JP2013039103A - Packaging container and method for observing sample by using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packaging container for carrying a biological sample or the like, capable of transporting the sample in a state of maintaining the cleanliness, and allowing noninvasive inspection to be carried out while keeping the cleanliness after the transportation.SOLUTION: The packaging container includes a body part 103 of a first packaging container, holding a sample container 104 including the sample in the inside on the bottom face, and having light transmissivity, a lid part 101 of the first packaging container, sealing the body part of the first packaging container, and having light transmissivity, a body part 203 of a second packaging container holding the body part of the first packaging container sealed with the lid part of the first packaging container on the bottom face, and having light transmissivity, and a lid part 201 of the second packaging container, sealing the body part of the second packaging container, and having light transmissivity.

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaging container capable of carrying and observing a sample while maintaining an environment relating to cleanliness. For example, the present invention relates to a packaging container capable of carrying and observing a biological sample including a regenerated tissue manufactured in a cell processing facility.

Regenerative medicine using a biological sample such as a regenerated tissue produced by culturing a small amount of cells to restore the function of a lost organ or the like is a technique that is expected to be effective for diseases for which there has been no conventional treatment.
The manufacturing process of biological samples such as regenerative tissues used in regenerative medicine is based on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), which is a standard for manufacturing control and quality control of pharmaceuticals. Manufacture is performed in a cell processing center (CPC) and follows a standard operating procedure (SOP) that satisfies GMP. In Japan, the laws and regulations set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare have already been enforced in GMP (for example, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare No. 179, Yakuhatsu No. 480). Outside Japan, relevant laws and regulations are being enforced mainly by Western institutions (eg, US Food and Drug Administration, European Commission).

At present, biological samples such as regenerative tissues are manufactured in a small number of CPCs serving as production bases, and the manufactured biological samples are transported to medical institutions and research institutions in various places and used for treatment and research.
When applying a biological sample to a living body, when performing the treatment, it is necessary to take out the biological sample from the culture container while maintaining a clean state. The removed biological sample passes through a low clean space during transportation. Therefore, organisms such as bacteria and particles adhere to the outside of the cell transport container or the like. When performing treatment, it is necessary to aseptically remove the biological sample inside the culture vessel so that bacteria or the like do not adhere to it and cause biological contamination.
As prior art against the above-mentioned background, there are several reports on transport / packaging techniques for biological samples such as regenerated tissues.

  Patent Document 1 relates to a multiple sterilized package in which a sterilized product is packaged in multiple sterilization bags, and a technique for maintaining the cleanliness of the sterilized product inside by sequentially breaking the packaging bag according to the space cleanliness after arrival at the facility. It is disclosed.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a box that can accommodate a culture vessel. The box is provided with a filter that allows only gas to pass therethrough and prevents bacteria and particles from entering from the outside. Thereby, the cleanliness of the culture container can be maintained by accommodating the culture container in the culture area of the cell treatment facility. Moreover, it can be carried out of the cell treatment facility while maintaining cleanliness.

JP 2008-239168 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-154099

In the method described in Patent Document 1, there is a low risk of contamination of a biological sample that is a sterilized product during transportation. On the other hand, the cells may be damaged depending on temperature conditions during transportation, transportation environment, and the like. Therefore, it is desirable to observe and inspect the biological sample transported as soon as possible after transportation. To observe the state of the biological sample after transportation, open the sterilization bag and expose the culture container. It is necessary to observe the cells with an optical microscope such as a phase contrast microscope.
At this time, if there is no cell processing facility that can maintain a sterilized state such as CPC in a medical institution or research institution that is a transport destination, observation is performed in a non-sterile laboratory. This means that the culture vessel is exposed to the contaminated space.
Exposing the culture container to the contaminated space in this way suggests the possibility that bacteria or the like adhere to the culture container and become contaminated. Even if ethanol sterilization is performed when the container is brought into a treatment facility such as an operating room which is a clean environment, not all deposits can be removed.
In such a state that bacteria or particles may have adhered in this way, if the culture container is brought into the operating room etc. and the biological sample is taken out from the culture container, the bacteria that could not be removed when opening the lid of the culture container If the particles or particles fall and adhere to the biological sample or enter the culture medium, biological contamination may occur.

  Moreover, also in the method of patent document 2, a culture medium may leak from a culture container during transport. The lid portion of the culture vessel usually has a gap between the lid portion and the container main body portion for taking in air. For this reason, there is a possibility that the medium leaks out during the transportation from the gap. If the medium leaks during transport, biological contamination occurs through the medium when the biological sample is removed. Thus, when a biological sample in a contaminated culture vessel is observed, inspected, and brought into an operating room or the like, biological contamination may occur as described above.

  As described above, a packaging container for transporting a biological sample such as a regenerated tissue needs a function of maintaining cleanliness. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid leakage of the culture medium during transportation. Further, it is necessary to be able to inspect a non-invasive biological sample after transportation while maintaining cleanliness. Furthermore, when taking out the biological sample transported at the time of treatment, a technique for opening it while maintaining a clean state is necessary.

  Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide the packaging container which implement | achieves sealing property and cleanliness and can implement a noninvasive test | inspection.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration as an example.

