JP3196673U - Culture vessel adapter and culture medium supply system provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A culture vessel adapter that can be satisfactorily attached to a culture vessel without using a fixing member, and a culture medium supply system including the same. An adapter 33 includes a main body 331 that is elastically deformed by being attached to a culture vessel 32 and closes an opening 323 of the culture vessel. The main body is formed with a medium introduction port 335 for introducing a medium into the culture container and a medium outlet 336 for deriving the medium in the culture container. On the outer peripheral surface 334 of the main body, a tapered surface that is inclined at an angle of 1 to 30 mm with respect to the direction of the axis L1 is formed. By sliding the tapered surface along the inner surface of the culture container, the main body can be easily fitted into the culture container, and the elastically deformed main body can be favorably held in the culture container. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a culture vessel adapter attached to a culture vessel and a medium supply system provided with the same.

  A culture container such as a dish used for cell culture contains a medium therein, and cells are cultured in the medium. Since waste materials accumulate in the culture medium in the culture vessel over time, it is necessary to periodically change the culture medium. Usually, when exchanging the culture medium, the culture container is moved from the incubator to an aseptic environment, and after exchanging the medium in the aseptic environment, the culture container is returned to the incubator. On the other hand, when a cell culture device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is used, the medium is exchanged by introducing the medium from the medium supply unit to the cell culture device in the incubator via a pipe. be able to.

  When the medium in the culture container is periodically replaced, the culture environment changes greatly every time the medium is replaced. Originally, in the living body, since the cells are always in a stable environment due to the circulation of body fluids, it is preferable to keep the culture environment in the culture vessel stable. However, if the culture environment changes greatly each time the medium is changed as described above, the culture environment is different from the original environment in the living body.

  If a cell culture device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is used, the above-described problems can be prevented because the medium is continuously introduced. However, on the other hand, the culture vessels that have been used for many years have many variations such as materials or coatings suitable for various cultures, and data on each variation has been accumulated. In some cases it may be desirable to use a container.

  Then, this inventor proposed the adapter for culture containers which can be attached with respect to the existing culture container (refer the following patent document 2). If such an adapter is used, it is possible to perform culture while continuously introducing the medium into the culture container simply by attaching the adapter body to the existing culture container. Culture in a stable and stable culture environment.

JP 2011-244713 A Utility Model Registration No. 3192421

  However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to use a fixing member (jig) in order to sandwich and fix the adapter and the culture vessel. For this reason, the fixing operation of the adapter to the culture vessel is complicated. In particular, when cell culture is simultaneously performed using a large number of culture vessels, the fixing operation as described above becomes more complicated.

  Further, in the configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 2, installation space for the fixing member is required above and below the culture vessel. For this reason, when the worker performs operations such as observation, analysis, and measurement, the fixing member sometimes becomes an obstacle.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a culture vessel adapter that can be satisfactorily attached to a culture vessel without using a fixing member, and a culture medium supply system including the same. To do.

  The culture vessel adapter according to the present invention includes a main body that is elastically deformed by being attached to the culture vessel and closes the opening of the culture vessel. The main body is formed with a medium inlet for introducing a medium into the culture container and a medium outlet for deriving the medium in the culture container. At least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the main body is formed with a tapered surface inclined at an angle of 1 to 30 ° with respect to the axial direction.

  According to such a configuration, the main body can be easily fitted into the culture container by sliding the tapered surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the culture container adapter along the inner surface of the culture container. At the same time, the elastically deformed main body can be favorably held in the culture vessel. That is, the main body can be elastically deformed when the tapered surface is brought into sliding contact with the inner surface of the culture vessel, and the main body can be held in the culture vessel by the elastic force. Moreover, since the taper surface is inclined at an angle of 1 to 30 ° with respect to the axial direction of the main body, when the main body is fitted into the culture vessel along the axial direction, the taper surface and the inner surface of the culture vessel It is possible to prevent the resistance between them from becoming too large.

  Thereby, the adapter for culture vessels can be favorably attached to the culture vessel without using a fixing member. Therefore, even in an observation system or measurement system that requires the culture vessel to be mounted or fixed on the apparatus, the fixing member does not get in the way, and the culture vessel adapter can be easily attached to the culture vessel. The medium can be continuously or intermittently supplied into the culture container.

