JP2021112334A - Cell transplantation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cell transplantation device capable of suppressing decrease in activity of a cell group.SOLUTION: A transplantation device for disposing a transplant in a living body, comprises a cylindrical needle-like part 10, and a holding part 20 located in a cylinder of the needle-like part 10 and holding a cell group included in the transplant. The holding part 20 includes a cylindrical support part 21 provided along an extension direction of the needle-like part 10, and a contact part 22 held at a tip of the cylindrical support part 21 and having rigidity lower than that of the cylindrical support part 21 to come into contact with the cell group.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a cell transplantation device for transplanting a group of cells.

A technique for transplanting a group of cells obtained by culturing cells collected from a living body into the skin or subcutaneously of the living body has been developed. For example, attempts have been made to regenerate hair by purifying a group of cells that contribute to the formation of hair follicles, which are organs that produce hair, and transplanting this group of cells into the skin.

Hair follicles are formed by the interaction of epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells. For good hair regeneration, it is desirable that the transplanted cell population be a hair follicle having a normal tissue structure and good hair forming ability. Therefore, various studies and developments have been carried out on a method for producing a cell group capable of forming such hair follicles (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

International Publication No. 2017/073625 International Publication No. 2012/108069 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-29331

A cell transplant device for transplanting a cell group into a living body fills a needle-shaped tube with a transplant containing the cell group by suction. The cell transplant device ejects the transplant after inserting the needle-shaped portion into the living body from the tip. As a result, the cell transplant device places the transplant in vivo.

On the other hand, when the cell group is filled in the needle-shaped portion by suction and when the cell group is held in the needle-shaped portion, the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion may collide with the cell group. Then, when the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion collides with the cell group, the load applied to the cell group increases, and the activity of the cell group may be lost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cell transplantation apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in the activity of a cell group.

The cell transplantation device for solving the above-mentioned problems is a cell transplantation device for arranging a transplant in a living body, and has a needle-shaped portion having a tubular shape and a holding located in the cylinder of the needle-shaped portion. The holding portion is provided with a holding portion that holds a group of cells contained in a transplant that has been sucked from the opening of the needle-shaped portion, and the holding portion is located at a portion facing the opening of the needle-shaped portion. It has lower rigidity than the needle-shaped part.

According to the above configuration, since the holding portion having a lower rigidity than the needle-shaped portion holds the cell group in the cylinder of the needle-shaped portion, the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion having a higher rigidity than the holding portion is transplanted. It is possible to suppress contact with an object and suppress a decrease in the activity of the cell group held in the tube of the needle-shaped portion.

In the cell transplantation device, the holding portion is located at a support portion along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion and at the tip of the support portion, and has lower rigidity than the support portion. May be provided with a contact portion for holding the.

According to the above configuration, since the contact portion having a rigidity lower than that of the support portion and the cell group come into contact with each other, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the cell group. Further, since the support portion having higher rigidity than the contact portion supports the contact portion, the position of the contact portion can be stabilized inside the needle-shaped portion.

In the cell transplantation device, the support portion has a tubular shape along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion, and is a tubular support portion that is sucked into the cylinder, and the contact portion is the support portion. The tip opening of the support portion may have an annular shape over the entire circumferential direction of the support portion.

According to the above configuration, since the annular contact portion extending in the circumferential direction is located at the tip opening of the tubular support portion, it is possible to facilitate the contact between the contact portion and the cell group, and by extension, the contact portion and the cell group. It is also possible to enhance the effectiveness of suppressing the decrease in the activity of the cell group through contact.

In the cell transplantation device, the support portion is a columnar support portion that has a columnar shape along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion and is attracted to the gap with the needle-shaped portion, and the contact portion is a columnar support portion. The entire tip surface of the support portion may be covered.

According to the above configuration, since the entire tip surface of the columnar support portion is covered by the contact portion, it is possible to enhance the effectiveness of suppressing the decrease in the activity of the cell group through the contact between the contact portion and the cell group. ..