  The packaging container of the present invention is a first packaging container main body having light permeability for holding a sample container having a sample in pressure contact with the bottom surface, and a first light-transmitting container for sealing the first packaging container main body. One packaging container lid, a second packaging container body having light permeability for holding the first packaging container body sealed by the first packaging container lid on the bottom surface, and the second packaging container It has the 2nd packaging container lid part which has the light transmittance which seals a main-body part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In addition, the packaging container of the present invention includes a sample container having a sample therein, a light-transmitting sample container lid that seals the sample container, and a light-transmitting first container that holds the sample container on the bottom surface. One packaging container main body part and the 1st packaging container lid part which has the light transmittance which seals the first packaging container main body part, and to the first packaging container main body part of the first packaging container lid part Due to the sealing force, the outer surface of the bottom of the sample container and the bottom surface of the first packaging container main body are in pressure contact with each other.

  The sample observation method of the present invention has a light-transmitting first packaging container main body having a light-transmitting property that holds a sample container having a sample inside in pressure contact with the bottom surface, and a light-transmitting property that seals the first packaging container main-body portion. A first packaging container lid, a second packaging container body having light permeability for pressing and holding the first packaging container body sealed by the first packaging container lid on the bottom surface, and the second packaging A packaging container having a light-transmitting second packaging container lid part that seals the container main body part is placed on a mounting table, light is applied to the packaging container, and light is transmitted through the packaging container. Is detected.

  According to the packaging container of the present invention, the sample is transported in a state where cleanliness is maintained, and after transporting, all the samples transported while maintaining cleanness are non-invasive in the state of biological samples. Inspection is possible.

The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which accommodated the culture container in the 1st packaging container. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which accommodated the culture container and the 1st packaging container in the 2nd packaging container. The figure which shows the structure of the modification of the Example shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which gave the hollow and engraving for measuring the thickness of biological samples, such as a reproduction | regeneration tissue, to the 1st packaging container. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which has the stopper for filling a culture medium in a part of 1st packaging container. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which used a part of 1st and 2nd packaging container as the gas-permeable film. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure which accommodated the culture container of various shapes in the 1st and 2nd packaging container. The figure which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure of the cell transport container which transports the culture container packaged in the 1st and 2nd packaging container. The figure which shows an example which takes out the packaging container of this invention from CPC. The figure which shows an example which carries the packaging container of this invention into a medical institution etc. FIG. The optical schematic diagram at the time of observing the sample inside the packaging container of this invention with an inverted phase contrast microscope. The partial enlarged view at the time of observing the sample inside a packaging container with an inverted phase contrast microscope in this invention. The partial enlarged view at the time of observing the sample inside a packaging container with an inverted phase contrast microscope when crimping | compression-bonding, such as a packaging container, is inadequate.

The basic components of the packaging container will be described with reference to FIGS. The culture container 104 containing the biological sample 120 such as a regenerated tissue is double-packaged by the first packaging container main body 103 and the lid 101 and the second packaging container main body 203 and the lid 201.
Regarding the first packaging container main body 103 and the second packaging container main body 203, the same material and optical characteristics as those of the culture container 104 are preferable. By using the same thing, optical characteristics, such as refractive index, become the same, and a microscope image becomes clear. For each lid, the same material or different materials may be used, but it is necessary to transmit the illumination light of the microscope in order to brighten the microscope field of view.
Further, by using the same material, sterilization by sterilization can be performed in a unified manner. For example, when the culture container is made of polystyrene, if the first and second packaging container main body and the lid are made of the same material, sterilization is performed in advance by γ-ray irradiation before use. be able to.
In the above, polystyrene is taken as an example, but it is needless to say that it is applicable to any material that has optical transparency and is not harmful to a biological sample.

FIG. 1A shows the first packaging container lid 101. The first packaging container lid 101 can also be configured to have a first elastic member 102 such as silicone or rubber in order to prevent leakage of the culture medium in the culture container 104.
The first elastic member 102 is preferably of a medical use quality that can be sterilized by γ-ray irradiation or the like and does not emit harmful substances. The first elastic member 102 is preferably softer than the container material. When the culture container 104 described later is pressure-bonded to the first packaging container main body 103, the culture container 104 is attached to the first packaging container main body with an appropriate pressing force. It becomes possible to press against the bottom part of the. Further, a screw receiving portion 110 for sealing the first packaging container main body portion 103 is provided on the inner side surface of the first packaging container lid portion 101.

FIG. 1B shows the first packaging container main body 103. The culture container 104 is held on the bottom surface of the first packaging container main body 103. Further, a screw portion 111 that can be joined to the screw receiving portion 110 of the first packaging container lid portion 101 is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the first packaging container main body portion 103. The first packaging container can be sealed by joining the screw part 111 and the screw receiving part 110 together.
Moreover, in this example, although the example sealed by providing the screw part 111 is shown, not only this but both may be sealed using a hook material etc., and the 1st packaging container main-body part side surface It goes without saying that an elastic member such as rubber may be attached to the inner side surface of the lid portion to seal the lid member.

FIG. 1C shows a culture vessel 104 into which a biological sample is introduced and stored. A culture medium 105 is contained in the culture vessel 104. A biological sample 120 is contained in the medium. Generally, when a biological sample is cultured using a culture vessel, a lid is also used. The lid is provided with a gap so that a gas such as oxygen can enter from the outside of the culture vessel. Therefore, when this culture vessel is used for transportation, the medium leaks when tilted. This causes biological contamination.
Therefore, in this method, the lid of the culture container is changed to the first packaging container lid portion 101. That is, by sealing the first packaging container main body 103 and the culture container 104 held on the bottom surface of the first packaging container main body 103 with the first packaging container lid 101, leakage of the medium during transportation is prevented. To prevent.