  In addition, if the angle of the tapered surface with respect to the axial direction of the main body is too large, not only does the main body become difficult to enter the culture vessel, but also the gap between the tapered surface and the inner surface of the culture vessel increases, May enter. If the angle is set to an appropriate value as in the present invention, a gap is hardly generated between the tapered surface and the inner surface of the culture vessel, and the medium can be prevented from entering the gap.

  The main body may be formed in a U-shaped cross section by forming a concave portion at the center thereof, and the tapered surface may be formed at least at a part of the outer peripheral surface.

  According to such a structure, since the recessed part is formed in the center part of a main body, even if it is a case where the transparency of a main body is not high, it is easy to observe the inside of a culture container through the bottom face of a recessed part. Further, when the main body is formed using a material having gas permeability, the gas permeability can be further improved by forming the recess. Furthermore, the concave portion is formed in the central portion of the main body, so that it can be easily elastically deformed when the main body is fitted into the culture vessel, and the elastic force of the main body is increased to better hold in the culture vessel. be able to.

  The main body may be entirely formed of PDMS.

  According to such a configuration, since the main body is formed using PDMS having gas permeability, even when the opening of the culture container is closed with the main body, gas is transmitted between the inside and the outside of the culture container. Can be made. In addition, since the concave portion is formed in the central portion of the main body made of PDMS having high transparency, the inside of the culture vessel is very easily observed. Furthermore, since PDMS has moderate elasticity, the main body can be satisfactorily held in the culture vessel with moderate elasticity by forming a recess in the central portion of the main body made of PDMS. In addition, by forming the main body using PDMS, the culture vessel adapter can be sterilized and repeatedly used by autoclave sterilization, so that the running cost can be reduced and the main body can be easily molded. There is also an effect that.

  At least one of the culture medium inlet and the culture medium outlet may be open in a direction inclined with respect to the axis of the main body.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being mixed into the culture container when the tube is inserted into and removed from the medium introduction port or the medium outlet port. That is, since the medium introduction port or the medium outlet port is opened in a direction inclined with respect to the axis of the main body, the medium introduction port or the medium is compared with the case of opening along the axis of the main body. Foreign matter is less likely to enter the culture vessel through the outlet.

  The culture vessel adapter may further include a flow path member. The flow path member is provided in the culture vessel and forms a flow path that connects the medium introduction port and the medium discharge port by contacting the lower surface of the main body.

  According to such a configuration, when the flow path member abuts on the lower surface of the main body, the flow path that communicates the medium introduction port and the medium discharge port is defined in a specific shape. Thereby, for example, an optimal culture environment can be set according to the object, such as providing a culture region having a specific shape in the middle of the flow path.

  The culture vessel adapter may further include a positioning portion for positioning the main body and the flow path member.

  According to such a configuration, since the positional relationship between the main body and the flow path member in the culture vessel can be kept constant, the culture medium introduction port and the culture medium discharge port are arranged with respect to the flow path formed by the flow path member. It can always communicate with high accuracy.

  The culture medium supply system according to the present invention includes the culture container adapter and a culture medium supply unit that supplies the culture medium into the culture container via the culture container adapter.

  According to the present invention, by sliding the tapered surface formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the culture vessel adapter along the inner surface of the culture vessel, the main body can be easily fitted into the culture vessel, Since the elastically deformed main body can be favorably held in the culture container, the culture container adapter can be favorably attached to the culture container without using a fixing member.

It is the schematic which showed the structural example of the culture medium supply system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of a culture part. It is a side view of an adapter. It is a top view of an adapter. It is the side view which showed the modification of the adapter. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the adapter of FIG. 4A. It is a side view of the adapter which concerns on another embodiment. It is a side view of a main body. It is a top view of a main body. It is a side view of a channel member. It is a top view of a channel member. It is sectional drawing of the culture part to which the adapter was applied. It is the side view which showed the modification of the adapter.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a culture medium supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This culture medium supply system is a system for supplying a culture medium from the culture medium supply unit 1 to the culture unit 3 via the valve 2. A plurality of culture units 3 are connected to the valve 2. The valve 2 and each culture unit 3 are provided, for example, in an incubator 4 whose interior is maintained at a constant temperature, and from a medium supply unit 1 provided outside the incubator 4 via a single pipe 11. A culture medium is supplied into the incubator 4.