In the cell transplantation device, the contact portion is formed between the inside of the needle-shaped portion and a position protruding from the opening of the needle-shaped portion along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion. It may be configured to be relatively movable with respect to.

According to the above configuration, the contact portion protrudes from the tip of the needle-shaped portion, so that the contact portion can easily hold the cell group. Further, by locating the contact portion inside the needle-shaped portion, it is possible to protect the cell group. Then, after the needle-shaped portion is inserted into the living body, the contact portion protrudes from the tip of the needle-shaped portion, so that the cell group can be easily arranged in the living body.

In the cell transplantation apparatus, the material constituting the contact portion is at least one selected from the group consisting of silicone, polystyrene, and poly N-isopropylacrylamide.

According to the above configuration, since the material constituting the contact portion is at least one selected from the group consisting of silicone, polystyrene, and poly N-isopropylacrylamide, the effect of suppressing a decrease in the activity of the transplant is suppressed. It is possible to increase the effectiveness of obtaining.

The block diagram which shows the apparatus configuration in 1st Embodiment of a cell transplantation apparatus. The cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the needle-shaped part and the holding part provided in the cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the suction process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the holding process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the accommodating process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the insertion process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the arrangement process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the holding part in 2nd Embodiment of a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the accommodating process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the insertion process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus. The process chart which shows the arrangement process in the transplantation method using a cell transplantation apparatus.

(First Embodiment)
A first embodiment of the cell transplantation apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.
[Transplant target]
The cell transplantation device of the present embodiment is used for transplanting a transplant into a living body. The transplant contains a group of cells to be transplanted into a living body and a protective solution for protecting the group of cells. The target site to which the transplant is transplanted is, for example, intradermally and at least one subcutaneously, or in a tissue such as an organ.

The cell group may be an aggregate of a plurality of aggregated cells, an aggregate of a plurality of cells bound by cell-cell binding, or may be composed of a plurality of dispersed cells. The cells constituting the cell group may be undifferentiated cells, cells that have been completely differentiated, or may contain both undifferentiated cells and differentiated cells. The cell group is, for example, a cell mass that is a spheroid, a primordium, a tissue, an organ, an organoid, a mini-organ, or the like.

A group of cells has the ability to act on tissue formation in a living body by being placed at a target site. An example of a cell group is a cell aggregate containing cells having stem cell properties. An example of a cell group contributes to hair growth or hair growth by being placed intradermally or subcutaneously. These cell groups have the ability to function as hair follicle organs, differentiate into hair follicle organs, induce or promote the formation of hair follicle organs, and induce or promote the formation of hair in hair follicles. Such cell groups may include cells that contribute to the control of coat color, such as pigment cells or stem cells that differentiate into pigment cells, or may include vasculature cells.

The cell group in this embodiment is a primitive organ primordium. Organ primordia include mesenchymal cells and epithelial cells. Organ primordiums include hair follicle primordiums that differentiate into hair follicle organs, liver primordiums, kidney primordia and pancreatic primordiums, nervous system primordia, and vascular primordia. The hair follicle primordium is a mixture of mesenchymal cells derived from mesenchymal tissue such as the hair papilla and epithelial cells derived from epithelial tissue located in the bulge region or the base of the hair bulb under predetermined conditions. Formed by However, the method for producing the hair follicle primordium is not limited to the above-mentioned example. The origin of the mesenchymal cells and epithelial cells used in the production of hair follicle primordia is also not limited, and these cells may be derived from the hair follicle organ or are different from the hair follicle organ. It may be an organ-derived cell or a cell derived from a pluripotent stem cell.

The cell group does not have to be a cell group that contributes to hair growth or hair growth, and exerts a desired effect by being arranged in at least one of the skin and subcutaneously, or in a tissue such as an organ. It may be a cell group. For example, the cell group transplanted to the skin region may be a cell group that exerts an effect in cosmetic applications such as elimination of wrinkles in the skin and improvement of a moisturizing state.

