A method of inducing expression of a calcium channel and/or a calcium pump in a cell includes: irradiating the cell with light in a wavelength range of 315-325 nm. The calcium channel and/or the calcium pump is/are at least one selected from the group consisting of dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR), voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC), ryanodine receptor (RYR), and sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca.sup.2+-ATPase (SERCA).

A fluidic cartridge comprises a fluidic disk having a plurality of alignment openings; a fluidic chip comprising a body, one or more channels formed in the body in fluidic communications with input ports and output ports for transferring one or more fluids between the input ports and the output ports, and a plurality of protrusions formed on the body and received in the alignment openings of the fluidic disk for aligning the fluidic chip to the fluidic disk; an actuator operably engaging with the one or more channels for selectively and individually transferring the one or more fluids through the one or more channels from at least one of the input ports to at least one of the output ports at desired flow rates; and a tube member defining a cylindrical housing for accommodating the fluidic disk, the fluidic chip and the actuator therein.

Devices, systems, and methods can be used for the automated production of dendritic cells (DC) from dendritic cell progenitors, such as monocytes obtained from peripheral blood. The invention makes it possible to obtain sufficient quantities of a subject's own DC for use in preparing and characterizing vaccines, for activating and characterizing the activation state of the subject's immune response, and to aid in preventing and/or treating cancer or infectious disease.

Devices, systems, and methods can be used for the automated production of dendritic cells (DC) from dendritic cell progenitors, such as monocytes obtained from peripheral blood. The invention makes it possible to obtain sufficient quantities of a subject's own DC for use in preparing and characterizing vaccines, for activating and characterizing the activation state of the subject's immune response, and to aid in preventing and/or treating cancer or infectious disease.

An illuminated container for the growth of biological entities is provided. The container is illuminated by a flexible light diffusing fiber. The light diffusing fiber includes a core formed from a silica-based glass and a cladding in direct contact with the core. The light diffusing fiber also includes an outer polymer coating layer surrounding the cladding, the outer polymer coating layer being the cured product of a liquid polymer blend including a scattering material and a luminophore.

A well plate comprises a plate main body and at least one cavity in an upper side of the plate main body. An upwardly open annular channel is formed in the at least one cavity, the annular channel being delimited at an inner circumference thereof by a closed circumferential wall. A horizontal outer circumference of the circumferential wall decreases from bottom to top up to an upper edge of the circumferential wall. Within the horizontal circumference of the circumferential wall, at its upper edge, at least two retaining elements connect upwardly to the upper edge of the circumferential wall. The at least two retaining elements are at a free horizontal distance to one another, and at least one of the at least two retaining elements is elastically supported at the plate main body in horizontal direction.

The processing apparatus 200 of the present disclosure includes: a laser irradiation unit 21 capable of applying a laser to the photothermal conversion layer 13 of the cell culture tool 100 including the cell culture base layer 11 and the photothermal conversion layer 13; and a control unit 22 for controlling the laser irradiation unit 21. The control unit 22 includes a setting section 221 and an irradiation control section 222. The setting section 221 sets an irradiation region to be irradiated with the laser in the cell culture tool 100. The irradiation control section 222 controls the laser irradiation unit 21 based on the irradiation region such that the laser irradiation unit 21 applies the laser to a corresponding region of the photothermal conversion layer 13.

A cell culture method is a cell culture method for arranging cultured cells in a culture dish and continuously culturing the cultured cells by supplying a liquid required to grow or maintain the cultured cells to the culture dish and discharging the liquid from the culture dish. The cell culture method includes: providing a supply port of the liquid at one end of the culture dish and providing a discharge port of the liquid at other end of the culture dish so as to sandwich the cultured cells between the supply port and the discharge port, and discharging the liquid while supplying the liquid to the culture dish so that a moving linear velocity of the liquid from the supply port toward the discharge port is less than a maximum velocity at which shear stress is not applied to the cultured cells.

An imaging system and method for microbial growth detection, counting or identification. One colony may be contrasted in an image that is not optimal for another type of colony. The system and method provides contrast from all available material through space (spatial differences), time (differences appearing over time for a given capture condition) and color space transformation using image input information over time to assess whether microbial growth has occurred for a given sample.

The present invention relates to systems and methods involving interconnected plate components, including bases, lids and covers, interconnected in a manner such that a continuous strip of each component is prepared. The continuous strips may be stored as rollstock in a reel style. The physical properties of each continuous strip allow the base, lid and/or cover to include means for positive control. In one embodiment, the continuous strip of bases is advanced and processed through an automated system with positive control, and remains in the form of a continuous strip until agar in the bases is cured, at which time the bases are singulated. When a lid is applied to a base using methods described herein, an airtight seal is formed improving the quality of culture media used in testing.