JP2019154761A - Thawing device and thawing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a thawing device and a thawing method which is capable of quickly administering a liquid object of biological origin to a living body after thawing a frozen matter of biological origin.SOLUTION: A thawing device 10 thaws a frozen matter of biological origin 14 contained in a container 12. The thawing device 10 comprises: a warming unit 42h which warms the container 12; and a pressing part 42p which presses the container 12 to push a liquid object of biological origin 14L obtained by thawing the frozen matter of biological origin 14 out of the inside of the container 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a thawing apparatus and a thawing method for thawing a frozen substance derived from a living body stored in a container.

  Conventionally, a method of thawing (thawing) a frozen substance derived from a living body such as a frozen cell housed in a container such as a bag is performed by immersing the container in a constant temperature water bath. However, such a melting method using warm water is concerned about hygienic problems. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes an apparatus for sandwiching a container from above and below by two heating bags and thawing a frozen substance derived from a living body in the container.

European Patent No. 0318924

  By the way, in the medical field, if the living body-derived liquid material can be rapidly administered to the living body after the frozen living body-derived frozen material is thawed, the working efficiency can be improved.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the melting | dissolving apparatus and the melting | dissolving method which can administer the living body origin liquid substance to a living body rapidly after thaw | melting the living body origin frozen substance.

  In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention is a melting apparatus for melting a living body-derived frozen material housed in a container, and a heating unit for heating the container, and pressing the container And a pressing unit that pushes out the biological liquid derived from the frozen biological material from the container.

  According to this thawing device, the living body-derived liquid substance can be rapidly administered to the living body after the frozen living body-derived frozen substance is thawed. Therefore, the work efficiency in the medical field can be improved.

  The heating unit may be a pressing heating unit that also serves as the pressing unit.

  Thereby, simplification and rationalization of an apparatus structure are achieved.

  The pressing and heating unit may include a heating bag having a liquid filling chamber, and may press the container by increasing an injection amount of the heating liquid into the heating bag.

  With this configuration, the container can be easily and reliably pressed by adjusting the amount of the heating liquid introduced into the heating bag.

  An opening for inserting and removing the container is provided, and a housing including a heating bag and a lid that can open and close the opening of the main body, the heating bag and the The container may be sandwiched between the lid portion.

  With this configuration, the container can be easily arranged in the housing, and the container can be effectively pressed by the heating bag.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a thawing method for thawing a biologically-derived frozen substance housed in a container, wherein the container is heated by a heating unit provided in a thawing apparatus, and the biologically-derived frozen substance is Melting, and a pressing step of pressing the container with a pressing portion provided in the melting device to push out the living body-derived liquid material from which the frozen living body is melted from the container. Is the method.

  According to the melting device and the melting method of the present invention, the living body-derived liquid material can be rapidly administered to the living body after the living body-derived frozen material is thawed.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the melting apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing at the time of use of the said melting device. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of use of the said melting apparatus.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the melting apparatus and the melting method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The thawing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used for thawing the biological frozen substance 14 accommodated in the container 12. The container 12 is, for example, a bag-like flat soft bag formed of a resin film. The biologically-derived frozen material 14 accommodated in the container 12 is obtained by freezing a liquid containing a biologically-derived material (biologically-derived liquid material 14L).

  Examples of the biological liquid 14L include cell suspension, blood, plasma, and the like. Examples of the cell suspension include hematopoietic stem cells (umbilical cord blood, bone marrow fluid, peripheral blood stem cells, etc.) used for stem cell transplantation. The cells of the cell suspension are not limited to this, but myoblasts, cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, synovial cells, epithelial cells, endothelial cells, hepatocytes, pancreatic cells, kidney cells, adrenal cells, Periodontal ligament cells, gingival cells, periosteum cells, skin cells, chondrocytes and other adherent cells, whole blood, red blood cells, white blood cells, lymphocytes (T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes), dendritic cells, plasma, platelets and platelets Blood cells such as plasma and blood components, bone skeleton mononuclear cells, hematopoietic stem cells, ES cells, pluripotent stem cells, iPS cell-derived cells (for example, iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes), mesenchymal stem cells (for example, bone marrow, Adipose tissue, peripheral blood, skin, hair root, muscle tissue, endometrium, placenta, umbilical cord blood, etc.), sperm cells and egg cells. These cells may be cells into which genes used for gene therapy or the like have been introduced. A port 13 for extracting the biological liquid 14 </ b> L from the container 12 is provided at the peripheral edge 12 a of the container 12. A discharge tube 16 is connected to the port 13.

  The melting apparatus 10 includes a housing 18 configured in a box shape, and a pressing and heating unit 20 disposed in the housing 18.

  The housing 18 has a main body portion 18A and a lid portion 18B. The main body portion 18 </ b> A has a concave accommodating portion 22 that accommodates the pressing and heating portion 20, and an opening 24 for taking in and out the container 12.