The protective liquid may be any liquid that does not easily inhibit the survival of cells, and is preferably a liquid that has little effect on the living body when injected into the living body. For example, the protective solution is a saline solution, a skin-protecting liquid such as petrolatum or a lotion, or a mixture of these liquids. The protective solution may be a medium for cell culture or a liquid exchanged from the medium. The protective solution may contain additive components such as nutritional components. Further, the liquid material containing the cell group and the protective liquid may be a low-viscosity fluid or a high-viscosity fluid.

[Cell transplant device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the cell transplantation device 100 includes a needle-shaped portion 10 extending along one direction, a holding portion 20 located inside the needle-shaped portion 10 and holding an implant, and a needle-shaped portion 10. A drive unit 30 is provided to move the holding unit 20 and the holding unit 20 relatively.

The needle-shaped portion 10 has a tubular shape. The tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 is not particularly limited in other shapes as long as it has a shape capable of piercing a target portion in a living body and a rigidity. The needle-shaped portion 10 extends in a cylindrical shape, for example, and the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 has a shape in which the cylinder is cut diagonally with respect to the extending direction and is sharp. The material constituting the needle-shaped portion 10 is a metal, an alloy, or a resin.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 20 includes a tubular tubular support portion 21 located inside the needle-shaped portion 10, and a contact portion 22 located at the tip of the tubular support portion 21. The tubular support portion 21 has a shape extending along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion 10. There is a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the needle-shaped portion 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular support portion 21 so that the tubular support portion 21 can move along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion 10. ing. The tubular support portion 21 has a position in which the tip portion of the tubular support portion 21 does not protrude from the opening 11 of the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 and a needle-shaped portion 10 in which the tip portion of the tubular support portion 21 protrudes from the opening 11. Move to and from the outside position of.

The tubular support portion 21 is connected to a drive unit 30 for performing suction in the cylinder in the tubular support portion 21 and pressurization in the cylinder in the tubular support portion 21. The drive unit 30 sucks the inside of the tubular support portion 21 and sucks the transplant toward the holding portion 20. The drive unit 30 sends air into the cylinder of the tubular support portion 21 to separate the implant from the holding portion 20. The inner diameter of the tubular support portion 21 is preferably large enough to exert a sufficient suction force to attract the transplant, and is large enough to prevent the cell group from entering the tubular support portion 21. Is preferable.

The contact portion 22 has an annular shape over the entire circumference at the tip opening of the tubular support portion 21. The contact portion 22 is a portion of the holding portion 20 facing the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10 at a position where the tip end portion of the tubular support portion 21 does not protrude from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10. The portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 facing the opening 11 is a portion of the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10 facing the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10. In other words, the portion of the holding portion 20 facing the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10 is the portion of the holding portion 20 where the cell group sucked from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10 of the holding portion 20 is likely to come into contact. .. There is a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the needle-shaped portion 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the contact portion 22 so that the contact portion 22 can move along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion 10. The inner diameter of the contact portion 22 has a size such that the entire cell group does not enter the inside of the contact portion 22. The inner diameter of the contact portion 22 is large enough to exert a sufficient suction force to attract the implant. The contact portion 22 holds the cell group attracted toward the holding portion 20 and suppresses the movement of the cell group from the tip end to the proximal end of the tubular support portion 21.

The material constituting the tubular support portion 21 is a metal, an alloy, or a resin. The material constituting the contact portion 22 has a low rubber hardness which is lower rigidity than the material constituting the needle-shaped portion 10. Further, the material constituting the contact portion 22 preferably has a lower rubber hardness than the material constituting the tubular support portion 21. The contact portion 22 may be made of a material that does not place an excessive burden on the cell group when holding the cell group. For example, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethersulfone, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, or poly. Ether Etherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyallylate, polyimide, polycarbonate, cellulose triacetate, cycloolefin polymer, polyolefin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, epoxy resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, silicone resin, and poly N-isopropylacrylamide. One or more species selected from the group consisting of.

