An example apparatus comprises a thermal cell lysis chamber, including a substrate and a lid coupled to the substrate to form a microfluidic channel therethrough. The apparatus includes cell detection circuitry to detect presence of a cell within the microfluidic channel and to detect lysis of the cell. The apparatus also includes a thermal lysing element disposed in the lid to apply heat to a cell detected by the cell detection circuitry, and lysis control circuitry. The lysis control circuitry is to regulate a temperature applied by the thermal lysing element, based on detection by the cell detection circuitry of a cell within the microfluidic channel and based on detection by the cell detection circuitry of a lysis event, and record the temperature applied by the thermal lysing element at which the lysis event occurred.

The present invention relates to a biomimetic nerve chip for evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of a drug, a method for evaluating the efficacy of a drug on nerve cells through astrocytes by using the biomimetic nerve chip, and a method for evaluating the toxicity of a drug on nerve cells through astrocytes by using the biomimetic nerve chip, the biomimetic nerve chip comprising: an astrocyte supply unit and a nerve cell supply unit for simulating nerve tissue; and a culture solution supply unit for supplying a culture solution to the astrocyte supply unit and the nerve cell supply unit. By using the biomimetic nerve chip for evaluating the efficacy and toxicity of a drug provided in the present invention, it is possible to overcome inaccuracies due to differences between the different species in animal experiments in the study of nerve tissues, and using a combination of astrocytes and nerve cells enables use of the nerve chip as a platform to more accurately evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a drug under conditions similar to in vivo conditions, and the nerve chip can be applied to studies of microenvironments in nerve tissues and other organ-on-a-chip studies. Therefore, the present invention may be utilized in the development of a human-on-a-chip that can effectively analyze the efficacy and toxicity of a drug.

The disclosure relates to bioreactors, for example for biological treatment and, more specifically to bioreactor insert apparatus including biofilms and related methods. The bioreactor insert apparatus provides a means for circulation of reaction medium within the bioreactor, a biofilm support, and biological treatment of an inlet feed to the reactor/insert apparatus. The bioreactor insert apparatus has a high relative surface area for biofilm attachment and is capable of generating complex flow patterns and increasing treatment efficiency/biological conversion activity in a biologically-active reactor. The high surface area structure incorporates multiple biofilm support structures such as meshes at inlet and outlet portions of the structure. The biofilm support structures and biofilms thereon can increase overall reaction rate of the bioreactor and/or perform some solid/liquid separation in the treatment of the wastewater or other influent.

Provided herein are systems for continuously measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide gas levels inside a cell culture incubator, comprising an oxygen sensor that uses LED based fluorescence technology to determine the amount of oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere, a carbon dioxide sensor that uses LED based Non-dispersive Infra-Red (NDIR) technology to determine the amount of carbon dioxide in the surrounding atmosphere, and electronics to wirelessly monitor the output from the oxygen sensor and carbon dioxide sensor. Most preferably, the system can be placed inside a cell culture incubator, and sensor readings are pre-compensated for temperature, pressure, and humidity. Also provided herein are methods of using the same.

Methods to form a surface coating and surface pattern, which are based on adsorption of hydrocarbon chains that can be used with imaging optics to visualize macrophage fusion and multinucleated giant cell formation with living specimens are described.

A spheroid cell culture article including: a frame having a chamber including: an opaque side wall surface; a top aperture; a gas-permeable, transparent bottom; and optionally a chamber annex surface and second bottom, and at least a portion of the transparent bottom includes at least one concave arcuate surface, is disclosed. Methods of making and using the article are also disclosed.

The invention discloses a first connection unit having a plurality of sensor surfaces and which is adapted to be asepetically connected to a second connection unit mounted e.g. on a flexible bioreactor bag.

The present invention relates to a novel bioreactor system for cell cultivation. More specifically, the invention relates to a compact bioreactor system which has several integrated functions and enables small scale static culture as well as scale-up rocking culture in the same bioreactor. The bioreactor system comprises tray for positioning of a cell culture bag having adjustable volume, a lid covering the cell culture bag and provided with heating function, an integrated perfusion unit, an integrated cell loading unit, and an integrated unit for automatic cell culture sampling, wherein the bioreactor system is controlled by a single control unit. The invention also relates to a method of cell culture using the bioreactor system for culture of therapeutic cells.

A nucleic acid amplification method includes a step of heating a first region of a container housing a droplet containing a target nucleic acid and a sample necessary for amplification of the target nucleic acid to a denaturation temperature of the target nucleic acid and heating a second region different from the first region to a synthesis temperature of the target nucleic acid, and an amplification step of repeating a cycle through a denaturation stage at which the droplet housed in the container is moved to and retained in the first region and a synthesis stage at which the droplet is moved to and retained in the second region at a plurality of times. At the amplification step, periods of part of cycles of the plurality of cycles are made shorter than periods of the other cycles.

A method of transferring a liquid between multiple containers in cell culture. A first container of multiple culture containers each having a port for transferring content, a three-way stopcock and a medium supply container having one port are connected by a tube, and one pump is arranged therebetween; when the number of containers in the multiple culture containers is two, the three-way stopcock and a second culture container are connected by a tube; when the number is three or more, a three-way stopcock is newly provided between the immediately connected culture container and the three-way stopcock, and connection of the newly provided three-way stopcock and a subsequent culture container by a tube is repeated, whereby all culture containers are connected to the three-way stopcock; and the culture medium is transferred from the medium supply container to each container in the multiple culture containers via the three-way stopcock by the pump.