Apparatus for growing tissue specimens in vitro
First Claim
1. An apparatus for growing a tissue specimen in vitro comprising:
- (a) expandable support means for supporting the tissue specimen and constructed so as to permit attachment of the tissue specimen thereto, said support means being expandable to effect stretching of the tissue specimen;
(b) means for mechanically expanding said support means to stretch the tissue specimen; and
(c) control means for controlling said mechanical expanding means to both gradually and substantially continuously expand said expandable support means over a prolonged period of time and to simultaneously repetitively expand and release said expandable support means over said period of time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for growing tissue specimens in vitro includes an expandable membrane for receiving a tissue specimen thereon, a mechanism for expanding the membrane and the tissue specimen, and a controller for controlling the expanding mechanism. The controller is operative for applying an activity pattern to the membrane and a tissue specimen thereon which includes simultaneous continuous stretch activity and repetitive stretch and release activity. The continuous stretch activity and the repetitive stretch and release activity simulate the types of activity to which cells are exposed in vivo due to growth and movement, respectively, and they cause the cells of tissue speciments grown in the apparatus to develop as three-dimensional structures similar to those grown in vivo.
81 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for growing a tissue specimen in vitro comprising:
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(a) expandable support means for supporting the tissue specimen and constructed so as to permit attachment of the tissue specimen thereto, said support means being expandable to effect stretching of the tissue specimen; (b) means for mechanically expanding said support means to stretch the tissue specimen; and (c) control means for controlling said mechanical expanding means to both gradually and substantially continuously expand said expandable support means over a prolonged period of time and to simultaneously repetitively expand and release said expandable support means over said period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification