JPWO2018021553A1 - Isolator - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an isolator capable of efficiently performing passage work in mass culture. An isolator 10 has a housing 11 having a working chamber 31, a leg 12 for supporting the housing 11, a working surface 21 provided on the floor of the working chamber 31, and a worker from below the floor. A pair of half suits 15 and 16 which can be worn and which are provided in the working chamber 31 so as to face each other across the working surface 21 are provided. [Selected figure] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an isolator.

  Conventionally, cell culture has been performed for the treatment of diseases or for the production and evaluation of medicines. Culturing of cells is carried out in an incubator with temperature and humidity kept constant. In cell culture, a part or all of the cells being cultured is transferred to a culture vessel such as a new petri dish or bag. Such work is generally referred to as passage. Passaging is performed, for example, in a sterile environment called an isolator. The isolator is provided with a half suit or glove that can be worn by the operator from the outside (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 4403455

  For example, when culturing cells collected from a patient for treatment of a disease, it is required not to confuse the cultured cells with cells of other patients. On the other hand, in passaging, it is required to work on passaging of the required amount of cells at one time. When performing cell passaging, cells may be exposed to an environment different from the culture environment. Therefore, if the passaging time is long, the culture solution may be volatilized or the cells may be damaged. In addition, it is also required that the working time of the worker performing the passaging be appropriate as working time. In particular, since culture of cells used for treatment of diseases needs to be performed in large amounts, working time tends to be prolonged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an isolator capable of efficiently performing passage work in mass culture.

  (1) In the isolator according to the present invention, a case having a work chamber, a leg portion for supporting the case, a work surface provided on the floor of the work chamber, and a worker worn from below the floor And a pair of half suits provided opposite to each other across the at least part of the work surface in the work chamber.

  Two workers wear a pair of half suits respectively. The worker wearing the half suit works in a state of facing at least a part of the work surface, so that it is possible to mutually confirm the work status and expression such as the operation of the other party. Thereby, two workers can work efficiently.

  (2) Preferably, in the housing, the isolator is positioned side by side with the work surface in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which the pair of half-suits face in a direction parallel to the work surface. A joint chamber which is a space continuous with the working chamber, a first opening for opening the joint chamber to the outside, and a first door for opening and closing the first opening. And the first mounting surface is located between the pair of half suits in the first direction.

  According to the above configuration, since the first mounting surface is positioned side by side with the work surface, two workers facing each other across the work surface move to the joint chamber for taking in and out cells and equipment. Easy to access. In addition, since the work of two persons can easily access the first mounting surface, it is easy to transfer cells and equipment between workers, and it is possible to suppress the cells and equipment from being dropped at the time of delivery.

  (3) Preferably, a second opening for opening the joint chamber to the outside, and a second door for opening and closing the second opening are further provided, and the first opening and the second opening are provided. An incubator can be connected to the department.

  Since the two incubators can be connected to the joint chamber through the first opening and the second opening, the two incubators accommodating many culture vessels for mass culture can be connected to the isolator at the same time. In addition, since the culture container for culturing the cells collected from the same patient can be divided into two incubators and accommodated, it is possible to disperse the risk of damaging the cells due to the failure of the incubator or the like.

  (4) Preferably, the first opening and the second opening are separated in the first direction across the first mounting surface.

  According to the above configuration, two incubators can be connected in a space efficient manner. Also, it is easy to access the two incubators from the joint room.

  (5) Preferably, the isolator further includes a glove wearable from the outside by an operator and provided in the joint chamber.

  According to the above configuration, the work in the joint chamber is easy.

  (6) Preferably, in the housing, the isolator is provided with a pass box having a second placement surface positioned in parallel with the working surface in the second direction, and the working chamber as an internal space of the pass box. A third opening which opens, a third door which opens and closes the third opening, a fourth opening which opens the internal space of the pass box to the outside, and a fourth door which opens and closes the fourth opening. Furthermore, it equips.

  Equipment required for passaging can be carried into the work room through the pass box.

  (7) Preferably, the joint chamber and the internal space of the pass box are separated in the second direction across the working chamber.