The rubber hardness is measured by a method based on JIS K 6253. The durometer used in the measuring method incorporates a support mechanism capable of reading the indentation depth. The support mechanism sets 0 points when the pushing depth to the sample within 1 second, that is, when the pushing needle height is maximum and the displacement of the pushing needle is 0, and when the pushing height is 0. It is set to 100 points, and scales are provided at equal intervals between 0 points and 100 points. As an example, the measured value of the test piece of SUS304, which is the material constituting the tubular support portion 21, is 100 points, and the measured value of the test piece of the silicone resin, which is the material constituting the contact portion 22, is 50 points.

The contact portion 22 may have a shape capable of holding a cell group. The contact portion 22 may be located over the entire circumferential direction of the tubular support portion 21, or may be located only in a part of the circumferential direction of the tubular support portion 21. The shape of the contact portion 22 may be an annular shape having a circular shape in a cross section passing through the central axis of the tubular support portion 21, or the inner diameter is reduced from the tip end to the base end of the tubular support portion 21. It may be an annular shape with a diameter. When the cell group is considered to be a sphere, it is preferable that the contact portion 22 has a hemispherically recessed shape. The more the contact portion 22 is in contact with the cell group, the smaller the pressure applied per unit area of the cell group can be reduced. The surface of the contact portion 22 is preferably smoother than the inner peripheral surface of the needle-shaped portion 10, and preferably smoother than the inner peripheral surface of the tubular support portion 21.

For example, when a cell group is a group of cells that contributes to hair growth or hair growth and is an aggregate of cells such as cell aggregates, the diameter of the sphere when this cell group is approximated to a sphere, that is, cells The diameter of the smallest sphere circumscribing the group is 0.1 mm or more and 1 mm or less. In this case, the inner diameter di2 of the tubular support portion 21 is selected from, for example, a range of 0.05 mm or more and 1.1 mm or less, and the inner diameter di1 of the needle-shaped portion 10 is, for example, a range of 0.2 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less. Is selected from.

As another example, when the approximate diameter of the cell group is 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less, the inner diameter di2 of the tubular support portion 21 is 0.10 mm, and the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21 is The needle-shaped portion 10 has an inner diameter of 0.22 mm, the needle-shaped portion 10 has an inner diameter of 0.22 mm, and the needle-shaped portion 10 has an outer diameter of 0.4 mm. In this case, a 27G injection needle is used as the needle-shaped portion 10.

As another example, when the approximate diameter of the cell group is 0.2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less, the inner diameter di2 of the tubular support portion 21 is 0.17 mm, and the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21 is The needle-shaped portion 10 has an inner diameter of 0.36 mm, the inner diameter di1 of the needle-shaped portion 10 is 0.40 mm, and the outer diameter do1 of the needle-shaped portion 10 is 0.5 mm. In this case, a 25G injection needle is used as the needle-shaped portion 10.

The outer diameter of the contact portion 22 may be equal to or larger than the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21, or may be smaller than the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21, but the outer diameter of the tubular support portion 21 may be smaller. It is preferably equal to do2 or larger than the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21. The inner diameter of the contact portion 22 may be larger or smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular support portion 21, but is preferably equal to or smaller than the inner diameter di2 of the tubular support portion 21. The fact that the inner diameter of the contact portion 22 is smaller than the inner diameter di2 of the tubular support portion 21 can increase the probability that the central portion of the implant is held by the contact portion 22.

[Cell transplantation method]
A cell transplantation method using the cell transplantation device 100 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, before transplantation, the cell group Cg is held in a tray 50 such as a culture vessel together with the protective solution Pl. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cell group Cg is placed in the recess 51 of the tray 50. Then, in the tray 50, the protective liquid Pl is put in the inside of the recess 51 and the entire region on the recess 51. The holding mode of the cell group Cg and the protective liquid Pl in the tray 50 is not limited to the form in which the protective liquid Pl is held in the entire area of the tray 50 including the recess 51 and the cell group Cg is held in the recess 51, for example. The cell group Cg and the protective solution Pl may be arranged on the plane of the tray 50.

