Method and apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue

• US 20010021529A1
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Published: 09/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brigham and Women's Hospital Incorporated, Purpose Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Takagi Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Takagi, Takao
• Granted Patent: US 6,432,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/395
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/08 for producing artificial tissue or for ex-vivo cultivation of tissue prostheses A61F2/00, grafts A61L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/14 Bags
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/14 Pressurized fluid
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 35/04 Mechanical means, e.g. sonic waves, stretching forces, pressure or shear stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 41/40 of pressure

Abstract

The invention provides a method of and an apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue capable of preventing the cell or tissue from being contaminated and realizing an efficient in vitro culture. The method of and the apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue comprise installing a culture position (culture chamber) under an environment that is arbitrarily controlled such as an environment mimicking the living body, supplying a culture medium to the cell or tissue while the cell or tissue is held at the culture position, and cultivating the cell or tissue at the culture position that is under the ideal environment, thereby preventing the cell or tissue from being contaminated and realizing an efficient in vitro culture.

Claims

1. A method of cultivating a cell or tissue comprising holding a cell or tissue of a living body at a specific culture position, setting the cell or tissue under an environment mimicking the living body, supplying a culture medium to the cell or tissue, and cultivating the cell or tissue at the culture position.

3. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 1

or

2

, further providing holding means for holding the cell or tissue to be cultivated at the culture position in a suspending or non-suspending state in the culture medium.

4. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 3

, wherein the holding means comprises a hydro-gel for holding the cell or tissue to be cultivated at the culture position in a suspending or non-suspending state in the culture medium or a sponge or a scaffold for absorbing the cell or tissue when it grows.

5. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 1

or

2

, wherein the culture medium comprises one or not less than two of amino acids of various types, saccharides, salts and protein.

6. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 1

or

2

, wherein the environment mimicking the living body under which the cell or tissue is cultivated is set depending on physiological conditions of the living body at a specific position, an age, a height, a weight, a sex of the living body and other information inherent in the living body in addition to the physiological conditions of the living body.

7. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 1

or

2

, wherein the environment mimicking the living body is set by a nitrogen gas, an oxygen gas, a carbon dioxide gas respectively supplied through the culture medium, a temperature and a humidity.

2. A method of cultivating a cell or tissue comprising holding a cell or tissue of a living body at a specific culture position, setting the cell or tissue under an environment mimicking the living body, supplying continuously or intermittently a culture medium to the cell or tissue by way of a culture circuit, applying a pressure which is varied continuously, a pressure which is varied intermittently or a pressure which is varied periodically to the cell or tissue, and cultivating the cell or tissue at the culture position.

8. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 2

, wherein the pressure applied to the cell or tissue can be arbitrarily set depending on the specific position of the living body.

9. The method of cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 2

, wherein the pressure applied to the cell or tissue is a pressure which is varied continuously, a pressure which is varied intermittently or a pressure which is varied periodically or a pressure combining these pressures.

10. An apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue comprises:

a culture unit having a culture chamber containing therein a cell or tissue and supplying culture medium;

pressure application means for applying a pressure to the cell or tissue in the culture chamber; and

culture medium supply means for intermittently or continuously supplying the culture medium to the culture unit.

11. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, further comprising control means for controlling the pressure application means or culture medium supply means.

12. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the pressure applied from the pressure application means to the cell or tissue can be arbitrarily set depending on the cell or tissue.

13. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the pressure applied from the pressure application means to the cell or tissue is a pressure which is varied intermittently, a pressure which is repeated every given time or a pressure which increases or decreases every given time.

14. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture unit is independent of and detached from a culture apparatus body.

15. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture unit is accommodated in a hermetically sealed space that is intercepted from an open air.

16. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, further comprising gas absorption means capable of absorbing a nitrogen gas, an oxygen gas, a carbon dioxide gas.

17. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 15

, wherein the hermetically sealed space is filled with a nitrogen gas, an oxygen gas, a carbon dioxide gas.

18. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, further comprising a culture medium tank for storing therein the culture medium to be supplied to the culture unit.

19. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture chamber includes a pressure transmitting film for receiving a pressure from the outside.

20. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture unit includes pressure buffering means.

21. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, further comprising a pressure chamber fixed to the culture chamber by way of a pressure transmitting film, and wherein a pressure is applied to the cell or tissue in the culture chamber by allowing a hydraulic pressure, an oil pressure or an air pressure to act on the cell or tissue in the culture chamber.

22. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture medium supply means comprises a medium supply chamber provided in the culture unit and a medium supply unit for pressuring the culture medium that is taken in the medium supply chamber and supplying the pressurized culture medium.

23. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture unit includes a pressure relief valve, and wherein when a pressure of the culture medium exceeds a given pressure which is arbitrarily set to the pressure relief valve, said pressure relief valve is opened to decrease the pressure of the culture medium.

24. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 15

, wherein the hermetically sealed space includes heating means or humidifying means therein and is kept and controlled at a desired temperature or humidity by said heating means or humidifying means.

25. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 10

, wherein the culture chamber in the culture unit includes a sound producing unit for applying a super-sound wave or the like sound wave.

26. The apparatus for cultivating a cell or tissue according to

claim 15

, further comprising control means for controlling concentration of a gas to be supplied to the hermetically sealed space.