  According to the above configuration, the joint chamber and the pass box can be arranged in a space efficient manner.

  (8) Preferably, the said pass box is a pair of thing spaced apart to the said 1st direction.

  According to the above configuration, the pass box can be disposed at a position near each of the pair of half suits.

  (9) Preferably, the joint chamber is located between the pair of pass boxes in the first direction.

  According to the above configuration, the joint chamber and the pass box can be arranged in a space efficient manner.

  (10) Preferably, the isolator further includes a glove wearable from the outside by a worker and provided in the internal space of the pass box.

  According to the above configuration, the work in the pass box is easy.

  (11) Preferably, the wall of the pass box in which the glove is arranged is adjacent to the fourth opening, and the angle between the wall of the wall and the opening surface of the fourth opening is It is an acute angle.

  According to the above configuration, the worker wearing the glove from the outside of the wall can easily view the inside of the stocker or the like connected to the fourth opening.

  According to the isolator of the present invention, the passaging operation in mass culture can be efficiently performed.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of an isolator 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the isolator 10 according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. It is needless to say that the present embodiment is only one embodiment of the present invention, and the embodiment can be modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the embodiment, when the isolator 10 is used, the direction along the vertical direction is referred to as the vertical direction 51. A direction orthogonal to the vertical direction 51 along the horizontal direction is referred to as the front-rear direction 52, and a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction 51 and the front-rear direction 52 is referred to as the horizontal direction 53.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the isolator 10 has a housing 11, legs 12 supporting the housing 11, and pass boxes 13 and 14. The housing 11 has an internal space surrounded by a floor, a ceiling, a wall and the like, and the internal space is isolated from the external environment. The housing 11 is supported by the plurality of legs 12 at a position above the floor of the room in which the isolator 10 is mounted. Accordingly, the worker can enter below the housing 11 through the space between the legs 12.

  Although not shown in the drawings, air is supplied to the internal space of the housing 11 from a sterile air supply device, and the internal space of the housing 11 is controlled to have a positive pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure. ing. Further, hydrogen peroxide vapor can be supplied to the internal space of the housing 11 from a sterilizing gas supply device, and the internal space of the housing 11 is decontaminated by the hydrogen peroxide vapor. These various devices are accommodated, for example, in the upper portion of the housing 11, that is, in the upper side of the working chamber 31, the joint chamber 32, and the like.

  The housing 11 has a work surface 21 and a placement surface 22 (an example of a first placement surface) configured by surfaces facing the inner space of the floor. The work surface 21 and the mounting surface 22 may be configured as the same surface, or may be provided with a step or the like as appropriate. The work surface 21 is a substantially rectangular shape whose maximum length along the front-rear direction 52 is longer than the maximum length along the left-right direction 53. A space above the work surface 21, which is an internal space of the housing 11, is referred to as a work room 31. That is, the work surface 21 constitutes the floor of the work chamber 31.

  The mounting surface 22 is aligned in the left-right direction 53 near the center of the working surface 21 in the front-rear direction 52. The mounting surface 22 is a square whose maximum length along the lateral direction 53 and the maximum length along the longitudinal direction 52 are substantially the same. The area of the mounting surface 22 is smaller than the area of the work surface 21. A space above the mounting surface 22, which is an internal space of the housing 11, is referred to as a joint chamber 32. That is, the mounting surface 22 constitutes the floor of the joint chamber 32. The work chamber 31 and the joint chamber 32 are continuous spaces.

  In the working chamber 31, a pair of through holes are formed in a part of the floor constituting the working surface 21, and a pair of half suits 15 and 16 are provided so as to close the pair of through holes. The half suits 15 and 16 are shaped to cover the upper body of a human, and a transparent portion for the operator to visually recognize the inside of the working chamber 31 is provided at a portion corresponding to the head. The half suits 15 and 16 have air tightness, and the work room 31 is not communicated with the outside through the half suits 15 and 16. The half suits 15 and 16 open downward to the outside, and can be worn by the operator from below the floor of the work room 31. The half suits 15 and 16 enter the inside of the working chamber 31 from the working surface 21 and are put on the working surface 21 in the working chamber 31 without opening the working chamber 31 to the outside by wearing by the operator. An operator can work on the culture vessel and the like.