  The culture medium supply unit 1 includes a culture medium storage unit 12 and a pump 13. The culture medium stored in the culture medium storage unit 12 is sucked up by a pump 13 constituted by, for example, a syringe pump, and supplied from the pump 13 to the valve 2 in the incubator 4 through the pipe 11.

  The valve 2 is a medium valve for switching the flow path of the medium supplied from the medium supply unit 1, and is connected to the plurality of culture units 3 through different pipes 20. In this example, eight culture units 3 are provided in the incubator 4, and the flow path of the culture medium from the culture medium supply unit 1 to each culture unit 3 can be switched by the valve 2.

  Each culture unit 3 accommodates a medium supplied from the medium supply unit 1 through the valve 2, and the cells are cultured in the medium. Each culture unit 3 is connected to the waste liquid storage unit 5 via a different pipe 31. The medium can be exchanged by discharging the medium in each culture unit 3 to the waste liquid storage unit 5 and supplying a new medium from the medium supply unit 1 into each culture unit 3. The medium exchange may be performed continuously by continuously supplying the medium from the medium supply unit 1 to each culture unit 3 or intermittently by supplying the medium every predetermined time. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, the valve 2 is operated by compressed air supplied from the air supply unit 6 via the pipe 61. The air supply unit 6 and the pump 13 are electrically connected to the control unit 7. The control unit 7 controls the operation of the culture medium supply unit 1 (pump 13) and also controls the operation of the valve 2 via the air supply unit 6 to automatically switch the culture medium flow path. The control part 7 can be comprised by a personal computer or PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) etc., for example.

  However, the number of culture units 3 is not limited to eight, and may be two or more. Alternatively, the valve 2 may be omitted, and the culture medium may be supplied from the culture medium supply unit 1 to one culture unit 3.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the culture unit 3. In this embodiment, the culture part 3 is comprised by the culture container 32 and the adapter 33, and it attaches by fitting the adapter 33 from the opening part 323 formed in the upper surface of the culture container 32. FIG. The medium from the medium supply unit 1 is supplied into the culture container 32 via the adapter 33. The inner diameter of the culture vessel 32 (opening 323) is, for example, 35 mm, but is not limited to such a value.

  If the adapter 33 as in this embodiment is used, cells are adhered by performing normal culture in the culture container 32 for a certain period (for example, one day), and then the adapter 33 is attached to the culture container 32 to supply the medium. It is also possible to supply the culture medium from the part 1 into the culture vessel 32. The culture vessel 32 is an existing one that is commercially available, and is a general dish in which an annular side surface 322 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of a circular bottom surface 321. An upper end edge of the annular side surface 322 constitutes an opening 323 of the culture vessel 32. However, the culture container 32 is not limited to a dish, and other arbitrary shaped containers can be used. In addition, the culture vessel 32 may be provided with electrical components such as electrodes or wiring.

  FIG. 3A is a side view of the adapter 33. FIG. 3B is a plan view of the adapter 33. The adapter 33 includes a main body 331 that is elastically deformed by being attached to the culture vessel 32 and closes the opening 323 of the culture vessel 32. The main body 331 is entirely made of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), for example. Since PDMS is a gas-permeable material, gas can be transmitted between the inside and outside of the culture vessel 32 even when the opening 323 of the culture vessel 32 is closed by the main body 331.

  The main body 331 is formed in a circular shape in plan view, and the outer peripheral surface 334 is formed by a tapered surface so that the lower surface 333 is smaller in diameter than the upper surface 332. More specifically, the upper surface 332 has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the culture vessel 32 (opening 323), and the lower surface 333 has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the culture vessel 32 (opening 323). The entire outer peripheral surface 334 is formed by a smooth truncated cone-shaped tapered surface that connects the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 332 and the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface 333. In this example, the diameter of the upper surface 332 of the main body 331 is set to 36 mm, the diameter of the lower surface 333 is set to 34 mm, and the height is set to 10 mm, but it is not limited to such values.