  Specifically, the main body portion 18 </ b> A has a bottom portion 26 and a peripheral wall portion 28 that protrudes upward from the peripheral edge portion of the bottom portion 26, and the concave portion 22 is formed by the bottom portion 26 and the peripheral wall portion 28. The main body 18A is made of a hard material. A first cutout portion 30 into which the discharge tube 16 can be inserted is provided on the upper portion of the peripheral wall portion 28. A second cutout portion 32 and a third cutout portion in which an introduction tube 48 and a discharge tube 50 described later are respectively inserted into upper portions of the peripheral wall portion 28 other than the side where the first cutout portion 30 is provided. 34 is provided. The opening 24 opens upward.

  The lid portion 18B is a plate-like body made of a hard material, and is movably connected to the main body portion 18A. Specifically, the lid portion 18B is rotatably connected to the main body portion 18A via the hinge portion 36 and can be opened and closed with respect to the main body portion 18A. When the lid 18B is closed, the opening 24 of the main body 18A is closed. The lid 18B is provided with a lock mechanism 38 for maintaining the closed state. In the present embodiment, a mechanism including the hook 38a and the pin 38b is illustrated, but the form of the lock mechanism 38 is not limited to this.

  The lid 18B is provided with a window member 40 made of a transparent hard material (for example, acrylic glass). The user can visually recognize the state of the container 12 disposed in the melting device 10 through the window member 40. In addition, the whole cover part 18B may be comprised with the hard material which has transparency.

  In the present embodiment, the pressing and heating unit 20 includes a heating bag 42 that has the functions of a heating unit 42 h that heats the container 12 and a pressing unit 42 p that presses the container 12. The warming bag 42 is a soft bag that is formed of, for example, a resin film and easily deforms. The warming bag 42 is filled with a warming liquid L (for example, water). The melting apparatus 10 is configured to sandwich the container 12 between the heating bag 42 and the lid portion 18B.

  The melting device 10 heats the liquid L to a predetermined temperature (for example, 30 to 40 ° C.) and supplies the liquid L to the warming bag 42, sucks the liquid L from the warming bag 42 and reheats it. Is provided. The liquid L heated to a predetermined temperature in the warming circulation unit 46 is sent to the warming bag 42 through the introduction tube 48 connected to the warming bag 42. The liquid L is returned from the warming bag 42 to the warming circulation unit 46 via the outlet tube 50. The warming circulation unit 46 is controlled by the control unit 52. The warming circulation unit 46 and the control unit 52 may be provided integrally with the housing 18.

  Next, the operation of the melting device 10 configured as described above will be described.

  When the biologically-derived frozen material 14 accommodated in the container 12 is thawed using the thawing device 10, the lid 18B is opened and the biologically-derived frozen material 14 is accommodated as shown in FIG. 12 is placed on the warming bag 42. At that time, the discharge tube 16 connected to the container 12 is inserted into the first cutout portion 30 provided in the main body 18 </ b> A, and the discharge tube 16 is pulled out from the housing 18. As shown in FIG. 2, when the lid 18B is closed, the container 12 is sandwiched between the heating bag 42 and the lid 18B. When the lid 18B is closed, the lid 18B is fixed to the main body 18A by the lock mechanism 38 so that the lid 18B does not open. For example, a clamp 54 is attached to the discharge tube 16 as a flow path opening / closing mechanism, and the flow path of the discharge tube 16 is closed.

  Next, the melting method according to this embodiment is performed using the melting apparatus 10. This melting method includes a melting step of melting the living body-derived frozen material 14 and a pressing step of pushing out the living body-derived liquid material 14L in which the living body-derived frozen material 14 is melted from the container 12. In the melting step, the container 12 is heated by the heating unit 42 h (heating bag 42) provided in the melting device 10 to melt the living body-derived frozen material 14. In the pressing step, the container 12 is pressed by a pressing portion 42p (heating bag 42) provided in the melting device 10, and the living body-derived liquid material 14L in which the living body-derived frozen material 14 is melted is pushed out of the container 12. More specifically, the melting step and the pressing step are performed as follows.

  In the melting step, the liquid L heated to a predetermined temperature is injected into the heating bag 42 through the introduction tube 48 by the heating circulation unit 46. As the liquid L is injected, the heating bag 42 is heated, and the living body-derived frozen material 14 in the container 12 sandwiched between the heating bag 42 and the lid 18B is heated by the heating bag 42. It melts from that. In this case, as the warming bag 42 is inflated with the injection of the liquid L, the pressure in the housing 18 is increased, and the warming bag 42 is in close contact with the outer surface of the container 12. It can be heated efficiently.

  Thus, the living body-derived frozen material 14 in the container 12 is heated by the heating bag 42, and the whole of the living body-derived frozen material 14 is melted by maintaining the heating for a certain period of time. The user can visually check the melted state of the biologically frozen material 14 in the container 12 accommodated in the housing 18 through the window member 40 from the outside of the housing 18.