  The pair of half suits 15 and 16 are located opposite to the front-rear direction 52 across the work surface 21. That the half suits 15 and 16 sandwich the work surface 21 does not necessarily mean that all the work surfaces 21 are located between the front and rear direction 52 of the half suits 15 and 16, and at least at least the work surface 21. It means that a part is located between the front and back direction 52 of the half suits 15 and 16. Further, that the half suits 15 and 16 face each other means that there is no wall or the like that blocks between the half suits 15 and 16 in the working room 31, and the front faces of the half suits 15 and 16 face each other. As a result, two workers wearing the half suits 15 and 16 can face each other in a visible manner. Although the distance by which the half suits 15 and 16 separate in the front-rear direction 52 is not particularly limited, when each worker wearing the half suits 15 and 16 respectively extends their hands toward the other party on the work surface 21 If the hands do not collide, it is preferable because the work of each worker does not interfere with each other. The mounting surface 22 is located between the pair of half suits 15 and 13 in the front-rear direction 52. In other words, the pair of half suits 15 and 16 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center in the front-rear direction 52 of the work surface 21. The mounting surface 22 is located between the pair of half suits 15 and 16 in the front-rear direction 52. In other words, the pair of half suits 15 and 16 are arranged side by side along the front-rear direction 52 so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center in the front-rear direction 52 of the work surface 21.

  Openings for opening the working chamber 31 to the outside are respectively formed in the two walls 61 and 62 which are the portions forming the wall of the working chamber 31 in the housing 11 and are arranged in the half suits 15 and 16 and the front-rear direction 52 Doors 17 and 18 are provided to open and close each opening. With the doors 17 and 18 closing the opening, the working chamber 31 is isolated from the external environment, and with the doors 17 and 18 opening the opening, the working chamber 31 is opened to the outside.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the working chamber 31 may be provided with various devices such as a vacuum device and a heating device required for the pass-through work. The half suits 15 and 16 may be provided with a function of supplying oxygen to the workers, a wireless device for the workers to talk, and the like.

  The joint chamber 32 is positioned so as to project in the lateral direction 53 from the vicinity of the center of the working chamber 31 in the longitudinal direction 52. The floor, ceiling, and wall of the joint chamber 32 are configured by the housing 11 together with the work chamber 31. Openings 23 and 24 (first openings, which open the joint chamber 32 to the outside) are formed on the two walls 63 and 64 which are portions forming the wall of the joint chamber 32 in the housing 11 and are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction 52 One example of the second opening is formed. The openings 23 and 24 are separated in the front-rear direction 52 with the mounting surface 22 interposed therebetween. The openings 23 and 24 are opened and closed by doors 25 and 26 (an example of a first door and a second door).

  The doors 25 and 26 are provided at their lower ends with pivot shafts extending along the left-right direction 53, and are supported by the walls 63 and 64 so as to be able to open and close. Openings 23 and 24 are opened by the respective upper end portions of the doors 25 and 26 being turned so as to fall inside the joint chamber 32 from the state where the doors 25 and 26 close the openings 23 and 24. Ru.

  At the openings 23 and 24 of the joint chamber 32, the incubators 81 and 82 (shown by broken lines in FIG. 2) can be airtightly connected from the outside. The incubators 81 and 82 are for culturing cells at a desired temperature and humidity inside. By connecting the incubators 81 and 82 to the openings 23 and 24, respectively, the joint chamber 32 is in airtight communication with the internal space of the two incubators 81 and 82.

