JPH0628595B2 - Incubator - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for culturing microorganisms or cells, and is suitable for suspension culture of special animal cells and the like.

[Background of the Invention]

In a microorganism or cell culturing apparatus, a method of proliferating microbial cells (cells) at a high density may be adopted in order to increase the efficiency of culturing. In this case, it is usual to vigorously agitate the medium in order to increase the supply of aeration gas and to stabilize the culture environment uniformly.

On the other hand, there is known a culture method called a carrier method in which microorganisms or cells are adhered to a carrier and the microorganisms (cells) are cultivated while floating the microorganisms or cells. However, the microorganisms or cells cultured by this method are originally Many have the property of being easily destroyed by physical impact. Therefore, in the culture method using the carrier method, if the above vigorous agitation is performed, the microorganisms and cells are likely to be peeled off or destroyed from the carrier, and only gentle agitation can be performed. This is a major obstacle in increasing the volumetric efficiency of cells.

Generally, in order to carry out high-yield culture, it is necessary to achieve a highly uniform dissolved gas concentration by vigorous agitation and gentle agitation that does not destroy the carrier or cells.

The culture method by the carrier method is, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No.
No. 14270, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-25645.

[Object of the Invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a culture device suitable for adjusting and supplying a medium without damaging cells.

[Outline of Invention]

In a culture device for suspension culture of microorganisms or cells in a culture tank, a culture medium adjustment chamber having a culture medium supply port, an aeration gas supply unit, and a stirring unit is provided in the lower portion of the culture tank, and the cells are provided in the upper portion of the culture tank. Further, a culture chamber for culturing microorganisms or cells having a carrier inlet and a medium outlet is provided, and a partition material having a pore size such that the carrier does not pass through is partitioned between the medium adjusting chamber and the culture chamber. A culture device characterized by the above.

Example of Invention

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to a specific embodiment shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a culture tank, which has a medium adjustment chamber A and a culture chamber B. The medium adjusting chamber A and the culture section B are partitioned by a partition member (perforated plate in this example) 2 having a pore size that does not allow the carrier to pass through. Reference numeral 3 is a jacket, and inside this, a temperature control unit (not shown) for controlling the temperature of the culture tank is provided. Reference numeral 4 is a stirring blade, and 5 is a stirring blade driving device. 6 is a sensor group for detecting temperature, PH, dissolved oxygen concentration and the like. 7 is a sparger from which vent gas is supplied. Reference numeral 8 denotes a medium supply port through which the medium is supplied. Inside the culture medium adjusting chamber A, there are provided a stirring blade as a stirring means, a sparger 7 as an aeration gas supply portion, and a culture medium supply port 8 for supplying a culture medium. 9 is a perforated plate having a pore size that does not allow the carrier to pass through, 10 and 11 are medium outlets, 12 is an exhaust gas outlet, and 13 is a seeding port for introducing cells and carriers. 14 shows a sterilization filter.

Now, in the culture apparatus of FIG. 1 as described above, the medium is supplied into the medium adjusting chamber A from the medium supply port 8. Further, the ventilation gas is supplied from the sparger 7 into the medium adjusting chamber A. In the adjustment chamber A, the soil and the aeration gas are mixed with the stirring blade 4
Vigorously stirred. Further, the sensor group 6 detects the state of the medium and adjusts each adjusting means (not shown) so that the pH, the oxygen concentration, and the temperature are optimized. Specifically, P
With respect to H and dissolved oxygen, methods such as adjusting the components of the aeration gas to be supplied are adopted. Also, the temperature is jacket 3
A method such as adjusting a temperature controller inside is adopted. The culture medium adjusted to have a high and uniform welding gas concentration in the culture medium adjustment chamber A passes through the porous plate 2 by the action of stirring and is supplied to the culture chamber B. In the culture chamber B, suspension culture is performed by the carrier method. The cells and carriers used are from the seeding port 13,
It is put into the culture chamber B by aseptic means. Medium control room A
The vigorous agitation in 1) is made gentle with the perforated plate 2 to agitate the medium. Thus, the gas supply, the forced stirring, and the medium supply are performed in the cell-free medium adjusting chamber A, and the culture chamber B containing the cells is gently stirred without aeration, forced stirring, or the like.

The microorganisms or cells in the culture room B are not destroyed by this gentle stirring. In addition, the perforated plate 2
Passes the medium but not the carrier,
The carrier in the culturing chamber B hardly enters the medium adjusting chamber A, and the carrier and the microorganisms or cells are hardly destroyed. During the culture, the medium is separated from the carrier by the porous plate 9. The separated medium is discharged from the culture medium outlet 10.
In such a medium extracting operation, the carrier cannot leak from the culture chamber B. The adjusted new medium is supplied from the medium adjusting chamber A to the culturing chamber B one after another, and the old medium is discharged from the medium outlet 10, so that stable culture can be performed for a long time. When the carrier needs to be withdrawn after the completion of the culture, the medium and the carrier can be easily withdrawn from the medium outlet 11.

As the partitioning material, a material other than the perforated plate, such as a wire net, may be used.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in the suspension culture method, particularly in the culture of cells or microorganisms in the culture tank using the carrier method, since aeration and agitation are not performed in the region containing cells, It is possible to prevent damage and realize highly efficient culture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view using a partial vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Culture tank, A ... Medium adjustment room, B ... Culture room, 2 ...
... Perforated plate, 3 ... Jacket, 4 ... Stirring blade, 5 ... Stirring blade driving device, 6 ... Sensor group, 7 ... Sparger, 8
...... Medium supply port, 9 ...... Perforated plate, 10 and 11 ...... Medium outlet, 12 ...... Exhaust gas outlet, 13 ...... Seeding port, 14 ...... Sterilization filter.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Eiji Maruyama Eiji Maruyama 794 Azuma Higashitoyo, Shimomatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture Stock company Hitachi Kasado Factory (72) Inventor Kenji Kato 794 Higashitoyo, Higashitoyo, Yamaguchi Prefecture Stock Association (56) References JP-A-61-108371 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A culture apparatus for suspension culture of microorganisms or cells in a culture tank, wherein a culture medium adjusting chamber having a culture medium supply port, an aeration gas supply unit, and a stirring unit is provided below the culture tank. A culture chamber for culturing microorganisms or cells having an inlet for cells and a carrier and a medium outlet for the medium is provided on the upper part of the cell, and a pore size is provided between the medium adjustment chamber and the culture chamber so that the carrier does not pass through. A culture device characterized by being partitioned with a partition material.