In order to seal the first packaging container main body 103 and the culture container 104, it is desirable that the side wall of the culture container 104 and the height of the side wall of the first packaging container main body 103 be the same. Thereby, it becomes possible to seal both only by the fastening force of the screw receiving part 110 of the first packaging container lid part 101. Further, as described above, by attaching the elastic member 102 to the lid portion 101, it is possible to further reduce the possibility of leakage.
Furthermore, when the height of the side wall of the culture container 104 is not the same, the height difference can be absorbed by the elastic force of the elastic member 102 and the first packaging container body 103 can be absorbed. This makes it possible to achieve a stronger pressure contact with the bottom surface of the plate. Even if the side wall of the culture container 104 is lower than the first packaging container main body part 103, if a convex part is provided at a position corresponding to the side wall of the lid part 101 and the shape of the elastic member 102 is made to match the shape, Needless to say, similar effects can be obtained.

  Here, in the above description, the lid of the culture container 104 and the lid of the first packaging container main body 103 are used as the common lid member 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lid that can seal the culture container 104 is used. Needless to say, a separate member may be provided. That is, a culture container lid for sealing the culture container is provided, and the culture container is stored in a first packaging container including the first packaging container main body and the first packaging container lid. In this case, any structure may be used as long as the culture container 104 is held on the bottom surface of the first packaging container main body by the tightening force of the screw parts 110 and 111 in the first packaging container lid 101 and the main body 103. In this case, the second packaging container described later may be omitted. Multiple packaging is possible depending on the level of cleanliness at the destination.

  FIG. 1D shows a state in which the culture container main body 104 is accommodated in the first packaging container main body 103. FIG. 1E shows a state where the first packaging container lid 101 is further integrated with the first packaging container main body 103 from the state of FIG. These can be integrated by a screw structure. At this time, the first elastic member 102 is pressure-bonded to the culture container 104 by the tightening force of the first packaging container lid 101. Thereby, even if the culture container 104 is inclined, the internal culture medium 105 does not leak to the outside. The culture container 104 and the first packaging container main body 103 are also pressure-bonded. Therefore, there is almost no air layer between them.

FIG. 2A shows the second packaging container lid 201. The second packaging container lid portion 201 may have a configuration including a second elastic member 202 such as silicone or rubber in order to firmly prevent leakage of a medium or the like.
The second elastic member 202 is preferably of a medical use quality that can be sterilized by γ-ray irradiation or the like and does not emit harmful substances. The second elastic member 202 is preferably softer than the container material. When the outer surface of the bottom part of the first packaging container body 103 described later is pressed against the bottom surface of the second packaging container body part 203, the second elastic member 202 is moderately pressed. It becomes possible to press against the bottom surface of the second packaging container main body 203. Here, it is desirable to select the same material for the second elastic member 202 as that of the first elastic member 102 so that the sterilization process can be unified. Further, a screw receiving portion 210 for sealing the second packaging container main body portion 203 is provided on the inner side surface of the second packaging container lid portion 201.

FIG. 2B shows the second packaging container main body 203. The first packaging container main body 103 is held on the bottom surface of the second packaging container main body 203. Specifically, the bottom outer surface of the first packaging container main body 103 is held on the bottom surface of the second packaging container main body 203.
In addition, a screw portion 211 that can be joined to the screw receiving portion 210 of the second packaging container lid portion 201 is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the second packaging container main body portion 203. The second packaging container can be sealed by joining the screw part 211 and the screw receiving part 210 together. Moreover, in this example, although the example sealed by providing the screw part 211 is shown, not only this but both may be sealed using a hook material etc., and the 2nd packaging container main-body part side surface Or, it goes without saying that an elastic member such as rubber may be attached to the inner side surface of the lid portion to seal the lid member.

  FIG. 2C shows a state in which the culture container 104 packaged with the first packaging container 100 shown in FIG. Here, the screw part 211 provided on the side wall of the second packaging container main body 203 is installed outside the full width of the first packaging container 100. As a result, the screw receiving part 210 of the second packaging container lid part 201 is joined, so that the first packaging container 100 can be pressed by the tightening force. As a result, the bottom part of the second packaging container main body part 203 is pressed. Thus, the first packaging container main body 103 is pressed and held.

  FIG. 2D shows a state in which the second packaging container lid 201 is further integrated from the state of FIG. The second packaging container lid portion 201 and the main body portion 203 can be integrated by a screw structure. At this time, the second packaging container lid 201 and the first packaging container lid 101 are pressure-bonded. The 2nd packaging container main-body part 203 and the 1st packaging container main-body part 103 are crimped | bonded similarly. Thereby, there is almost no air layer at each boundary.

  The culture vessel 104 may be provided with ribs (convex portions) having a height of about 0.1 to several mm on the outer surface of the bottom. This is to prevent adhesion of the entire bottom surface of the culture vessel when the culture vessel is placed on a microscope stage or the like. About the culture container which has a rib, you may provide the hollow (recessed part) for a rib to enter in a 1st packaging container main body. Thereby, the bottom face of the culture container and the first packaging container main body can be in closer contact with each other. Moreover, when transporting in the state packaged by the packaging container, the effect that the culture container does not move in the lateral direction can be expected due to the ribs in the recesses.

  FIG. 3 shows a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. A screw structure 330 is provided on the inner side surface of the first packaging container main body 103 and the outer surface of the culture container 104, and a screw structure 340 is provided on the inner side surface of the second packaging container main body portion 203 and the outer surface of the first packaging container main body portion 103. Are provided. According to this structure, there is an effect that each holding position is uniquely determined by the screw structure. Furthermore, the press-contact between the bottom surface to be held and the bottom outer surface is facilitated by the tightening force due to the screw structure.