  A through hole is formed in the wall 65 between the walls 63 and 64, which is a portion that forms a wall of the joint chamber 32 in the housing 11, and the pair of gloves 19 and 20 is formed so as to close the through hole. Is provided. Each of the gloves 19 and 20 is shaped so as to cover one of human's hands and can be worn by one worker's hands. The gloves 19 and 20 are airtight, and the working chamber 31 is not communicated with the outside through the gloves 19 and 20. The gloves 19 and 20 are opened laterally to the outside and can be worn by the worker from the outside of the wall 65. The gloves 19 and 20 penetrate into the interior of the joint chamber 32 from the wall 65, and when worn by the worker, the gloves 19 and 20 were placed on the mounting surface 22 in the joint chamber 32 without opening the joint chamber 32 to the outside. An operator can work on a culture vessel or the like, or can take out and store the culture vessel from the internal space of the incubator 81, 82 through the openings 23, 24.

  Two pass boxes 13 and 14 are located at both ends of the work chamber 31 in the front-rear direction 52 and opposite to the joint chamber 32 in the left-right direction 53. The two pass boxes 13 and 14 are separated in the front-rear direction 52. Therefore, the joint chamber 32 and the internal space of the pass boxes 13 and 14 are separated in the left-right direction 53 across the working chamber 31. The joint chamber 32 is positioned between the pass boxes 13 and 14 in the front-rear direction 52.

  The pass boxes 13 and 14 are integrally formed with the housing 11. The mounting surfaces 27 and 28 (an example of a second mounting surface) corresponding to the floor in the inner spaces of the pass boxes 13 and 14 are aligned with the work surface 21 of the work chamber 31 in the left-right direction 53. The work surface 21 and the mounting surfaces 27 and 28 may be configured as the same surface, or may be provided with a step or the like as appropriate.

  The internal spaces of the pass boxes 13 and 14 communicate with the working chamber 31 through the openings 29 and 30 (an example of a third opening). The openings 29 and 39 may be formed in partitions separating the internal spaces of the pass boxes 13 and 14 from the work room 31, or between the internal spaces of the pass boxes 13 and 14 and the work room 31. The openings 29 and 30 may be those having almost no partition wall and being entirely open. The openings 29 and 30 are opened and closed by doors 41 and 42, respectively.

  The doors 41 and 42 are provided with pivot shafts extending along the front-rear direction 52 at lower end portions, and are supported by the partition walls so as to be openable and closable. With the doors 41 and 42 closing the openings 29, 30, the upper ends of the doors 41 and 42 are turned so as to fall inside the pass boxes 13 and 14, respectively. It is released.

  In the pass box 13, an opening 43 (an example of a fourth opening) for opening the internal space of the pass box 13 to the outside is formed in the wall 66 facing the opening 29 and the left-right direction 53. The opening 29 and the opening 43 are separated in the left-right direction 53 with the placement surface 27 interposed therebetween. The opening 43 is opened and closed by a door 44 (an example of a fourth door). The opening surface of the opening 29 is along the front-rear direction 52, while the opening surface of the opening 43 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction 52. In detail, the opening surface of the opening 43 is located on the rear side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the front-rear direction 52 on the right side (right side in FIG. 2) than the front side (lower side in FIG. 2). In the back-and-forth direction 52. The opening 43 can be connected to a stocker or the like that stores tools necessary for work.

  In the pass box 13, an opening is formed in the wall 67 which is located between the opening 29 and the opening 43 and is continuous with the wall 66, and a door 45 is provided to open and close the opening. The wall surface of the wall 67 is in the left-right direction 53. At least one of the wall 67 and the door 45 is provided with a translucent window so that the inside of the pass box 13 can be viewed from the outside. A through hole is formed in the door 45, and a glove 46 is provided to close the through hole. The glove 46 is shaped to cover one hand of a person, and can be worn by one worker's hand. The glove 46 is airtight, and the internal space of the pass box 13 is not communicated with the outside through the glove 46. The glove 46 opens laterally to the outside and can be worn by the worker from the outside of the wall 66. The glove 46 enters the internal space of the pass box 13 from the wall 66, and by wearing by the operator, the equipment placed on the mounting surface 27 in the pass box 13 without opening the pass box 13 to the outside. Workers can work for such as. In the plan view shown in FIG. 2, the angle A formed between the wall surface of the wall 67 and the opening surface of the opening 43 is an acute angle. The angle A can be arbitrarily set in the range of acute angles, but is preferably 15 degrees. As a result, a worker who wears the glove 46 from the outside of the wall 67 can easily view the inside of the stocker or the like connected to the opening 43 through the window.

