AUTOMATED, MULTIFUNCTIONAL, ENGINEERED CARDIAC TISSUE CULTURE AND TESTING BIOREACTOR SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A bioreactor system that is configured to provide length control of engineered tissue and to measure one or more properties of the engineered tissue comprising:
- a housing that includes a culture well;
at least one first flexible post suspended in the culture well;
at least one second rigid post suspended in the culture well, the second post being spaced from the first post such that the engineered tissue is grown therebetween;
a first device for measuring a contractile force of the engineered tissue, the device including the at least one first post which comprises a fiber-optic that is operatively coupled to a light source and configured to flex when the engineered tissue contracts, the first device further including a sensor for detecting a degree of movement of the at least one first post; and
a second device for controlling the length of the engineered tissue, the second device including the at least one rigid second post and an actuator that is operatively coupled to the at least one second post for moving the at least one second post in a controlled manner within the culture well so as to cause a change in a distance between the at least one first post and the at least one second post and thereby control the length of the engineered tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved tissue engineering bioreactor and testing platform has been designed that integrates multiple testing and stimulation capabilities. The system allows for growth of multiple tissue strips in parallel with mechanical and electrical stimulation, media perfusion, and the automated monitoring of contractile force and extracellular electrical activity. The system is designed to be low-cost and scalable, to provide for high-content, biofidelic, non-destructive testing of engineered muscle tissue performance that is conventionally measured using muscle-bath systems.
6 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A bioreactor system that is configured to provide length control of engineered tissue and to measure one or more properties of the engineered tissue comprising:
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a housing that includes a culture well; at least one first flexible post suspended in the culture well; at least one second rigid post suspended in the culture well, the second post being spaced from the first post such that the engineered tissue is grown therebetween; a first device for measuring a contractile force of the engineered tissue, the device including the at least one first post which comprises a fiber-optic that is operatively coupled to a light source and configured to flex when the engineered tissue contracts, the first device further including a sensor for detecting a degree of movement of the at least one first post; and a second device for controlling the length of the engineered tissue, the second device including the at least one rigid second post and an actuator that is operatively coupled to the at least one second post for moving the at least one second post in a controlled manner within the culture well so as to cause a change in a distance between the at least one first post and the at least one second post and thereby control the length of the engineered tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification