bag to be conveyed to a cell culture device,
A plurality of bags including the cell bag; and a first flow path group for supplying the medium and cells from a part of the plurality of bags and discharging the medium and cells to the other part of the plurality of bags. A culture medium base comprising: a culture container for culturing the cells; a culture container base provided with a second flow path group for supplying the culture medium and cells to the culture container and discharging the culture medium and cells from the culture container; Direct cell processing of a transport device including a holder that holds a drive base including a pump unit that controls the amount of the culture medium and the liquid feeding of the cells inside the channels in the first and second channel groups. Transport to the vicinity of the area,
From the medium base, the cell bag connected to the flow path is moved to the cell direct treatment area, and in the cell direct treatment area, the cells are injected into the cell bag,
After the cell bag after injecting the cells is placed on the medium base, it is transported to the cell culture device.
A liquid injection method characterized by the above. The liquid injection method according to claim 7,
The cell bag is provided with an injection port for injecting the cell, and the cell is injected through the injection port. The liquid injection method according to claim 7,
A liquid injection method comprising: removing the medium base, the culture container base, and the drive base from the holder after the transport apparatus is transported to the cell culture apparatus, and installing the same in the cell culture apparatus. . The liquid injection method according to claim 7,
The cell direct treatment area is a class 100 space, and the place where the cell culture apparatus is installed is a 10000 space.

Images