  The internal space of the pass box 14 is divided by the partition wall 77 in the left-right direction 53. An opening is formed in the partition wall 77, and the opening is opened and closed by a door 47. The door 47 is opened and closed in the same manner as the door 42. In the pass box 14, an opening 48 (an example of a fourth opening) that opens the internal space of the pass box 14 is formed in the wall 68 facing the door 47 and the left-right direction 53. The opening 30 and the opening 48 are separated in the left-right direction 53 with the mounting surface 28 interposed therebetween. The opening 48 is opened and closed by a door 49 (an example of a fourth door).

  In the pass box 14, a wall 69 which is located between the opening 30 and the opening 48 and is continuous with the wall 68 is formed with two openings, and the door 71 which opens and closes the two openings respectively. , 72 are provided. The door 71 and the door 72 are separated in the left-right direction 53 across the partition wall 77. A through hole is formed in the door 71, and a glove 73 is provided to close the through hole. The glove 73 is similar to the glove 46, so a detailed description is omitted here. The door 72 is formed with two through holes, and gloves 74 and 75 are provided to close the two through holes. Since the gloves 74 and 75 are similar to the gloves 19 and 20, the detailed description is omitted here.

  An opening for opening the working chamber 31 to the outside is formed in a wall 70 which is a portion which forms a wall of the working chamber 31 in the housing 11 and is located between the pass boxes 13 and 14. A door 76 is provided. With the door 76 closing the opening, the working chamber 31 is isolated from the external environment, and with the door 76 opening the opening, the working chamber 31 is opened to the outside.

[Operation and effect of this embodiment]
According to the isolator 10, the two workers wearing the pair of half suits 15 and 16 work in a state of facing each other with at least a part of the work surface 21 interposed therebetween. You can check the situation and expression. Thereby, two workers can work efficiently. Moreover, in the isolator 10, the passage work in mass culture can be performed efficiently.

  Further, since the mounting surface 22 is positioned alongside the working surface 21, two workers facing each other across the working surface 21 access the joint chamber 32 for taking in and out cells and equipment. It is easy. In addition, since the work of the two persons can easily access the mounting surface 22, it is easy to transfer cells and equipment between workers, and it is possible to suppress the dropping of cells and equipment at the time of delivery.

  Further, since the placement surface 22 is located between the pair of half suits 15 and 16 in the front-rear direction 52, the placement surface 22 can be viewed from any of two workers who wear the pair of half suits 15 and 16. Easy to access.

  Further, since the two incubators 81 and 82 can be connected to the joint chamber 32 through the openings 23 and 24, the two incubators 81 and 82 accommodating many culture vessels for mass culture can be simultaneously connected to the isolator 10. It can be connected. In addition, since the culture vessels for culturing cells collected from the same patient can be divided and housed in two incubators 81 and 82, the risk of damaging the cells due to failure of incubators 81 and 82 is dispersed. be able to.

  Further, since the openings 23 and 24 are separated in the front-rear direction 52 with the placement surface 22 interposed therebetween, the two incubators 81 and 82 can be connected in a space efficient manner. In addition, it is easy to access the two incubators 81 and 82 from the mounting surface 22.

  Further, since the isolator 10 can be worn by the operator from the outside and has the gloves 19 and 20 provided in the joint chamber 32, the operation in the joint chamber 32 is easy.

  In addition, since the isolator 10 has the pass boxes 13 and 14 having the mounting surfaces 27 and 28 positioned side by side with the work surface 21 in the left-right direction 53, the equipment required for passage is obtained through the pass boxes 13 and 14 It can be carried into the work room.

  Further, since the joint chamber 32 and the internal space of the pass boxes 13 and 14 are separated in the left-right direction 53 with the work chamber 31 in between, the joint chamber 32 and the pass boxes 13 and 14 should be arranged efficiently. Can.

  Further, since the pass boxes 13 and 14 are separated in the front-rear direction 52, the pass boxes 13 and 14 can be disposed at positions close to the pair of half suits 15 and 16, respectively.

