Determination and/or control of reactor environmental conditions
First Claim
25. An apparatus, comprising:
- a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml; and
a control system able to control an environmental factor associated with the predetermined reaction site, the environmental factor being at least one of relative humidity, pH, dissolved O2 concentration, dissolved CO2 concentration, and concentration of a media component.
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Abstract
The present invention generally relates to chemical, biological, and/or biochemical reactor chips and other reaction systems such as microreactor systems, as well as systems and methods for constructing and using such devices. In one aspect, a chip or other reaction system may be constructed so as to promote cell growth within it. In certain embodiments, the chips or other reaction systems of the invention include one or more reaction sites. The reaction sites can be very small, for example, with a volume of less than about 1 ml. In one aspect of the invention, a chip is able to detect, measure and/or control an environmental factor such as the temperature, pressure, CO2 concentration, O2 concentration, relative humidity, pH, etc. associated with one or more reaction sites, by using one or more sensors, actuators, processors, and/or control systems. In another aspect, the present invention is directed to materials and systems having humidity and/or gas control, for example, for use with a chip. Such materials may have high oxygen permeability and/or low water vapor permeability. The present invention, in still another aspect, generally relates to light-interacting components suitable for use in chips and other reactor systems. These components may include waveguides, optical fibers, light sources, photodetectors, optical elements, and the like.
132 Citations
75 Claims
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25. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml; and
a control system able to control an environmental factor associated with the predetermined reaction site, the environmental factor being at least one of relative humidity, pH, dissolved O2 concentration, dissolved CO2 concentration, and concentration of a media component. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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32-1. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein at least one surface of the predetermined reaction site comprises a polymer.
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34. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml;
a sensor integrally connected to the chip, wherein the sensor is able to determine an environmental factor associated with the predetermined reaction site, the environmental factor being at least one of;
pH, a concentration of a dissolved gas, molarity, osmolarity, glucose concentration, glutamine concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, color, turbidity, viscosity, a concentration of an amino acid, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of a hormone, serum concentration, a concentration of an ion, shear rate, and degree of agitation; and pH, a concentration of a dissolved gas, molarity, osmolarity, glucose concentration, glutamine concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, color, turbidity, viscosity, a concentration of an amino acid, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of a hormone, serum concentration, a concentration of an ion, shear rate, and degree of agitation; and
an actuator integrally connected to the chip able to alter the environmental factor. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml;
a first sensor integrally connected to the chip, the first sensor able to determine at least one of temperature and pressure;
a second sensor integrally connected to the chip, wherein the second sensor is able to determine a second environmental factor, the second environmental factor being at least one of;
pH, a concentration of a dissolved gas, molarity, osmolarity, glucose concentration, glutamine concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, color, turbidity, viscosity, a concentration of an amino acid, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of a hormone, serum concentration, a concentration of an ion, shear rate, and degree of agitation; and pH, a concentration of a dissolved gas, molarity, osmolarity, glucose concentration, glutamine concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, color, turbidity, viscosity, a concentration of an amino acid, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of a hormone, serum concentration, a concentration of an ion, shear rate, and degree of agitation; and
an actuator integrally connected to the chip able to alter at least one of the temperature, the pressure, and the environmental factor. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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51. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a plurality of predetermined reaction sites each having a volume of less than about 1 ml; and
a sensor able to determine an environmental factor associated with at least one of the predetermined reaction sites, the factor being at least one of;
CO2 concentration, glucose concentration, glutam me concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, serum concentration, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of an amino acid, and a concentration of a hormone. CO2 concentration, glucose concentration, glutamine concentration, pyruvate concentration, apatite concentration, serum concentration, a concentration of a vitamin, a concentration of an amino acid, and a concentration of a hormone. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml; and
a control system able to produce a change in a first environmental factor associated with the predetermined reaction site within 1 s of and responsive to a change in a second environmental factor associated with the predetermined reaction site. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. An apparatus, comprising:
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a chip comprising a predetermined reaction site having a volume of less than about 1 ml; and
an active control system able to control an environment within the predetermined reaction site so as to support a living cell for a period of at least 1 day. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75)
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Specification