  Here, the outline of the optical path when observing the biological sample in the culture container in a state where the culture container is packaged by the packaging container will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows a state when a biological sample inside the culture container accommodated in the packaging container is observed with a microscope. The microscope is an example of an inverted phase contrast microscope generally used in medical institutions, cell processing facilities, and the like.

  A culture medium 1102 and a biological sample 1103 are contained in a culture container 1101 packaged by a packaging container. The packaged culture container is placed on a stage 1104 of an inverted phase contrast microscope. An objective lens 1105 is installed at the lower part of the stage 1104, and an illumination 1106 for brightening the field of view is installed at the upper part of the stage. An optical path 1107 when observing a biological sample is shown as an example. Since the observation method is the same as the conventional observation method, description thereof is omitted.

Here, conditions for observing the biological sample in the above-described structure will be described below with reference to FIG.
FIG. 12A is an enlarged schematic view of the culture container 1208, the inner container 1209 of the packaging container, and the outer container 1210. In the present invention, the packaging container or the like is sufficiently crimped, and each surface is sufficiently An optical path 1211 in the case of smoothness is shown. In this case, the optical path is not disturbed by the bonding surface between the containers, and as a result, a clear microscope image can be obtained.
On the other hand, FIG. 12 (B) shows an example in the present invention where the connection and holding of the packaging container and the culture container are insufficient and each surface is not sufficiently smooth, resulting in an influence on the optical path. Show. At the boundary surfaces of the culture container 1212, the inner container 1213 of the packaging container, and the outer container 1214, refraction, scattering, and irregular reflection 1217 occur on the optical path 1216 due to the gap 1215 caused by insufficient connection and non-smoothness of each surface. Will occur. This makes it impossible to obtain a clear microscope image.

According to the above examination, it is necessary to eliminate regions with different refractive indexes such as air layers as much as possible between each layer, preferably smooth the surface roughness of each layer and further crimp each container. I understand that.
Furthermore, when a general inverted phase contrast microscope is used, the cell observation requires about 100 times. In this case, it is desirable to match with the pressure bonding between the first packaging container main body and the culture container, and the total value of the total thickness is 3 mm or less. When observing at a lower magnification of about 40 times, the total value of the total thickness may be larger than that. This makes it possible to focus on a biological sample when observing from the outside with an inverted phase contrast microscope.
That is, a clear microscope image can be acquired.
The above condition is an example, but it is desirable to satisfy the above requirement when noninvasive evaluation is performed with a clear image by optical means.

  Next, another evaluation example of the above optical observation in a state where the packaging container of the present example is maintained will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a method for measuring the thickness of the biological sample 403 while the culture container is housed in the first packaging container and the second packaging container. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the culture container 402 and the first packaging container main body 401. As shown in FIG. 4A, a recess 404 is installed between the first packaging container main body 401 and the culture container 402. That is, a recess is provided on the bottom surface of the first packaging container main body 401. In addition, the case where the cell 403 is adhered to the culture surface side of the culture vessel 402 in a state having a layered thickness is shown.

  FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the depression 404 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. A columnar depression is installed on the surface 405 of the first packaging container main body. The surface 405 of the first packaging container main body part and the bottom surface 406 of the recess are via the side surface part 407 of the recess. The height of the side surface portion is about 50 to 500 μm, and the value can be accurately grasped. On the surface 405 of the first packaging container main body portion, an arbitrary character 408 is imprinted with a depth of about 5 μm. In the drawing, an example of the letter “A” is shown. A character 409 of a different type from the character 408 is engraved on the bottom surface 406 of the depression. In the figure, an example of the letter “B” is shown. FIG. 4C is a diagram in which a scale 410 is installed between the first packaging container main body 401 and the culture container 402. This is used as a guide for grasping the vertical and horizontal sizes of a biological sample within a microscope field of view.

With the culture container in the packaging container, focus on the character 408 in the microscope field of view of the inverted phase contrast microscope, and record the angle or position of the dial that activates the focus of the inverted phase contrast microscope at that time. . Subsequently, the character 409 is focused and the dial angle or position at that time is recorded. Then, the difference value of the dial angle or position when the above-mentioned two characters are focused is calculated. Using the difference value of the dial and the value of the depth of the dent, the unit amount of the change in the angle or position of the dial to be rotated corresponds to the variation in the vertical height of the culture vessel. .
Subsequently, the character 408 is focused and the dial angle or position at that time is recorded. Next, focus on the upper end of the biological sample on the culture surface of the culture vessel and record the angle or position of the dial. The difference value of the angle or position of the dial when each focus is adjusted is calculated.
The unit amount of the change in the angle or position of the dial that is rotated to adjust the focus, which is obtained in advance, is equivalent to the variation in the vertical height of the culture vessel, and the culture surface of the culture vessel is regenerated. The distance from the upper end of a biological sample such as tissue is calculated. And the value of the thickness of a culture container is subtracted from there. The obtained value is the thickness of the biological sample.

Equivalent indentations and inscriptions of letters are placed at arbitrary positions on the first packaging container body, and the thickness of the biological sample is obtained at each location, and the average value and variance are calculated, so that It is also possible to evaluate the unevenness of the thickness of the biological sample. As described above, the thickness of the biological sample can be evaluated noninvasively while maintaining the cleanliness of the cells. The method of observing cells from the outside by optical means using a microscope in a packaged state is a noninvasive evaluation method because the cells are not touched directly. It does not affect the state of the cells.
In the above-described example, an example is shown in which characters are used as marks. However, the present invention is not limited to the characters as long as they can be marks, symbols, and the like. .