The protective liquid Pl may be any liquid that does not easily inhibit the survival of cells, and is preferably a liquid that has a small effect on the living body when injected into the living body. For example, the protective liquid Pl is a liquid that protects the skin such as physiological saline, petrolatum, and a lotion, or a mixture of these liquids. The protective liquid Pl may contain an additive component such as a nutritional component. When the tray 50 is a culture vessel and the cell group Cg is cultured in the tray 50, the protective solution Pl may be a medium for culturing cells, or may be a liquid exchanged from the medium. There may be. The liquid containing the cell group Cg and the protective solution Pl can be a low-viscosity fluid or a high-viscosity fluid.

When the cell group Cg is taken into the needle-shaped portion 10, the cell transplanting device 100 is in a state where the contact portion 22 protrudes from the opening 11 at the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10. Then, the contact portion 22 is brought close to the cell group Cg in the protective solution Pl, and the inside of the tubular support portion 21 is sucked. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the cell group Cg is attracted to the contact portion 22, and the cell group Cg is held by the contact portion 22. After that, as shown in FIG. 5, by moving the tubular support portion 21 with respect to the needle-shaped portion 10, the contact portion 22 is pulled into the needle-shaped portion 10, and along with this, the cell group Cg also increases. It is housed inside the needle-shaped portion 10. The cell group Cg is taken up together with the protective solution Pl, and the protective solution Pl is located around the cell group Cg inside the needle-shaped portion 10.

The cell transplantation device 100 in which the cell group Cg is housed in the needle-shaped portion 10 is carried to the target site in the skin Sk of the living body, and as shown in FIG. 6, the needle-shaped portion 10 is stabbed in the target site. At this time, since the cell group Cg and the contact portion 22 are housed inside the needle-shaped portion 10, the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 is located at the tip of the cell transplantation device 100. Since the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 has a shape that easily sticks into the living body, the cell transplantation device 100 can smoothly enter the target site.

When the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 enters the target portion, as shown in FIG. 7, the needle-shaped portion 10 is pulled toward the proximal end side with respect to the tubular support portion 21. That is, the positions of the cell group Cg held by the tubular support portion 21 and the contact portion 22 do not change, and the needle-shaped portion 10 is retracted in the direction of being pulled out from the target site. As a result, the cell group Cg and the contact portion 22 protrude from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10, and as a result, the cells are placed in the space where the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 is located inside the target site. The group Cg and the contact portion 22 are arranged. The retention of the cell group Cg is released due to the contact between the cell group Cg and the surrounding tissue, and the cell group Cg is placed at the target site away from the contact portion 22. The inside of the tubular support portion 21 may be pressurized in order to assist in releasing the retention of the cell group Cg. After that, the needle-shaped portion 10 and the tubular support portion 21 are pulled out from the target portion.

At this time, since the tubular support portion 21 moves with respect to the needle-shaped portion 10 so that the contact portion 22 protrudes from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10, the cell group Cg is held by the contact portion 22. At the same time, the cell group Cg goes out of the needle-shaped portion 10 and is placed at the target site. For example, when the cell group Cg is to be placed at the target site only by the flow of a liquid such as a protective liquid Pl, the cells are densely packed in the tissue of the living body, so that the permeation rate of the liquid is slow and the cell group Cg becomes It is difficult to separate from the needle-shaped portion 10. On the other hand, if the cell group Cg goes out of the needle-shaped part 10 by the relative movement of the needle-shaped part 10 and the tubular support part 21, the cell group Cg easily goes out of the needle-shaped part 10. The cell group Cg can be smoothly placed at the target site.