  In the main body 331, a medium introduction port 335 for introducing a medium into the culture container 32 and a medium outlet 336 for deriving the medium in the culture container 32 are formed. The inner diameters of the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336 are, for example, 2.5 mm. A connecting tube 337 is inserted into the medium introduction port 335, and a connecting tube 338 is inserted into the medium outlet 336. The connecting pipes 337 and 338 have an outer diameter of 2.5 mm and an inner diameter of 1.5 mm, for example, and are formed of silicon rubber.

  On the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface 333 of the main body 331, a plurality of convex portions 339 are formed along the outer peripheral edge. Each convex part 339 is, for example, a cylindrical shape, and protrudes toward the culture container 32 with the same length. Each of the convex portions 339 has a height of 2 mm and an outer diameter of 2 mm, for example, and six are provided along the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface 333 of the main body 331 at equal intervals. However, the dimension and number of each convex part 339 are not restricted to the above values.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the main body 331 is fitted in the culture vessel 32, the front end surface of each convex portion 339 contacts the bottom surface 321 of the culture vessel 32. As a result, a culture region 34 communicating with the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336 is formed between the lower surface 333 of the main body 331 of the adapter 33 and the bottom surface 321 of the culture vessel 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pipe 20 that communicates with the culture medium supply unit 1 is connected to the connection pipe 337, and the culture medium can be introduced into the culture medium inlet 335 through the pipe 20. A pipe 31 communicating with the waste liquid storage unit 5 is connected to the connection pipe 338, and the medium can be led out from the medium outlet 336 via the pipe 31.

  Therefore, it is possible to perform the culture while continuously introducing the medium into the culture container 32 simply by attaching the main body 331 to the existing culture container 32. Thereby, it can culture | cultivate in the stable culture environment using the existing culture container 32. FIG. However, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the connection pipes 337 and 338 are inserted into the culture medium introduction port 335 and the culture medium discharge port 336, respectively, and the configuration is such that the pipes 20 and 31 are directly inserted into the culture medium introduction port 335 and the culture medium discharge port 336. There may be.

  In the present embodiment, the main body 331 can be easily fitted into the culture container 32 by sliding the tapered surface formed on the outer peripheral surface 334 of the main body 331 of the adapter 33 along the inner surface of the culture container 32. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastically deformed main body 331 can be favorably held in the culture vessel 32. That is, the main body 331 can be elastically deformed when the tapered surface is slidably contacted along the inner surface of the culture vessel 32, and the main body 331 can be held in the culture vessel 32 by the elastic force.

  The tapered surface forming the outer peripheral surface 334 of the main body 331 is inclined at an angle θ of 1 to 30 ° with respect to the direction of the axis L1 of the main body 331. The angle θ is preferably 3 to 20 °, more preferably 5 to 15 °, that is, about 10 °. As described above, by appropriately setting the angle θ of the tapered surface with respect to the direction of the axis L1 of the main body 331, when the main body 331 is fitted into the culture vessel 32 along the direction of the axis L1, It is possible to prevent the resistance between the inner surface and the inner surface from becoming too large.

  Thereby, the adapter 33 can be favorably attached to the culture vessel 32 without using a fixing member. Therefore, even in an observation system or a measurement system in which the culture vessel 32 needs to be mounted or fixed on the apparatus, the fixing member does not get in the way, and the adapter 33 can be easily attached to the culture vessel 32. The culture medium can be continuously or intermittently supplied into the culture vessel 32.

  Moreover, if the angle θ of the tapered surface with respect to the axis L1 direction of the main body 331 is too large, not only does the main body 331 not easily enter the culture vessel 32, but also the gap between the tapered surface and the inner surface of the culture vessel 32 increases. There is a possibility that the medium in the culture vessel 32 may enter the gap. If the angle θ is set to an appropriate value as in the present embodiment, a gap is unlikely to be formed between the tapered surface and the inner surface of the culture vessel 32, and entry of the medium into the gap can be suppressed.

