Portable cell growth cassette for use in maintaining and growing biological cells
First Claim
1. Apparatus for ex vivo maintaining and growing biological cells, comprising:
- a portable cell growth cassette that includes a casing that defines a cell growth chamber configured to carry a quantity of biological cells and a growth medium, the cell growth chamber being part of a sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment, and a memory device that stores information relating to the desired conditioning of the cell growth chamber over time; and
a first instrument, separate from the portable cassette and having an interface to which the cassette can be removably coupled, whereupon the first instrument retrieves information stored in the memory device and, in response to that retrieved information, controllably conditions the cassette during a first stage of its ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable cassette is disclosed, for receiving, maintaining and growing biological cells ex vivo, without exposing the cells to the external environment. The portable cassette is used in combination with a succession of instruments, to inoculate the cassette'"'"'s cell growth chamber with cells, to then incubate the chamber so that the cells are optimally expanded, and finally to harvest the expanded cells. Each instrument is configured to condition the portable cassette during a stage of the cell growth process, without disturbing the cassette'"'"'s sterile system. In addition, an updatable memory device associated with the cassette stores significant information about the cassette and its condition during the various steps of the cell growth process. Such information is useful both for subsequent archival purposes and for facilitating a resumption of the cell growth process in the event of any instrument failure or significant alarm condition.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. Apparatus for ex vivo maintaining and growing biological cells, comprising:
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a portable cell growth cassette that includes a casing that defines a cell growth chamber configured to carry a quantity of biological cells and a growth medium, the cell growth chamber being part of a sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment, and a memory device that stores information relating to the desired conditioning of the cell growth chamber over time; and
a first instrument, separate from the portable cassette and having an interface to which the cassette can be removably coupled, whereupon the first instrument retrieves information stored in the memory device and, in response to that retrieved information, controllably conditions the cassette during a first stage of its ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
the memory device includes an electrically conductive surface; and
the contents of the memory device can be retrieved by contacting the electrically conductive surface with a read/write device.
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13. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein:
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the portable cell growth cassette further includes a media container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry a growth medium, and a waste container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry media discharged from the growth chamber; and
the cell growth chamber, the media container, and the waste container are connected together to form a fluid pathway that constitutes the sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment.
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4. Apparatus for ex vivo maintaining and growing biological cells, comprising:
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a portable cell growth cassette that includes a casing that defines a cell growth chamber configured to carry a quantity of biological cells and a growth medium, the cell growth chamber being part of a sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment, and an updatable memory device that stores information relating to the cell growth chamber and/or the biological cells and growth media it carries; and
a first instrument separate from the portable cassette and having an interface to which the cassette can be removably coupled, whereupon the first instrument controllably conditions the cassette during a first stage of its ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment, and whereupon the first instrument further updates the updatable memory device with information relating to the condition of the cell growth chamber during that first stage. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
the updatable memory device includes an electrically conductive surface; and
the contents of the memory device can be retrieved and updated by contacting the electrically conductive surface with a read/write device.
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18. Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein:
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the portable cell growth cassette includes a media container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry a growth medium, and a waste container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry media discharged from the growth chamber; and
the cell growth chamber, the media container, and the waste container are connected together to form a fluid pathway that constitutes the sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment.
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19. A portable cell growth cassette for ex vivo maintaining and growing biological cells, comprising:
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a casing that defines a cell growth chamber configured to carry a quantity of biological cells and a growth medium, the cell growth chamber being part of a sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment; and
a memory device that stores information relating to the desired conditioning of the cell growth chamber over time;
wherein the portable cassette is configured to be removably coupled to an instrument, separate from the cassette, that retrieves information stored in the memory device and, in response to that retrieved information, controllably conditions the cassette during a predetermined stage of the cassette'"'"'s ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
the memory device includes an electrically conductive surface; and
the contents of the memory device can be retrieved and updated by contacting the electrically conductive surface with a read/write device.
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26. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 19, wherein:
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the cassette further includes a media container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry a growth medium, and a waste container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry media discharged from the growth chamber; and
the cell growth chamber, the media container, and the waste container are connected together to form a fluid pathway that constitutes the sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment.
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27. A portable cell growth cassette for ex vivo maintaining and growing biological cells, comprising:
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a casing that defines a cell growth chamber configured to carry a quantity of biological cells and a growth medium, the cell growth cassette being part of a sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment; and
an updatable memory device that stores information relating to the cell growth chamber and to the biological cells and growth media it carries, and/or relating to the condition of the cell growth chamber over time;
wherein the portable cassette is configured to be removably coupled to an instrument, separate from the cassette, which controllably conditions the cassette during a predetermined stage of the cassette'"'"'s ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment, and which updates the memory device with information relating to the condition of the cassette during the time the cassette is coupled to the instrument. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
the updatable memory device further stores information about the desired conditioning of the cell growth chamber over time; and
the portable cassette is configured such that the instrument to which the cassette is removably coupled can retrieve information stored in the updatable memory device and, in response to that retrieved information, controllably condition the cassette during a predetermined stage of the cassette'"'"'s ex vivo maintenance and growth of biological cells, such conditioning including controllably transporting growth media through the cassette'"'"'s cell growth chamber, without exposing the closed, sterilizable system to the external environment.
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29. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 27, wherein the casing of the portable cassette is configured to support the updatable memory device in a position where it is directly accessible by the instrument to which the cassette is removably coupled.
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30. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 29, wherein the casing of the portable cassette includes an external panel having a recess configured to support the updatable memory device.
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31. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 27, wherein the updatable memory device is non-volatile.
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32. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 27, wherein the portable cassette is free of any source of electrical power.
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33. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 27, wherein:
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the updatable memory device includes an electrically conductive surface; and
the contents of the updatable memory device can be retrieved and updated by contacting the electrically conductive surface with a read/write device.
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34. A portable cell growth cassette as defined in claim 27, wherein:
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the cassette further includes a media container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry a growth medium, and a waste container connected to the cell growth chamber and configured to carry media discharged from the growth chamber; and
the cell growth chamber, the media container, and the waste container are connected together to form a fluid pathway that constitutes the sterilizable system that is closed to the external environment.
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Specification