There is provided a connector, for introducing or extracting a material to or from at least one receptacle, comprising a housing extending between a distal end and a proximal end, the housing comprising, at least at one end, a pierceable seal; a hollow needle mounted, at least partially, within the housing between the distal end and the proximal end of the housing, a first end of the hollow needle being connected or connectable to a first corresponding receptacle, and a second end of the hollow needle facing the pierceable seal at an end of the housing; and an actuating mechanism acting on the housing or the hollow needle to enable the hollow needle to pierce the pierceable seal thereby forming a communication through the pierceable seal, such that material is able to transfer through the connector.

A three dimensional (3D) microfluidic cartridge suitable for reproduction of cells in the 3D microfluidic cartridge and for observing an angiogenesis process is provided. The 3D microfluidic cartridge includes a side area, wherein a height of the side area is greater than a height of central area. With the 3D microfluidic cartridge, a 3D cell culture is carried out, tumor spheroids are formed in the 3D microfluidic cartridge, and angiogenesis potentials of the tumor spheroids are measured. Further, responses of endothelial cells against angiogenic or antiangiogenic effects of various small molecules, drugs, and protein therapeutics are measured in the 3D microfluidic cartridge.

The invention relates to a substrate for testing samples, in particular cells or molecules, wherein the substrate comprises a fluid system comprising a sample chamber configured in the substrate for storing and testing samples and at least one liquid reservoir in fluid communication with the sample chamber, and wherein the substrate comprises a passive blocking element capable of assuming a closed position and an open position, wherein in the closed position a fluid exchange between the sample chamber and the liquid reservoir is blocked.

A cell culture apparatus is provided, including a storage tank including one or a plurality of cell culture units, in which the cell culture unit includes a culture chamber having an inner surface-side space in which a culture solution is stored, a permeable membrane having a first surface to which cells are adherable and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the first surface facing the inner surface-side space, a culture solution storage chamber that stores the culture solution, a culture solution introduction flow path that introduces the culture solution in the culture solution storage chamber to the inner surface-side space, and a culture solution discharge flow path that sends, to the culture solution storage chamber, the culture solution which permeates through the membrane from the inner surface-side space and flows into an outer surface-side space that the second surface of the membrane faces.

A cell treatment apparatus capable of treating cells in a cell culture vessel. The cell treatment apparatus (100) according to the present invention includes a first region (1), a second region (3), and a third region (5). The first region (1) and the second region (3) are placed in succession. The first region (1) is a cell treatment chamber for treating cells. The cell treatment chamber can be closed from the outside of the cell treatment chamber and includes a culture vessel placement portion for placing a cell culture vessel. The second region (3) includes a laser irradiation device capable of irradiating the cell culture vessel placed in the culture vessel placement portion with a laser. The third region (5) includes a control device that controls at least one device in the cell treatment apparatus (100) and a power supply device (52) that supplies electric power to at least one device in the cell treatment apparatus (100). The culture vessel placement portion is placed to be adjacent to the second region (3) in the cell treatment chamber. An adjacent portion to the second region (3) in the culture vessel placement portion is translucent.

A multi-layered microfluidic system featuring tissue chambers for cells in a first layer and a plurality of medium channels for culture medium in a second layer. The tissue chambers fluidly connect to the medium channels such that media flows from the medium channels to the tissue chambers, forming large-scale perfused capillary networks. The capillary networks can undergo angiogenesis and vertical anastomosis. The multi-layered configuration of the system of the present invention allows for flexibility in design.

A cell culture bioreactor has membranes divided into a plurality of zones. The membranes may include perfusion membranes carrying a liquid media and/or gas transfer membranes. The bioreactor has one or more sensors configured to collect data from one or more locations within the bioreactor. The supply of one or more of the gaseous and/or liquid media to a selected zone or zones may be controlled. In some examples, the supply includes a background supply and a selectable incremental supply. The bioreactor may be used to grow cells in suspension. Liquid media circulates within an extra-capillary space of the bioreactor. In some examples, a portion of cells is permitted for a period of time to be restrained within one or more zones of the membranes. Elements of a reactor may be made in a mold. A reactor may be operated in a fed-batch process.

A cell processing system comprising an enclosure 601, an outer enclosure 701 that envelops the enclosure 601, an intake air purification filter 602 provided in the enclosure 601, that purifies gas that has been drawn in from outside the enclosure 601, a circulating apparatus, inside the outer enclosure 701, that circulates gas inside and outside the enclosure 601 in such a manner that gas in the outer enclosure 701 is drawn into the enclosure 601 through the intake air purification filter 602 and gas inside the enclosure 601 is discharged into the outer enclosure 701, and a cell processing apparatus for processing of cells, disposed inside the enclosure 601.

The purpose of the present invention is to suppress variation in time for cells to be immersed in a peeling liquid when the cells are peeled from culture layers. A multilayer culture vessel 1 has an internal space that is divided by a boundary surface 10 into a culture space 11 on one side and a buffer space 12 on the other side in a direction parallel to a bottom plate 2. The multilayer culture vessel 1 includes at least one intermediate plate 5 that extends in the culture space along the direction parallel to the bottom plate 2 and divides the culture space 11 into a plurality of culture layers 21, wall portions 13 that respectively extend from the bottom plate 2 and the at least one intermediate plate 5 toward a top plate 3 at the boundary surface 10, communication portions 14 that bring the buffer space 12 into communication with the culture layers 21, and a liquid supply/drainage port 6 that is formed in the top plate 3 at a location facing the buffer space 12.

In preferred embodiments, the subject invention provides two-vessel fermentation systems for producing microbe-based products comprising fungal mycelia and/or spores, and/or bacterial endospores, wherein the systems comprise both a submerged fermentation vessel and a solid state fermentation (SSF) vessel. Advantageously use of the two phases improves the efficiency of producing microorganisms by catering to the different requirements for biomass and/or vegetative cell accumulation as well as the requirements for mycelial growth and/or sporulation.