A sample preparation method includes: irradiating a first region of a sample with light at a time t1; irradiating a second region different from the first region with the tight at a time t2 after the time t1; and fixing the sample at a time t3 after the time t2. A sample preparing apparatus includes: a light radiating unit that irradiates a first region of a sample with light at time t1 and irradiates a second region different from the first region with the light at a time t2 after the time t1; and a fixing unit that fixes the sample at a time t3 after the time t2.

Provided is a culture container base material made of a polyolefin material, capable of readily forming a culture container for culturing adherent cells. The culture container base material is for culturing the adherent cells and made of the polyolefin material. At least a part of a surface of the base material is subjected to a surface treatment, where the surface of the base material is a culture surface of the culture container, and the surface subjected to the surface treatment has a static water contact angle of greater than 80° and a receding contact angle of less than 53°.

A biofilm reactor substrate support system can comprise a base holder shaped to retain a reactor vessel and comprising a magnetic alignment feature. The biofilm reactor substrate can also comprise a set of reactor racks including a complementary magnetic alignment feature which can be magnetically coupleable to the magnetic alignment feature so as to anchor the base holder and the set of reactor racks in a fixed position relative to one another. Each reactor rack can be coupleable to at least one removable biofilm support microstructure.

The invention concerns a filtration assembly (1) for microbiological testing and a method of using the filtration assembly for that purpose. The filtration assembly (1) comprises a ring-like membrane support (10) holding a filtration membrane (11), a cylindrical reservoir (20) of which opposite axial ends have openings and one axial opening is removably and fluid-tightly attachable to the membrane support (10) to define a sample volume adjacent to the filtration membrane (11) on one axial side of the membrane support (10); and a drain member (30) removably and fluid tightly attachable to the membrane support (10) to define a drain channel space adjacent to the filtration membrane (11) on an opposite axial side of the membrane support (10).

The cell structure producing apparatus including needles, a sticking unit configured to detachably hold an end portion of each of the needles, descend the each of the needles with respect to a cell tray in which cell aggregates are held, stick and penetrate each of the cell aggregates with the tip end, and ascend the needle after sticking, at least one time or more, a base unit, and a control unit configured to move the sticking unit so that for the each of the needles, each of the needles sticking the cell aggregates is positioned at a predetermined position over the base unit, descend each of the needles by a predetermined amount to stick the tip end into the base unit at the predetermined position on the base unit, and control the sticking unit.

A program for operating a cell culture support apparatus causes a computer to function as a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a first derivation unit, and an output control unit. The first acquisition unit acquires a learned model, derived by performing machine learning on the basis of a set of time-series data for learning indicating a time transition of an amount of each of plural types of components constituting a medium used for cell culture and good/bad data indicating good or bad of a result of the cell culture in correspondence with the time-series data for learning, indicating a guideline of the amount. The second acquisition unit acquires time-series data for analysis indicating the time transition of the amount. The first derivation unit derives quantitative guideline information of the amount for obtaining a good result in the cell culture, with respect to at least one of the plural types of components, from the learned model acquired in the first acquisition unit and input data of at least a part of the time-series data for analysis acquired in the second acquisition unit. The output control unit performs a control for outputting the guideline information.

A spring for connecting a pipe to a rod, the spring including a flat tab attached to a rod and aligned with a first face of the rod and a second unattached tab aligned with a second face of the rod that is opposite to the first face, and a diagonal bridge connecting the first flat tab and the second unattached tab, wherein the angle between the attached tab and the diagonal bridge is greater than 90 and a button located on the flat tab, wherein the button protrudes from a distal end of the rod when the spring is normally open, and wherein the button is configured to engage with a corresponding hole in a pipe.

High-throughput column arrays of vascularized living parenchyma/tissue having pillars dispersed in specialized configurations and arrangements substantially vertically through the column to provide support, passive or active perfusion, and access to internal portions of tissue for analytical sampling needs, along with 3-D printing methods of manufacture and analytical screening methods employing the column arrays.

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 microfluidic cell culture chip which contains a central module comprising a central unit, which contains a support consisting of a non-resorbable membrane, a 3D nanostructured porous membrane, comprising at least one protuberance, and the 3D nanostructured porous membrane and that at least one protuberance being composed of materials suitable for the culture of two distinct cell types; a base, and the central unit being integrated in the base, and forming a whole with the base.