In particular, since the needle-shaped portion 10 is pulled toward the base end side with respect to the tubular support portion 21, the contact portion 22 is in a state of protruding from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10, so that the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 is formed. The cell group Cg can be placed in the space through which the part has passed. That is, since the space for arranging the cell group Cg is formed in advance by passing through the needle-shaped portion 10, the magnitude of the pressure that the cell group Cg receives from the tissue when arranging the cell group Cg can be reduced.

Further, as compared with the case where the cell group Cg is arranged at the target site only by the flow of the liquid, it is easy to control the arrangement position of the cell group Cg in the direction along the surface of the target site and the depth direction. That is, since the cell group Cg is arranged at a position following the position of the contact portion 22, the arrangement position of the cell group Cg can be accurately controlled by controlling the position of the contact portion 22. Specifically, when the cell group Cg is arranged at the target site by pulling the needle-shaped portion 10 toward the proximal end side with respect to the tubular support portion 21, the needle-shaped portion 10 and the contact portion 22 are arranged. That is, the arrangement position of the cell group Cg can be controlled by controlling the position and depth of the needle-shaped portion 10 and controlling the position and depth of the contact portion 22.

As described above, according to the cell transplantation apparatus of the first embodiment, the effects listed below can be obtained.
(1) Because the cell group Cg attracted by suction by the tubular support portion 21 comes into contact with the contact portion 22, and because the contact portion 22 having a rigidity lower than that of the needle-shaped portion 10 holds the cell group Cg. , It becomes possible to suppress the decrease in the activity of the cell group Cg.

(2) Since the tubular support portion 21 having a higher rigidity than the contact portion 22 supports the contact portion 22, the position of the contact portion 22 can be stably determined. Then, the contact portion 22 facilitates holding the cell group Cg.

(3) Prior to accommodating the cell group Cg, the cell group Cg is held by the contact portion 22 in a state where the contact portion 22 protrudes from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10. As a result, the cell group Cg comes into contact with the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion 10 as compared with the case where the cell group Cg is sucked into the needle-shaped portion 10 and then held by the contact portion 22. Can be suppressed. Therefore, the decrease in activity of the cell group Cg caused by the contact of the cell group Cg with the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion 10 is further suppressed.

(4) When arranging the cell group Cg, the holding portion 20 moves relatively toward the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10, whereby the cell group Cg housed inside the needle-shaped portion 10 is moved toward the holding portion. While being supported by 20, the cell group Cg emerges from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10. Therefore, the collision of the cell group Cg with the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion 10 is suppressed, and the decrease in activity of the cell group Cg caused by the contact of the cell group Cg with the inner wall of the needle-shaped portion 10 is further suppressed.

(5) The contact portion 22 that holds the cell group Cg is located inside the needle-shaped portion 10 from the time when the cell group Cg is housed in the needle-shaped portion 10 until the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 is inserted into the living body. .. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the activity of the cell group Cg due to the external environment and the decrease in the activity of the cell group Cg due to the pressure generated when the needle-shaped portion 10 is inserted into the living body. It is possible.

(6) Since the cell group Cg can be continuously taken out from the tray 50 and placed at the target site by one cell transplantation device, the cell group can be smoothly transplanted.
(7) Since the contact portion 22 is located at the tip opening of the tubular support portion 21 for sucking the transplanted product, it becomes easy to hold the cell group Cg in the contact portion 22. Then, it becomes easy to maintain the state in which the cell group Cg is supported by the holding portion 20 from the time when the cell group Cg is accommodated inside the needle-shaped portion 10 until it is arranged at the target site.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the cell transplantation apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. The cell transplantation device in the second embodiment has a different structure of the holding portion from the cell transplantation device in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same configurations as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[Cell transplant device]
As shown in FIG. 8, the holding portion 26 includes a columnar support portion 24, which is an example of a support portion located inside the needle-shaped portion 10, and a contact portion 22 located at the tip of the columnar support portion 24. The columnar support portion 24 has a shape extending inside the needle-shaped portion 10 along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion 10. The columnar support portion 24 is a rod-shaped structure having no space inside the columnar support portion 24. There is a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the columnar support portion 24 and the inner peripheral surface of the needle-shaped portion 10 so that the cell group Cg does not enter and the protective liquid Pl passes through. .. The columnar support portion 24 is provided at a position where the tip of the columnar support portion 24 does not protrude from the opening 11 of the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10, and the tip of the columnar support portion 24 protrudes from the opening 11 to the outside of the needle-shaped portion 10. Move to and from the position where it is out.