  FIG. 4A is a side view showing a modified example of the adapter 33. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the adapter 33 of FIG. 4A. In this modification, a concave portion 351 is formed in the central portion of the main body 331 of the adapter 33, and only the flow path conversion portion 352 is connected to the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336. Since other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The recess 351 is formed at the center of the upper surface 332 of the main body 331 so as to be coaxial with the axis L1. Thereby, the main body 331 has a U-shaped cross section along the direction of the axis L1. And the taper surface is formed in the whole outer peripheral surface 334 of the main body 331 formed in this way, and the whole main body 331 is formed of PDMS.

  When the concave portion 351 is formed in the central portion of the main body 331 as in this modified example, the inside of the culture vessel 32 is passed through the bottom surface 353 of the concave portion 351 even when the transparency of the main body 331 is not high. Easy to observe. Further, when the main body 331 is formed using a material having gas permeability such as PDMS, the gas permeability can be further improved by forming the recess 351. Furthermore, the concave portion 351 is formed in the central portion of the main body 331 so that the main body 331 can be easily elastically deformed when the main body 331 is fitted into the culture container 32, and the elastic force of the main body 331 is increased to increase the culture container 32. It can be held better inside.

  In particular, in this modification, the concave portion 351 is formed in the central portion of the main body 331 made of highly transparent PDMS, so that the inside of the culture vessel 32 can be very easily observed. Furthermore, since PDMS has moderate elasticity, the concave portion 351 is formed in the central portion of the main body 331 made of PDMS, so that the main body 331 can be satisfactorily held in the culture vessel 32 with appropriate elasticity. Can do. In addition, by forming the main body 331 using PDMS, the adapter 33 can be sterilized by autoclave sterilization and used repeatedly. Therefore, the running cost can be suppressed, and the main body 331 can be easily molded. There is also an effect that. However, the main body 331 is not limited to PDMS, and may be formed of another material having gas permeability such as silicon rubber other than PDMS.

  The flow path conversion unit 352 bends or curves the flow paths of the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336 extending along the axis L1, and the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336 are inclined with respect to the axis L1 of the main body 331. Open in the direction you want. The flow path conversion unit 352 is formed integrally with the main body 331, for example, above the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336.

  In this example, the flow path conversion unit 352 is provided, so that the medium introduction port 335 and the medium discharge port 336 are opened in a direction perpendicular to the axis L1 of the main body 331. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the medium introduction port 335 and the medium outlet port 336 may be configured to open in a direction inclined at an angle other than perpendicular to the axis L1 of the main body 331.

  As described above, by opening the culture medium introduction port 335 and the culture medium outlet 336 in a direction inclined with respect to the axis L1 of the main body 331, the pipes 20 and 31 are inserted into and removed from the culture medium introduction port 335 or the culture medium outlet 336. In addition, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the culture vessel 32. That is, since the culture medium introduction port 335 or the culture medium outlet 336 is opened in a direction inclined with respect to the axis L1 of the main body 331, the culture medium is compared with the case where the medium introduction port 335 or the medium outlet 336 is opened along the axis L1 of the main body 331. Foreign matter is less likely to enter the culture vessel 32 via the inlet 335 or the medium outlet 336.

  However, only one of the configuration in which the concave portion 351 is formed in the center portion of the main body 331 of the adapter 33 or the configuration in which the flow path conversion unit 352 is connected to the medium introduction port 335 and the medium outlet port 336 is employed. May be. Moreover, the structure by which the flow-path conversion part 352 was connected only to either one of the culture medium inlet 335 or the culture medium outlet 336 may be sufficient. Further, the flow path is not limited to the configuration in which the flow path is bent or curved by the flow path conversion unit 352, and the flow path of the medium introduction port 335 or the medium outlet port 336 in the main body 331 is bent, curved, or inclined. Also good.

  FIG. 5 is a side view of an adapter 36 according to another embodiment. In the present embodiment, the adapter 36 includes a main body 37 and a flow path member 38. As described above, the adapter 36 is not limited to a configuration including a single member, and may be configured by combining a plurality of members.

  FIG. 6A is a side view of the main body 37. FIG. 6B is a plan view of the main body 37. FIG. 7A is a side view of the flow path member 38. FIG. 7B is a plan view of the flow path member 38. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the culture unit 3 to which the adapter 36 is applied.

