Improved cell culture devices and related methods that overcome the limitations of prior devices and methods, by creating devices that can integrate a variety of novel attributes. These various attributes include the use of gas permeable material and medium volumes that exceed conventional devices as well as compartments that can facilitate the long term study of high density cultures with reduced disruption of the culture environment, the ability to study the migration of items of interest including substances such as chemokine, track the movement of cells, and monitor cell to cell interactions.

A system and method for studying cell injury mechanisms by applying biologically relevant mechanical impact to in vitro cell culture are disclosed. This approach is for maintaining consistent in vitro conditions during experiments, accommodating multiple cell populations, and monitoring each in real-time while achieving amplitude and time scale of input acceleration that mimic blunt injury cases. These multiplexed, environmental control capabilities enable characterizing the relationships between mechanical impact and cell injury in multivariate biological systems.

A culture apparatus includes an inner box for housing a culture, an outer box surrounding the inner box, and a first vibration prevention mechanism that is disposed between the inner box and the outer box, and is configured to prevent the inner box from vibrating due to the vibration of the outer box.

An apparatus for culturing cells with enhanced gas transfer and thermal regulation is provided. The apparatus includes a bioreactor with a cell culture bed, such as a fixed structured bed. A pump, such as an agitator, serves to pump liquid through the cell culture bed, and a container is provided for the agitator. A first conduit may be associated with the container, such as by being connected to it or adjacent an opening into it. The bioreactor may also include flow extenders to enhance the gas transfer to a liquid used as media to culture the cells, as well as optional thermoregulators. Related methods are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are cell processing systems, devices, and methods thereof. A system for cell processing may comprise a plurality of instruments each independently configured to perform one or more cell processing operations upon a cartridge, and a robot capable of moving the cartridge between each of the plurality of instruments.

The invention generally relates to containers for cell and tissue culturing with multiple compartments in fluid communication with each other to provide a common culture environment in each of the compartments while maintaining physical separation of cells and tissue therein. The invention further relates to culture containers providing a sterile culture environment with detachably coupleable lids and open access to each compartment within a container.

A bioreactor system (1) has a pre-sterilized single-use bioreactor (2) with a reactor wall (20) surrounding an interior chamber (21) that receives a fluid medium (M). A sensor (3) for detecting an analyte in the medium has a sensor housing (30) with an outside thread (31) and a sensor shaft (32), a distal end portion (33) of which has an end face (34) with a region (35) permeable to the analyte. A sensor receptacle (4) connected to the reactor wall receives the sensor, to maintain the sterility of the single-use bioreactor. A circumferential flange (40) fixes the sensor receptacle to the reactor wall. The flange has an inside thread (42) that receives the outside thread. A wall (43) of the sensor receptacle is connected to the flange, and together with the sensor shaft, protrudes into the interior chamber, separating the sensor from the interior chamber.

A waste treatment, pyrolysis and gasification and concerns an apparatus for syngas bio-methanation include a unit for pyrolysis/gasification receiving organic material, the unit for pyrolysis/gasification generating syngas, comprising at least one membrane reactor inside a liquid bath comprising at least one bacteria population, the membrane reactor comprising at least one hollow fiber in contact with the liquid bath, around which a biofilm is formed and into which the syngas from the unit for pyrolysis/gasification flows, so as to convert the syngas into methane. A method for bio-methanation of syngas comprising a step of providing syngas from a unit for pyrolysis/gasification to a membrane reactor inside a liquid bath comprising at least one suitable bacteria population, the membrane reactor comprising at least one hollow fiber in contact with the liquid bath, around which a biofilm is formed and into which the output syngas of the unit for pyrolysis flows, so as to convert the syngas into methane.

An inverted conical bioreactor is provided for growing cells or microorganisms. The bioreactor has an internal space and a perforated barrier within the vessel, through which a liquid may flow, where cells or microorganisms cannot pass through the perforated barrier. The perforated barrier divides the internal space of the bioreactor into a first chamber and a second chamber. Cells are grown within the second chamber and can be perfused by re-circulating the liquid, for example a growth medium, through the bioreactor. Various inlet ports and outlet ports allow controlling the parameters of flow of the growth medium.

A method of using electricity to produce methane includes maintaining a culture comprising living methanogenic microorganisms at a temperature above 50° C. in a reactor having a first chamber and a second chamber separated by a proton permeable barrier, the first chamber comprising a passage between an inlet and an outlet containing at least a porous electrically conductive cathode, the culture, and water, and the second chamber comprising at least an anode. The method also includes coupling electricity to the anode and the cathode, supplying carbon dioxide to the culture in the first chamber, and collecting methane from the culture at the outlet of the first chamber.