The needle-shaped portion 10 is connected to a drive unit 30 for performing suction in the cylinder in the needle-shaped portion 10 and pressurization in the cylinder in the needle-shaped portion 10. The drive unit 30 sucks between the needle-shaped part 10 and the columnar support part 24 and sucks the implant toward the holding part 20. The drive unit 30 sends air between the needle-shaped portion 10 and the columnar support portion 24 to separate the implant from the holding portion 20. The outer diameter of the columnar support portion 24 is preferably large enough to exert sufficient suction force to attract the implant, and is large enough to prevent the cell group from entering between the needle-shaped portion 10 and the columnar support portion 24. It is preferable that the diameter is small.

The contact portion 22 has a columnar shape that covers the entire tip of the columnar support portion 24. There is a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the needle-shaped portion 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the contact portion 22 so that the contact portion 22 can move along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion 10. The outer diameter of the contact portion 22 has a size such that the entire cell group does not enter between the contact portion 22 and the needle-shaped portion 10. The gap between the contact portion 22 and the needle-shaped portion 10 is large enough to exert sufficient suction force to attract the implant. The contact portion 22 holds the cell group attracted toward the holding portion 20 and suppresses the movement of the cell group from the tip end to the proximal end of the tubular support portion 21.

The material constituting the columnar support portion 24 is a metal, an alloy, or a resin. The material constituting the contact portion 22 has a low rubber hardness which is lower rigidity than the material constituting the needle-shaped portion 10. Further, the material constituting the contact portion 22 preferably has a lower rubber hardness than the material constituting the columnar support portion 24. The contact portion 22 may be made of a material that does not place an excessive burden on the cell group when holding the cell group. For example, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethersulfone, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, or poly. Ether Etherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyallylate, polyimide, polycarbonate, cellulose triacetate, cycloolefin polymer, polyolefin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, epoxy resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, silicone resin, and poly N-isopropylacrylamide. One or more species selected from the group consisting of.

[Cell transplantation method]
A method of transplanting a transplant using the cell transplant device 120 will be described.
When the cell group Cg is taken into the needle-shaped portion 10, the contact portion 22 is in a state of being located inside the needle-shaped portion 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 is directed to the cell group Cg, and the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10 is sucked, so that the cell group Cg is needle-shaped from the opening 11 together with the protective liquid Pl. It is housed inside the part 10. Since the columnar support portion 24 is located inside the needle-shaped portion 10, the cell group Cg is retained in the region on the tip side of the contact portion 22 inside the needle-shaped portion 10. At this time, the cell group Cg is held not in the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10 or the tip of the columnar support portion 24, but in the contact portion 22 having a lower rigidity than the needle-shaped portion 10 or the columnar support portion 24. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the activity of the cell group Cg.

The cell transplantation device 120 in which the cell group Cg is housed in the needle-shaped portion 10 is carried to the target site in the skin Sk of the living body, and as shown in FIG. 10, the needle-shaped portion 10 is stabbed in the target site. At this time, since the cell group Cg and the contact portion 22 are housed inside the needle-shaped portion 10, the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 is located at the tip of the cell transplantation device 100. Since the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 has a shape that easily sticks into the living body, the cell transplantation device 100 can smoothly enter the target site.