In the above description, the inverted phase contrast microscope has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a reflective optical microscope can be used.
In this case, the container is placed on the stage, and light is irradiated from the back surface side (downward) of the container by the light source. The light reflected here is imaged by an imaging device arranged on the back side of the container (preferably arranged opposite to the light source).
At this time, if the culture container has a lid, if the lid of the culture container, in the case of sharing with the packaging container, the surface on the side where the light enters the lid of the packaging container is made of a reflective member such as stainless steel, a mirror, Brightness is ensured and the image becomes clear.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram in which a plug 501 for filling the medium is provided in a part of the first packaging container. The stopper 501 is used to fill the culture medium in the culture vessel. It is preferable to use elastic medical rubber or the like for the stopper. Two syringes are prepared for filling the medium. Place a sufficient amount of medium in one syringe. This is inserted into one of the stoppers. In that state, insert an empty syringe into the remaining stopper. The medium is injected from the syringe containing the medium, and at the same time, excess air is recovered from the empty syringe. After the culture medium is filled into the culture container, both syringes are removed. When the packaging container is opened and the biological sample is taken out, the medium spills if the medium is filled. Therefore, the reverse procedure is performed, air is injected into the culture container, and then the container is opened.
By adopting such a structure, it is possible to easily handle a biological sample that needs to be filled with a culture medium.

FIG. 6 shows gas permeable membranes 601 and 602 that are part of the first and second packaging container lids. This makes it possible to take in gas such as oxygen from outside air during transportation. A biological sample is composed of various cells. For example, cardiomyocytes have a high oxygen demand.
When transporting such cells, the state of the biological sample after transport is improved by supplying oxygen from the outside of the packaging container through the gas permeable membrane. It is also possible to control the pH of the medium by supplying carbon dioxide from the outside.
By using the gas permeable membrane as the lid member in this way, it is possible to provide a packaging container that can be observed noninvasively while maintaining cleanliness even for biological samples such as cells with high oxygen demand. It becomes.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of packaging other types of culture containers. FIG. 7A shows an example for the insert type culture vessel 701. When cells are cultured using an insert type culture vessel, generally, the insert type culture vessel is placed in a 6-well plate or the like, and two-layer culture is performed. In the transportation of the insert type culture container, an insert type culture container container 702 is prepared, which is accommodated in the first and second packaging containers. FIG. 7B shows an example in which the 6-well plate 703 is packaged. Since the cylindrical culture container and the insert-type culture container container have a circular cross section in the horizontal direction, they can be integrated by rotating the lids of the first and second packaging containers. On the other hand, the 6-well plate has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Therefore, this figure shows what is integrated by fixing the four corners of the first and second packaging containers using screws 704 and 705. As another method, it goes without saying that it can be held by fixing a plurality of locations by fitting, pinning, spring material or the like.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration in the case where the transport is carried out using the cell transport container capable of maintaining the internal temperature constant by using the heat storage material with respect to the culture container packaged as described above. It is. In the cell transport container, a heat insulating material 803 is disposed inside a container main body 801 that accommodates internal components and a container lid 802. A heat storage material box 804 in which the heat storage material is enclosed is disposed inside. As the kind of the heat storage material, a pure substance having a certain melting point or a substance having a large heat capacity and a small temperature change of the melting point (for example, ± 1 ° C. or less) is used. An example is hydrocarbon. For example, when C20H42 is used, the melting point is 36.4 ° C. Carbons with different numbers of C have different melting points. Therefore, by appropriately determining the type of hydrocarbon, it is possible to change the temperature value that the cell transport container maintains constant. A culture vessel 806 arranged in the culture vessel storage unit 805 and a monitoring device 807 for evaluating the temperature during transportation and the like are arranged in a place between the heat storage material boxes 804. As a result, the temperature during transportation can be confirmed after transportation.

  9 and 10 schematically show how the packaging container shown in the present embodiment is transported from a cell processing facility such as CPC to a medical institution or the like. FIG. 9 shows a process when the culture container is carried out from the cell processing facility, and FIG. 10 shows a process when the culture container is carried into the medical institution after transportation.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cells are cultured in a culture area in a cell processing facility such as CPC. The cleanliness of this room is generally set to Grade B, which is the second highest after Grade A. The culture container at the time of culturing is in a thermostatic bath, and is taken out as necessary, and the medium is exchanged in the safety cabinet. The cleanliness in the safety cabinet is generally set to grade A. Samples that have been cultured and shipped to a medical institution are double packed in a safety cabinet using a packaging container. The packaging container is sterilized in advance and is in a sterile state. Thereby, when packaging is completed, the inside and outside of the culture container and the inside and outside of the packaging container have the same cleanliness as Grade A.
In this state, the packaged culture container is carried out of the cell processing facility. At this time, if necessary, it is accommodated in a transport container that maintains a constant temperature. As it is transported out of the cell processing facility from the culture area, the cleanliness in the transport environment decreases. Therefore, finally, organisms and particles such as bacteria adhere to the outside of the outermost packaging container. On the other hand, the inside of the outermost packaging container, the culture container, and the like are in an unopened state, and therefore maintain Grade A cleanliness.

FIG. 10 shows a process when transporting to a medical institution. After arriving at a medical institution, first, the state of the biological sample is evaluated. Based on the result of the evaluation, it is confirmed that it can be used for treatment.
At this time, the sample to be used for treatment must be a non-invasive evaluation method. This is because the quality of a biological sample changes in an invasive evaluation method. In addition, it is desirable that 100% inspection can be performed. Since cultured biological samples use the same cell source and have undergone the same manufacturing process, the quality after culturing is considered to be the same, but the quality of cells can be easily changed by slight environmental changes.
Therefore, in the present example, the microscopic observation, which is the above-described noninvasive evaluation method, is carried out with the culture container being packaged. Then, the cell shape, the adhesion state, and the thickness of the biological sample are evaluated. Quantitative evaluation is performed as necessary using the dents and scales incorporated in the packaging container.