  In addition, since the joint chamber 32 is located between the pass boxes 13 and 14 in the front-rear direction 52, the joint chamber 32 and the pass boxes 13 and 14 can be arranged in a space efficient manner.

  In addition, since the isolator 10 can be worn by the operator from the outside and has the gloves 46, 73, 74, 75 provided in the internal space of the pass box 13, 14, the work in the pass box 13, 14 is easy. It is.

  Also, since the wall 67 and the opening 43 of the pass box 13 are adjacent to each other, and the angle A between the wall surface of the wall 67 and the opening surface of the opening 43 is an acute angle, the glove 46 was worn from the outside of the wall 67 An operator can easily view the inside of the stocker or the like connected to the opening 43.

[Modification]
In the embodiment described above, the joint chamber 32 and the pass boxes 13 and 14 are configured to be continuous with the working chamber 31. However, the joint chamber 32 and the pass boxes 13 and 14 have arbitrary configurations, and the isolator 10 is not necessarily required. Need not be provided. Further, the number of pass boxes 13 and 14 and gloves 46, 73, 74 and 75 are also arbitrary. Further, for example, instead of the pass box 13, a joint chamber different from the joint chamber 32 may be provided continuously to the working chamber 31. In addition, the joint chamber 32 may be configured to be connectable to two or more incubators. Thus, three or four incubators can be connected to the isolator 10. In addition to the pair of half suits 15 and 16, the work room 31 may further be provided with a half suit or a glove.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Isolator 31 ... Work room 11 ... Housing | casing 12 ... Leg part 21 ... Work surface 15, 16 ... Half suit 22 ... Mounting surface (1st mounting surface )
32 · · · Joint chamber 23, 24 · · · Opening (first opening, second opening)
25, 26 ... door (first door, second door)
19, 20, 46, 73, 74, 75 ・ ・ ・ Globe 27, 28 · · · Mounting surface (second mounting surface)
13, 14 · · · Pass box 29, 30 · · · Opening (third opening)
41, 42 ・ ・ ・ door (third door)
43, 48 ····· Opening (fourth opening)
44, 49 ... door (fourth door)
66 ... wall

Claims (11)

A case having a work room,
A leg that supports the housing;
A work surface provided on the floor of the work room,
An isolator comprising: a pair of half suits which can be worn by a worker from below the floor and which are provided in the working chamber so as to face each other across at least a part of the working surface. The housing has a first mounting surface positioned in parallel with the work surface in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction in which the pair of half suits face in a direction parallel to the work surface. Joint room, which is a space continuous with the work room,
A first opening for opening the joint chamber to the outside;
And a first door for opening and closing the first opening.
The isolator according to claim 1, wherein the first mounting surface is located between the pair of half suits in the first direction. A second opening for opening the joint chamber to the outside;
And a second door for opening and closing the second opening.
The isolator according to claim 2, wherein an incubator can be connected to the first opening and the second opening.   The isolator according to claim 3, wherein the first opening and the second opening are separated in the first direction with the first mounting surface interposed therebetween.   The isolator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a glove wearable from the outside by a worker and provided in the joint chamber. A pass box having a second placement surface positioned in parallel to the work surface in the second direction in the housing;
A third opening for opening the working chamber to the internal space of the pass box;
A third door for opening and closing the third opening;
A fourth opening that opens the internal space of the pass box to the outside;
The isolator according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising: a fourth door for opening and closing the fourth opening.   The isolator according to claim 6, wherein the joint chamber and the internal space of the pass box are separated in the second direction across the working chamber.   The isolator according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the pass box is a pair separated in the first direction.   The isolator according to claim 8, wherein the joint chamber is located between the pair of pass boxes in the first direction.   The isolator according to any one of claims 6 to 9, further comprising a glove wearable from the outside by a worker and provided in the internal space of the pass box.   The wall of the pass box where the glove is disposed and the fourth opening are adjacent to each other, and the angle between the wall of the wall and the opening surface of the fourth opening is an acute angle. The isolator described in.

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