The cultivation, by optimized growth and harvesting of algae derived bio-mass may provide useful feedstock for various products and processes. The present invention provides an apparatus that allows for the optimized growth and harvesting of algae within a photo-bioreactor. The photo-bioreactor may include a channel and a propulsion unit for circulating an algae mixture through a channel while exposing the algae mixture to light to support photosynthesis and growth of the algae. A method is also provided for the optimizing the growth and harvesting of algae utilizing a number of different input streams. Further, a system including a programmable control assembly is provided for the growth and harvesting of algae.

An apparatus for collecting or culturing cells or cell colonies includes: a common substrate formed from a flexible resilient polymeric material and having a plurality of wells formed therein; and a plurality of rigid cell carriers releasably connected to said common substrate, with said carriers arranged in the form of an array, and with each of the carriers resiliently received in one of the wells. A method of collecting or culturing cells or cell colonies with such an apparatus is carried out by depositing a liquid media carrying cells on the apparatus so that said cells settle on or adhere to said the carriers; and then (c) releasing at least one selected carrier having said cells thereon by gradual application of release energy to each carrier from the cavity in which it is received (e.g., by pushing with a probe).

An improved tissue engineering bioreactor and testing platform has been designed that integrates multiple testing and stimulation capabilities. The system allows for growth of multiple tissue strips in parallel with mechanical and electrical stimulation, media perfusion, and the automated monitoring of contractile force and extracellular electrical activity. The system is designed to be low-cost and scalable, to provide for high-content, biofidelic, non-destructive testing of engineered muscle tissue performance that is conventionally measured using muscle-bath systems.

A system and method for growing and maintaining biological material including producing a protein associated with the tissue, selecting cells associated with the tissue, expanding the cells, creating at least one tissue bio-ink including the expanded cells, printing the at least one tissue bio-ink in at least one tissue growth medium mixture, growing the tissue from the printed at least one tissue bio-ink, and maintaining viability of the tissue.

A well plate cover includes a base defining a base plane, and a plurality of insertion elements. At least a portion of each of the insertion elements is transparent. Each of the insertion elements is coupled to the base, and extends, in a direction orthogonal to the base plane, from the base to a distal end surface of the insertion element. The distal end surface of each of the insertion elements includes an apex that, when the respective insertion element is inserted into a well of a well plate, extends further into the well than any other portion of the distal end surface. The apex is a point, a line, or a plane having a diameter that is less than one half of a maximum diameter of the distal end surface.

An illuminator includes a light source and an illumination optical system for causing light emitted from the light source to be incident on a sample surface where an imaging object is present. The illumination optical system has an optical axis coaxial with that of an imaging optical system. An image of the light source is formed between the illumination optical system and the imaging optical system. A holder arranges the sample surface between the light source image and the imaging optical system.

Described herein are bioreactor chambers and systems thereof. In an embodiment, a single-plate symmetrical bioreactor chamber is described, comprising: a flow channel extending along a first axis, wherein the flow channel comprises an inlet and an outlet at opposing ends of 5 the flow channel; a pair of struts on opposing ends of a second axis, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, wherein each strut of the pair of struts are placed on opposing sides of the flow channel, wherein the struts are configured to be coupled to a bidirectional linear actuator and configured to provide a strain perpendicular to a fluid flow through the flow channel, wherein the strain does not laterally displace cells present in the flow channel.

A bioreactor vessel includes a bottom, a peripheral sidewall, the bottom and the peripheral sidewall defining an interior space for receiving a flexible bioprocessing bag, a recess in the bottom for receiving a base plate of the flexible bioprocessing bag, and a locking mechanism configured to retain the base plate in the recess.

A cellular object imaging system may include a growth platform. The growth platform may include a body having a cellular fluid suspension region, a media supply passage extending within the body to the cellular object fluid suspension region, at least one fluid pump on the body to selectively deliver media to the cellular object fluid suspension region, a waste discharge passage extending within the body from the cellular object fluid suspension region and a cellular object rotator on the body adjacent the cellular object fluid suspension region to rotate a cellular object within the cellular object fluid suspension region. The cellular object fluid suspension region permits optical imaging of the cellular object suspended in a fluid during rotation by the cellular object rotator.

Provided are multi-layer bioreactors for growing, maintaining, stimulating, monitoring and testing organoids and tissues derived from or representing hollow organs in organoid chambers. Also provided are uses of those bioreactors in modeling a disease process for monitoring disease progress and/or for assessing a biological effect, such as therapeutic efficacy and/or toxicity, e.g., organotoxicity. Also disclosed are bioreactors comprising organoid chambers that are useful as systems for measuring the volume, pressure, contractility, pump function, or electrophysiology of an organoid chamber as well as systems for controlling the pressure experienced by an organoid or tissue in an organoid chamber.