When the tip of the needle-shaped portion 10 enters the target portion, as shown in FIG. 11, the needle-shaped portion 10 is pulled toward the proximal end side with respect to the columnar support portion 24. That is, the positions of the cell group Cg held by the columnar support portion 24 and the contact portion 22 do not change, and the needle-shaped portion 10 is retracted in the direction of being pulled out from the target site. As a result, the cell group Cg and the contact portion 22 protrude from the opening 11 of the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10, and as a result, the space where the tip portion of the needle-shaped portion 10 is located inside the target site. The cell group Cg and the contact portion 22 are arranged therein. After that, the needle-shaped portion 10 and the columnar support portion 24 are pulled out from the target portion.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects according to the above (1) to (7).
(8) The holding portion 26 moves relative to the needle-shaped portion 10 until the tip of the columnar support portion 24 protrudes from the opening 11 of the needle-shaped portion 10. Therefore, the cell group Cg is supported by the holding portion 26 until the cell group Cg comes out of the needle-shaped portion 10. Therefore, the cell group Cg can be smoothly arranged at the target site.

Each of the above embodiments can be modified as follows.
-In the first embodiment, the cell group Cg may be taken up in a state where the tip end portion of the tubular support portion 21 is located inside the needle-shaped portion 10. That is, with the tip of the tubular support portion 21 located inside the needle-shaped portion 10, the inside of the tubular support portion 21 is sucked, whereby the cell group Cg is drawn into the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10. The cell group Cg may be held at the tip of the tubular support portion 21.

At this time, instead of the tubular support portion 21, a suction mechanism may be connected to the needle-shaped portion 10 so that the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10 is sucked. Then, even if the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10 is sucked, the gap between the needle-shaped portion 10 and the tubular support portion 21 is sucked, and the cell group Cg is drawn into the inside of the needle-shaped portion 10. good.

-The tubular support portion 21 may be fixed to the needle-shaped portion 10 and immovable with respect to the needle-shaped portion 10. Further, the columnar support portion 24 may be fixed to the needle-shaped portion 10 and immovable with respect to the needle-shaped portion 10. Further, the contact portion 22 may be fixed in the cylinder of the needle-shaped portion 10 and immovable with respect to the needle-shaped portion 10. At this time, the tubular support portion 21 or the columnar support portion 24 may be omitted from the holding portion 20.

The outer diameter of the contact portion 22 may be larger than the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21. The fact that the outer diameter of the contact portion 22 is larger than the outer diameter do2 of the tubular support portion 21 makes it possible to easily hold the cell group Cg in the contact portion 22.

10 ... Needle-shaped part 11 ... Opening 20, 26 ... Holding part 21 ... Cylindrical support part 22 ... Contact part 24 ... Columnar support part 30 ... Drive part 50 ... Tray 51 ... Recessed parts 100, 120 ... Cell transplantation device.

Claims (6)

A cell transplant device for placing a transplant in a living body.
A needle-shaped part with a tubular shape and
A holding portion located in the cylinder of the needle-shaped portion, which includes the holding portion for holding a group of cells contained in the implant sucked from the opening of the needle-shaped portion.
The holding portion is a cell transplantation device having a lower rigidity than the needle-shaped portion at a portion facing the opening of the needle-shaped portion. The holding portion includes a support portion along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion and a contact portion located at the tip of the support portion and having a rigidity lower than that of the support portion to hold the cell group. The cell transplantation apparatus according to claim 1. The support portion has a tubular shape along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion, and is a tubular support portion that is sucked into the cylinder.
The cell transplantation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion has an annular shape over the entire circumferential direction of the support portion at the tip opening of the support portion. The support portion is a columnar support portion that has a columnar shape along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion and is attracted to the gap with the needle-shaped portion.
The cell transplantation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion covers the entire tip surface of the support portion. The contact portion is located relative to the needle-shaped portion between the inside of the needle-shaped portion and the position protruding from the opening of the needle-shaped portion along the extending direction of the needle-shaped portion. The cell transplantation apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, which is configured to be movable. The cell transplantation apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the material constituting the contact portion is at least one selected from the group consisting of silicone, polystyrene, and poly N-isopropylacrylamide.

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