  In the present embodiment, the culture unit 3 is configured by the culture vessel 32 and the adapter 36, and the adapter 36 is attached by being fitted in the culture vessel 32. The medium from the medium supply unit 1 is supplied into the culture container 32 through the adapter 36. Since the configuration of the culture vessel 32 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The main body 37 is elastically deformed by being attached to the culture vessel 32 and closes the opening 323 of the culture vessel 32. The main body 37 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and the outer peripheral surface 373 is formed by a tapered surface so that the lower surface 372 is smaller in diameter than the upper surface 371. More specifically, the upper surface 371 has a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the culture vessel 32 (opening 323), and the lower surface 372 has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the culture vessel 32 (opening 323). The entire outer peripheral surface 373 is formed by a smooth truncated cone-shaped tapered surface that connects the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 371 and the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface 372. In this example, the diameter of the upper surface 371 of the main body 37 is set to 36 mm, the diameter of the lower surface 372 is set to 34 mm, and the height is set to 10 mm, but it is not limited to such values.

  The main body 37 is formed with a medium introduction port 374 for introducing a medium into the culture container 32 and a medium outlet 375 for deriving the medium in the culture container 32. The inner diameters of the culture medium inlet 374 and the medium outlet 375 are, for example, 2.5 mm. A connecting tube 376 is inserted into the medium introduction port 374, and a connecting tube 377 is inserted into the medium outlet 375. The connecting pipes 376 and 377 have an outer diameter of 2.5 mm and an inner diameter of 1.5 mm, for example, and are made of silicon rubber.

  A recess 378 is formed at the center of the main body 37. The recess 378 is formed in the center of the upper surface 371 of the main body 37 coaxially with the axis L2. As a result, the main body 37 is formed in a U-shaped cross section along the direction of the axis L2. A tapered surface is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface 373 of the main body 37 thus formed, and the entire main body 37 is formed of PDMS. The angle θ of the tapered surface with respect to the direction of the axis L2 of the main body 37 is set to the same value as in the above embodiment, for example.

  The flow path member 38 is formed in a disk shape, for example, and is attached so that the upper surface 381 thereof is in contact with the lower surface 372 of the main body 37. In a state where the adapter 36 is fitted in the culture vessel 32, the lower surface 382 of the flow path member 38 contacts the bottom surface 321 of the culture vessel 32. As a result, the flow path member 38 is sandwiched between the lower surface 372 of the main body 37 and the bottom surface 321 of the culture vessel 32, and a flow path 383 communicating with the culture medium introduction port 374 and the culture medium outlet 375 is formed in the flow path member 38. Is done.

  The channel 383 has, for example, a culture region 384 and a connection region 385. The culture region 384 is located, for example, at the center of the flow path member 38 and is configured by a circular through hole that penetrates the flow path member 38 in the vertical direction. The connection region 385 is a region for connecting the culture region 384 to the medium introduction port 374 and the medium discharge port 375, and is, for example, a recess formed in the upper surface 381 of the flow path member 38 so as to extend from the culture region 384 in the radial direction. It is comprised by.

  In this example, two connection regions 385 are formed, the end of one connection region 385 opposite to the culture region 384 side is connected to the culture medium introduction port 374, and the culture region 384 in the other connection region 385. The end opposite to the side is connected to the medium outlet 375. However, the shape of the flow path 383 is not limited to the above shape, and any other shape can be adopted. In this case, for example, a configuration in which at least a part of the flow path 383 is formed inside the flow path member 38 may be used.