  When the melting of the living body-derived frozen material 14 in the container 12 is completed, a pressing process is performed next. In the pressing step, the container 12 is pressed by increasing the amount of liquid L injected into the warming bag 42 by the warming circulation unit 46. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, in the pressing step, the clamp 54 is opened to open the flow path of the discharge tube 16, and then the amount of the liquid L in the warming bag 42 is changed from the melting step. Also increase. At this time, the warming circulation unit 46 stops sucking the liquid L from the warming bag 42 and injects the liquid L into the warming bag 42. Thereby, the quantity of the liquid L in the heating bag 42 increases.

  As the liquid L in the warming bag 42 increases, the warming bag 42 presses the container 12 in the thickness direction. When the warming bag 42 is pressed against the container 12, the warming bag 42 is crushed toward the lid 18B and the volume is reduced (the thickness of the container 12 is reduced). As a result, the living body-derived liquid material 14 </ b> L in the warming bag 42 is pushed out from the warming bag 42 and discharged through the discharge tube 16. The discharge tube 16 is connected to an administration tube (not shown), and the biological liquid 14L is administered to the living body (patient) via the administration tube.

  The melting apparatus 10 (and the melting method) according to the present embodiment has the following effects.

  According to the melting device 10, the living body-derived liquid material 14L can be rapidly administered to the living body after the frozen living body-derived material 14 is thawed. Therefore, the work efficiency in the medical field can be improved. Further, since the heating liquid L does not directly touch the outer surface of the container 12, it is hygienic.

  The heating unit 42h is the press heating unit 20 that also serves as the pressing unit 42p. Thereby, simplification and rationalization of an apparatus structure are achieved.

  The press warming unit 20 includes a warming bag 42 having a liquid filling chamber, and presses the container 12 by increasing the injection amount of the warming liquid L into the warming bag 42. With this configuration, the container 12 can be easily and reliably pressed by adjusting the amount of liquid L introduced into the warming bag 42.

  The melting apparatus 10 includes a main body 18A provided with an opening 24 for inserting and removing the container 12, and a heating bag 42. The housing 18 includes a lid 18B that can open and close the opening 24 of the main body 18A. The container 12 is sandwiched between the heating bag 42 and the lid 18B. With this configuration, the container 12 can be easily disposed in the housing 18, and the container 12 can be effectively pressed by the heating bag 42.

  Note that the heating unit 42h and the pressing unit 42p may be configured independently. In this case, for example, apart from the heating bag 42, a mechanism for pressing the container 12 (an expandable pressing bag, a pressing member capable of moving back and forth, etc.) may be provided as a pressing portion on the lid portion 18B. When the heating unit 42h and the pressing unit 42p are configured independently, the heating unit 42h may be a heater that generates heat when energized.

  In FIG. 1 and the like, the heating bag 42 is connected with two tubes, an introduction tube 48 and a lead-out tube 50, but one end of one lead-in / out tube is connected to the warming bag 42. May be. Thereby, the structure of the melting apparatus 10 can be simplified more. In this case, instead of the heating circulation section 46, the other end of the introduction / derivation tube is heated to supply and discharge the heated liquid L to the warming bag 42 via the introduction / derivation tube. The supply / discharge unit is connected.

  Another heating bag may be provided on the lower surface of the lid 18B as an upper bag, and the container 12 may be sandwiched from above and below by the lower heating bag 42 and the upper heating bag. Thereby, since the living body origin frozen material 14 in the container 12 can be heated from both sides of the container 12, the living body origin frozen material 14 can be rapidly thawed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Melting | fusing apparatus 12 ... Container 14 ... Living body origin frozen material 14L ... Living body origin liquid material 18 ... Housing 18A ... Main-body part 18B ... Cover part 20 ... Pressing heating part 42 ... Warming bag 42h ... Warming part 42p ... Pressing part

Claims (5)

A thawing device for thawing a frozen substance derived from a living body contained in a container,
A heating unit for heating the container;
A pressing unit that presses the container and pushes the living body-derived liquid material in which the frozen material is melted from the container;
A melting apparatus. The melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The said heating part is a melting apparatus which is a press heating part which served as the said press part. The melting device according to claim 2,
The said press heating part has a heating bag which has a liquid filling chamber, and is a melting apparatus which presses the said container by increasing the injection amount of the heating liquid in the said heating bag. The melting device according to claim 3,
Provided with a housing having an opening for taking in and out the container and accommodating the heating bag; and a lid capable of opening and closing the opening of the body.
A melting apparatus for sandwiching the container between the heating bag and the lid. A thawing method for thawing a frozen substance derived from a living body contained in a container,
A melting step of heating the container to melt the biological frozen material by a heating unit provided in a melting device;
A pressing step of pressing the container by a pressing unit provided in the melting device and extruding the biological liquid derived from the frozen biological material from the container;
A melting method.

Images