JPH05329400A - Spin filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance a filtration efficiency by preventing a main filter system from becoming clogged. CONSTITUTION:This spin filter 4 is used for separating cells and draining a culture liquid from a culture tank. The filter 4 is equipped with a rotatable main filter system 5 having a porous electroconductive cylinder and a voltage supply member 13 connected to the main filter system 5 for supplying a voltage of the same side as an electrically charged cell to the main filter system 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spin filter, and more particularly to a spin filter used in a filtration system for separating charged substances to be filtered in a liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When culturing cells, a spin filter is used to separate a medium to be filtered such as cells from a culture solution. The spin filter separates cells from the culture solution by rotating a filter body having a large number of holes. An example of a cell culture device that employs this type of spin filter is described in P. Himmelfarb e
t al. Science 164: 555-557
Page (1969). This culture device mainly includes a culture tank arranged in a water tank and a spin filter rotatably supported in the culture tank. The spin filter has a rotatable filter body made of a cylinder having a large number of holes and a magnet rod connected to the filter body.

In this apparatus, fresh culture solution is appropriately supplied from the culture solution tank to the culture tank, and the old culture solution in the culture tank is discharged to the outside by the pump connected to the filter body. It Further, the filter body is rotationally driven by the magnetic stirrer arranged on the lower surface of the water tank via the magnet rod. As a result, centrifugal force is generated in the filter body, and clogging caused by cells entering the holes of the filter body is suppressed.

[0004]

In the spin filter having the above-mentioned conventional structure, the cell density in the culture tank is 10 ⁷ cells /
At a high level of at least ml, the effect of preventing the clogging by the centrifugal force is not sufficient, and the filter body is clogged. If the filter body is clogged, problems such as cell death due to deterioration of the culture solution occur.

An object of the present invention is to reduce clogging of the filter body and improve filtration efficiency.

[0006]

The spin filter according to the present invention is used in a filtration system for separating charged substances to be filtered in a liquid. This spin filter includes a filter body and a voltage supply unit. The filter body has a conductive tube in which a large number of holes are formed,
And it is rotatable. The voltage supply unit is connected to the filter body in order to apply a voltage on the same side as the charging of the substance to be filtered to the filter body.

[0007]

In the spin filter according to the present invention, when the voltage supply unit applies a voltage on the same side as that of the object to be filtered to the filter body, the filter body is charged to the same voltage as the object to be filtered. Therefore, the object to be filtered and the filter body are electrically repelled, the object to be filtered moves away from the filter body, and the contact of the object to be filtered with the filter body is reduced. Therefore, the clogging of the filter body is reduced and the filtration efficiency is improved.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a filtration system adopting an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the filtration system is installed in a water tank 2 placed on a stirrer 1. This filtration system is mainly composed of a closed cylindrical culture tank 3 and a spin filter 4 arranged in the culture tank 3.

An intake pipe 6 and a culture solution supply pipe 7 are inserted into the culture tank 3 from the left side of FIG. Further, the exhaust pipe 8 is inserted from the right side of FIG. A level gauge 9 and a culture solution discharge pipe 10 are inserted from above. An electrode 17 is arranged on the inner wall of the culture tank 3. This electrode 17
Are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the cylindrical inner wall of the culture tank 3, and face the spin filter 4 with a cylindrical space.

The spin filter 4 comprises a filter body 5 made of a stainless steel cylindrical member having a large number of holes of about 5 to 20 μm, and a support frame installed at the bottom of the culture tank 3 and rotatably supporting the filter body 5. 11 and a voltage supply member 13. A hollow nylon core (not shown) is filled inside the filter body 5. The upper end of the inside of the filter body 5 communicates with the culture solution discharge pipe 10. Below the filter body 5, a magnet rod 12 that is interlocked with the filter body 5 is concentrically arranged. As a result, by rotating the magnetic stirrer 1, the magnet rod 12 is driven and the filter body 5 rotates.

The support frame 11 and the filter body 5 are also provided.
Are electrically connected to each other, and the voltage supply member 13 arranged around the culture solution discharge pipe 10 in the upper part of the support frame 11 is electrically connected to the filter body 5 via the support frame 11. There is. A pump 15 is connected to the culture solution discharge pipe 10, and a fresh culture solution tank (not shown) is connected to the culture solution supply pipe 7 via a valve 16. As a result, a control unit (not shown) controls the valve 16 and the pump 15 in accordance with the detection result of the level gauge 9 to always keep the culture solution 18 in the culture tank 3 at a constant level.

The electrode 17 on the inner wall of the culture tank 3 is a DC power source 1
4 is connected to the positive output terminal. Also, the voltage supply member 1
3 is connected to the negative output terminal of the DC power supply 14. Therefore, the electrode 17 can be positively charged and the filter body 5 can be negatively charged. Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. First, the cells and the culture solution 18 are supplied into the culture tank 3 to start the culture. During the culture, the intake pipe 6 to C
O _2, gas is supplied appropriately such as O _2. Also, pump 15
Then, the culture solution 18 is appropriately discharged through the spin filter 4, and a fresh culture solution is appropriately supplied to the culture tank 3 by the valve 16. As a result, the quality of the culture solution 18 in the culture tank 3
The amount is kept almost constant.

On the other hand, a voltage is applied from the DC power supply 14 to the electrode 17 and the voltage supply unit 13, and the magnetic stirrer 1
Thus, the filter body 5 is rotationally driven. Here, since the cells are normally negatively charged, when the filter body 5 is negatively charged, the cells in the culture medium 18 move away from the filter body 5. As a result, the cells contained in the culture solution 18 discharged through the filter body 5 are less likely to approach the filter body 5, the filter body 5 is less likely to be clogged, and the filtration efficiency is improved. [Other Embodiments] The electrode 17 may be grounded. If the culture tank 3 is made of a conductive material, the electrode 17 can be omitted.

The present invention can be similarly applied to spin filters used in filtration systems other than cell culture systems.

[0015]

In the spin filter according to the present invention, a voltage on the same side as that of the object to be filtered can be applied to the filter body, so that the object to be filtered is moved away from the filter body and clogging of the filter body can be reduced. The filtration efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a filtration system that employs an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Culture Tank 5 Filter Body 13 Voltage Supply Member 18 Culture Solution

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A spin filter used in a filtration system for separating charged substances to be filtered in a liquid, which has a conductive tube having a large number of holes and is rotatable. A spin filter comprising: a main body; and a voltage supply unit connected to the filter main body for applying a voltage on the same side of the filtered main body as that of the object to be filtered.