  Conventionally, in cell inspections conducted at research institutions, etc., only a microscopic observation was performed on a culture vessel sealed with a stretchable seal or the like. In order to perform quantitative evaluation, it was necessary to perform invasive evaluation (for example, histological evaluation, cell viability evaluation) on a biological sample. When this is done, the biological sample cannot be used for therapy. On the other hand, when only microscopic observation, which is a non-invasive evaluation method, is performed, it is possible to observe the shape and adhesion of cells, but this was a qualitative evaluation. Moreover, the judgment of the quality of the biological sample was based on the knowledge and experience of the operator. Therefore, it has been difficult to make the determination standard constant among workers. On the other hand, the present invention enables more accurate quantitative evaluation.

  If it is determined by the above evaluation that it can be used for treatment, preparation for treatment is started. Prepare the patient for treatment. Thereafter, the culture container is transported to the operating room where the treatment is performed. The operating room is clean, with clean and unclean fields. First, disinfect the outside of the culture container brought into the operating room with ethanol or the like. And in unclean field, the outer container located in the outermost side of a packaging container is opened. At this time, care is taken so that the outside of the outer container does not touch the outside of the clean inner container. Then, only the inner container is taken out. Subsequently, the inner container is opened. An operator who is in charge of removing the lid of the inner container and handling only the instruments in the clean field takes out only the culture container. At this time, care should be taken so that the outside of the inner container does not touch the outside of the clean culture container. Finally, the same worker takes out the biological sample from the culture container in the clean field. Use it for treatment.

  Next, a series of procedures for transporting cells using the packaging container having the above configuration will be described.

<Step S1: Preparation>
Make the necessary preparations to transport the cells. The packaging container is packaged in advance with an autoclave bag or the like, and sterilized in that state to be sterilized. The method of sterilization is autoclaving, ethylene oxide gas treatment, γ-ray irradiation, etc., and a method that does not change the properties of the packaging container by performing sterilization is selected. For example, if the material is polystyrene, γ-ray irradiation treatment is adopted.
When the heat storage material is hydrocarbon C20H42, the heat storage material box in which the heat storage material is sealed is sealed with the hydrocarbon C20H42 being completely sealed with the material of the heat storage material box being a metal or heat-resistant polycarbonate. Since the hydrocarbon C20H42 has a melting point of 344 ° C, it does not vaporize even if it is autoclaved (120 ° C), and there is no effect on the temperature maintenance performance of the heat storage material box. After sterilization, in order to store heat in the heat storage material, put it in a thermostatic bath in a packaged state and leave it until the temperature is stabilized. For example, in the case of hydrocarbon C20H42 having a melting point of 36.4 ° C, the temperature of the thermostatic chamber is 37 ° C when most of the outside temperature to be transported is 36.4 ° C or less. This is because, during transportation, the temperature of the outside world is lower than the melting point of C20H42, so that heat goes out of the cell transport container. Conversely, if most of the outside temperature to be transported is 36.4 ° C or higher, the temperature of the thermostatic bath shall be 36 ° C. This is because during transportation, the outside temperature is higher than the melting point of C20H42, so heat enters the cell transport container from the outside.
For monitoring devices that are not resistant to various types of sterilization, ethanol disinfection shall be performed.

<Step S2: Carrying into cell processing facility>
Carry the sterilized cell transport container and packaging container to the culture area in the cell treatment facility. When moving between rooms in a cell processing facility, it is necessary to pass through a pass box in order to maintain cleanliness of the room and prevent cross contamination. When passing through the pass box, each component is sterilized by spraying ethanol from the outside of the package, placed in the pass box, and removed from the door on the side of the moving room.
After arriving at the cell culture area, the equipment other than the packaging container is opened and removed aseptically so as not to touch the outside of the packaging. Since the temperature of the heat storage material box changes when exposed to room temperature, it is desirable to prepare a thermostatic chamber in the same room if possible and place it in the thermostatic chamber until use to prevent temperature changes.
The packaging container is sterilized by spraying with ethanol around the package and placed in a safety cabinet. Thereafter, the packaging container is removed aseptically so as not to touch the outside of the packaging.
It is assumed that ethanol is disinfected outside in advance for bringing in the monitoring device. It is desirable to carry out sterilization and sterilization when bringing equipment into the room where cells are treated. However, since sterilization cannot be performed on mechanical devices, only ethanol treatment is generally performed.

<Step S3: Accommodation of culture vessel>
The culture vessel that has been cultured in the thermostatic chamber is moved into the safety cabinet. In the safety cabinet, equipment such as a heat block set to the same value as the temperature of the thermostatic bath is prepared in advance if necessary. Using this, the temperature of the culture container is kept constant until the culture container is completely accommodated in the cell transport container.
Remove the lid from the culture container that has moved into the safety cabinet, and fill the culture medium into the culture container to the extent that it does not overflow. And it packs with a 1st packaging container. Be careful not to spill the medium at this time. In addition, this operation is performed quickly to reduce the possibility of contamination inside. In order to avoid a decrease in the temperature of the culture vessel as much as possible after work or during waiting time, a heat block or the like is used. Subsequently, the container is quickly accommodated by the second packaging container by the same procedure.
When the culture medium is completely filled using the first packaging container lid having a stopper, two syringes are prepared. Place a sufficient amount of medium in one syringe. This is inserted into one of the stoppers. In that state, insert an empty syringe into the remaining stopper. The medium is injected from the syringe containing the medium, and at the same time, excess air is collected from the empty syringe. After the culture medium is filled into the culture container, both syringes are removed.