  On the lower surface 372 of the main body 37 of the adapter 36, one convex portion 379 extending in parallel with the axis L2 is formed. On the other hand, the flow path member 38 is formed with a concave portion 386 having a shape corresponding to the convex portion 379 of the adapter 36. By bringing the lower surface 372 of the main body 37 of the adapter 36 and the upper surface 381 of the flow path member 38 into contact with each other so that the convex portions 379 and the concave portions 386 are fitted to each other, one connection region 385 is brought into the medium introduction port 374. The other connection region 385 can be connected to the medium outlet 375. That is, the convex part 379 and the concave part 386 constitute a positioning part for positioning the main body 37 of the adapter 36 and the flow path member 38.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the flow path member 38 contacts the lower surface 372 of the main body 37 of the adapter 36, whereby the flow path that communicates the culture medium inlet 374 and the medium outlet 375 is defined in a specific shape. . Thereby, since the culture area | region 384 which consists of a specific shape can be provided in the middle of a flow path like this embodiment, the optimal culture environment can be set according to a target object. Such an effect is particularly effective when, for example, the target object is an adhesive cell and needs to be left to adhere to the medium, or when culture is desired to be performed in a region narrower than the bottom surface 321 of the culture vessel 32. Become prominent.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the positional relationship between the main body 37 of the adapter 36 and the flow path member 38 in the culture vessel 32 can be kept constant by the positioning portions (the convex portions 379 and the concave portions 386), the medium introduction port 374 and the culture medium outlet 375 can always communicate with the flow path formed by the flow path member 38 with high accuracy.

  However, the positioning portion is not limited to one configured by the convex portions 379 and the concave portions 386 one by one, and may be configured by a plurality of convex portions 379 and concave portions 386, for example. Further, not only the convex portion 379 and the concave portion 386, but also a positioning portion having any other shape can be adopted as long as the main body 37 of the adapter 36 and the flow path member 38 can be positioned. it can. Note that the positioning portion may be omitted.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the entire outer peripheral surfaces 334 and 373 of the main bodies 331 and 37 of the adapters 33 and 36 are formed as tapered surfaces has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and only a part of the outer peripheral surfaces 334 and 373 may be formed by a tapered surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, if a handle 391 having a diameter larger than the tapered surface is provided at the upper portion of the tapered surface, the adapter 33 can be fitted into the culture vessel 32 without touching the tapered surface. Therefore, an effect of reducing contamination contamination to the culture region 34 can be expected. The tapered surface is not limited to a smooth surface, and may be a tapered surface as a whole by forming a plurality of small steps, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medium supply part 2 Valve 3 Incubator 4 Incubator 5 Waste liquid storage part 6 Air supply part 7 Control part 11 Pipe 12 Medium storage part 13 Pump 20 Pipe 31 Pipe 32 Culture vessel 33 Adapter 34 Culture area 36 Adapter 37 Main body 38 Flow path member 61 Piping 321 Bottom 322 Side 323 Opening 331 Main body 332 Upper surface 333 Lower surface 334 Outer peripheral surface 335 Medium introduction port 336 Medium outlet 337 Connection tube 338 Connection tube 339 Projection 351 Recess 352 Flow path conversion unit 353 Bottom surface 371 Upper surface 372 Upper surface 372 Surface 374 Medium inlet 375 Medium outlet 376 Connection tube 377 Connection tube 378 Concave portion 379 Convex portion 381 Top surface 382 Bottom surface 383 Channel 384 Culture region 385 Connection region 386 Concave portion 391 Handle L1 Axis L2 Axis

Claims (7)

Comprising a main body that is elastically deformed by being attached to the culture vessel and closes the opening of the culture vessel;
The main body is formed with a medium introduction port for introducing a medium into the culture container, and a medium outlet for deriving the medium in the culture container,
A culture vessel adapter, wherein at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the main body is formed with a tapered surface inclined at an angle of 1 to 30 ° with respect to the axial direction.   2. The culture according to claim 1, wherein the main body is formed in a U-shaped cross section by forming a concave portion at a central portion thereof, and the tapered surface is formed at least on a part of an outer peripheral surface. Adapter for containers.   The culture container adapter according to claim 2, wherein the main body is entirely formed of PDMS.   The culture vessel adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the culture medium introduction port and the culture medium outlet port opens in a direction inclined with respect to the axis of the main body.   The flow path member which is provided in the said culture container and forms the flow path which connects the said culture-medium inlet and the said culture | cultivation outlet by contacting the lower surface of the said main body is further provided. The adapter for culture vessels in any one of -4.   The culture vessel adapter according to claim 5, further comprising a positioning portion for positioning the main body and the flow path member. The culture vessel adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A culture medium supply system comprising: a culture medium supply unit configured to supply a culture medium into the culture container via the culture container adapter.

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