<Step S4: Accommodation in cell transport container>
The culture container packaged in step S3 is accommodated in the culture container accommodation part prepared in advance. Next, the heat storage material box, the culture container housing part containing the culture container, and the monitoring device are housed inside the cell transport container. The monitoring device turns on the power and starts the measurement before it is accommodated, and measures the temperature throughout the entire transport process.

<Step S5: Carrying out of cell processing facility>
The cell transport container is carried out of the cell processing facility from the room where the cell culture is performed. When moving between rooms, in order to prevent cross-contamination, disinfect with ethanol spray and then pass through the pass box.

<Step S6: Transport of Cell Transport Container>
Depending on the location of the destination medical institution, the transport means is selected to transport the cell transport container. The transportation means are mainly vehicles, railroads, airplanes, and hand-carried. It is desirable to fix the cell transport container to the floor as necessary so that the cell transport container does not roll over while being transported by vehicle, railroad, or aircraft. When carrying by hand, the transport operator should pay attention so that the cell transport container does not shake as much as possible.
The culture medium in the culture container is in a state filled in the culture container. The effects on the cells that occur when the culture vessel is tilted during transport are that the cells enter the gas phase and dry, that the cells are affected by the surface tension created between the gas phase and the liquid phase, the liquid phase It is assumed that convection occurs in the cells and shear stress occurs in the cells. These are less affected as the gas phase portion in the culture vessel is smaller. In the transport method according to the present invention, the culture medium is filled in the culture vessel as much as possible, so that the influence of the gas phase during transport is not so great. In addition, the direction of gravity applied to the biological sample changes due to the inclination during transportation compared to the culture in the cell processing facility. As for this influence, as long as the cell transport container is upright, the direction of gravity is the same as that during culture in the cell treatment facility. Moreover, the state where the cell transport container is not upright is not taken for a long time.
Therefore, the effect of gravity is considered minor.

<Step S7: Acceptance inspection at the destination>
After arriving at a medical institution or the like that is the transport destination, first, the ambient temperature of the biological sample being transported is checked. Move the monitoring device data to a PC, etc. for evaluation. Subsequently, the state of the transported biological sample is confirmed. There are various examination methods, but the sample used for treatment needs to be a non-invasive examination. That is, it is a method that does not contact a biological sample directly or via a medium or the like. In the case of using the packaging container of the present invention, as a noninvasive inspection method, evaluation of cell morphology, cell adhesion, etc., and measurement of the thickness of a biological sample are performed using an inverted phase contrast microscope. This can be evaluated for all samples. Moreover, when inspecting, the culture container is once taken out from the cell transport container, evaluated quickly with a microscope, and promptly stored in the cell transport container. Thereby, the culture container is stored at the same temperature even after the inspection. In addition, about the sample which is not used for a treatment, you may investigate in detail by an invasive test | inspection. In that case, various treatments can be performed on the biological sample, and the number of cells, cell survival rate, tissue structure, expression state of the specific protein, and the like can be examined.
If the evaluation confirms that the transported sample is suitable for treatment, preparation for treatment begins. It can take up to a day to prepare for treatment. In addition, not all medical institutions have facilities such as a thermostatic bath. In that case, after arriving at the medical institution, the culture container is kept in the cell transport container until the start of the treatment, and the temperature and cleanliness are maintained.

<Step S8: Treatment>
When the preparation for treatment is completed, the cell transport container is moved to a room for treatment (hereinafter referred to as an operating room). When you arrive at the operating room, take out the culture container packaged in the packaging container. If necessary, in this state, the culture vessel is placed in a thermostatic chamber installed in the operating room and maintained at a predetermined temperature. For example, if the culture vessel has a temperature-responsive culture surface, a living body that has been subjected to a low-temperature treatment (eg, exposed to 20 ° C. for 30 minutes) and adhered to the temperature-responsive culture surface immediately prior to treatment. The sample is peeled off.
Subsequently, the biological sample is taken out from the culture container. Since the outside of the packaging container passes through daily space, there is a high possibility that organisms and particles such as bacteria are attached. Therefore, it opens in steps so that the inside of a packaging container may maintain cleanliness. First, an unclean field operator in the operating room wipes the outside of the packaging container with a disinfectant such as ethanol or povidone iodine. Then, hold the second packaging container, which is the outermost side of the packaging container, and remove the lid. Subsequently, another worker takes out the inner first packaging container. At this time, the first packaging container and the outer side of the second packaging container are not in contact with each other. In this state, when the first packaging container lid has a stopper, a part of the filled medium is sucked. This is because if the medium is opened while the medium is filled, the medium is likely to spill. The reverse procedure to S3 when the medium is filled is performed.
Subsequently, the first packaging container is held and the lid is removed. Then, an operator in the clean field removes the culture container aseptically. At this time, the culture container is removed aseptically so that the outside of the first packaging container does not contact. Finally, a biological sample containing regenerated tissue or the like is taken out from the culture container with tweezers or the like. This is used for treatment. As described above, it is possible to reliably maintain the cleanliness in the culture container by opening the package in stages.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the culture container is mainly double-wrapped has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in order to cope with transportation to a facility or the like where the cleaning level is subdivided, further multiple packaging is possible. It is also possible to adopt a form. In addition, by providing a lid that can seal the culture container, if at least the first packaging container and the culture container are held at the bottom and can be observed noninvasively, in a space having at least two levels of cleanliness. It becomes possible to deal with it.

  Although the biological sample is mainly described in the above embodiments, the packaging container of the present invention can also be used for a sample container into which a precision component such as a semiconductor chip is similarly required. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... 1st packaging container 101 ... 1st packaging container lid part 102 ... 1st elastic member 103 ... 1st packaging container main-body part 104 ... Culture container 105 ... Medium 110 ... -Screw receiving part 111 ... Screw part 120 ... Biological sample 201 ... Second packaging container lid part 202 ... Second elastic member 203 ... Second packaging container body part 210 ... Screw receiver Part 211 ... screw part 330, 340 ... screw structure 401 ... first packaging container main body part 402 ... culture container 403 ... cell 404 ... depression 405 ... first packaging container body Surface 406 on the side of the culture container of the dent ... Bottom surface 407 of the dent ... Side surfaces 408, 409 of the dent ... Character 410 ... Scale 501 ... Plug 601 602 ... Gas permeable membrane 701 ... Insert-type culture vessel 702 ... Insert Culture container 703 ... 6 well plate 704, 705 ... Screw 801 ... Container body 802 ... Container lid 803 ... Heat insulating material 804 ... Heat storage material box 805 ... Culture container storage Unit 806 ... culture vessel 807 ... monitoring device 1101 ... culture vessel 1102 ... medium 1103 ... biological sample 1104 ... stage 1105 ... objective lens 1106 ... illumination 1207 ... Optical path 1208 ... Culture container 1209 ... Inner container 1210 ... Outer container 1211 ... Optical path 1212 ... Culture container 1213 ... Inner container 1214 ... Outer container 1215 ... Gap 1216 ... Optical path 1217: Scattering and irregular reflection.

Claims (20)

  A light-transmitting first packaging container body for holding a sample container having a sample in pressure contact with the bottom surface, and a light-transmitting first packaging container lid for sealing the first packaging container body And a second packaging container main body having light transmissivity for pressing and holding the first packaging container main body sealed by the first packaging container lid on the bottom surface, and the second packaging container main body sealed A packaging container comprising a second packaging container lid portion having light permeability. The packaging container according to claim 1,
The first packaging container lid part serves as the lid part of the first packaging container body part and the lid part of the sample container, and the first packaging container lid part seals the first packaging container body part By doing so, the sample container is sealed. The packaging container according to claim 1,
The sample container bottom, the first packaging container main body bottom, and the second packaging container main body bottom are pressed against the first packaging container main body by the first packaging container lid and the second packaging container lid. The packaging container is held in pressure contact with the pressing force against the second packaging container body. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container which is observable by having the light transmittance. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container comprising a recess on the bottom surface of the first packaging container body, and a mark formed on the bottom surface of the first packaging container body and the bottom surface of the recess. The packaging container according to claim 1,
The packaging container, wherein the material of the first packaging container main body and the second packaging container main body is the same as that of the sample container. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container having a screw part on an outer peripheral side surface of the first packaging container main body and a screw receiving part on an inner side surface of the first packaging container lid part. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container comprising a screw part on an outer peripheral side surface of the second packaging container main body and a screw receiving part on an inner side surface of the second packaging container lid part. The packaging container according to claim 1,
An elastic member is provided in a contact portion of the first packaging container lid portion with the sample container and the first packaging container main body. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container, wherein a gas permeable membrane is formed on part of the first packaging container lid and the second packaging container lid. The packaging container according to claim 1,
The first packaging container lid portion has at least two holes on the surface of the lid, and has a plug that closes the holes. The packaging container according to claim 1,
A packaging container comprising a plurality of convex portions on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the sample container, and a concave portion into which the convex portions are fitted is formed at the bottom portion of the first packaging container main body portion. A sample container having a sample therein, a light-transmitting sample container lid for sealing the sample container, a light-transmitting first packaging container main body for holding the sample container on the bottom surface, and the first A first packaging container lid portion having light permeability for sealing one packaging container body,
The packaging characterized in that the outer surface of the bottom of the sample container and the bottom of the first packaging container body are in pressure contact with each other by the sealing force of the first packaging container lid to the first packaging container body container. The packaging container according to claim 13,
A packaging container, wherein the sample container can be observed by irradiating light to the sample in the sample container in a state where the sample container is stored in the packaging container. The packaging container according to claim 13,
A packaging container comprising a recess on the bottom surface of the first packaging container body, and a mark formed on the bottom surface of the first packaging container body and the bottom surface of the recess. The packaging container according to claim 13,
The packaging container characterized in that the material of the first packaging container body is the same as the sample container. The packaging container according to claim 13,
A packaging container having a screw part on an outer peripheral side surface of the first packaging container main body and a screw receiving part on an inner side surface of the first packaging container lid part. The packaging container according to claim 13,
A packaging container comprising a screw structure on each of an inner side surface of the first packaging container body and an outer surface of the sample container. A first packaging container main body having light permeability for pressing and holding a sample container having a sample inside at the bottom, and a first packaging container lid having light permeability for sealing the first packaging container main body, Sealing the first packaging container main body part sealed by the first packaging container lid part with a light transmissive second packaging container main body part pressed against the bottom surface, and the second packaging container main body part; A packaging container having a second packaging container lid having light permeability is placed on a placing table,
Irradiate the packaging container with light,
A sample observation method, comprising: detecting light transmitted through the packaging container. The sample observation method according to claim 19,
The sample observation method, wherein the bottom of the sample container, the bottom of the first packaging container main body, and the bottom of the second packaging container main body are in close contact.

Images