Acoustic perfusion devices for separating biological cells from other material in a fluid mixture are disclosed. The devices include an inlet port, an outlet port, and a collection port that are connected to an acoustic chamber. An ultrasonic transducer creates an acoustic standing wave in the acoustic chamber that permits a continuous flow of fluid to be recovered through the collection port while keeping the biological cells within the acoustic chamber to be returned to the bioreactor from which the fluid mixture is being drawn.

An apparatus for processing cells is disclosed. In one embodiment, a fixed bed reactor is provided for the cells, the fixed bed reactor including a portion movable from a first position corresponding to a packed condition of the fixed bed to a second position corresponding to a depacked condition of the fixed bed. Movement of the partition facilitates harvesting of the cells there from. Related apparatus, kits, methods, and systems are also disclosed.

A stage device capable of performing piercing vibration and translational driving by using one actuator, and performing very low-speed driving in the translational driving with high accuracy. The stage device includes an X stage having a vibration actuator that includes an vibration element and a contact body, one of which is a movable body connected to an object to be driven, and drives the object to be driven in an X-axis direction, and a control section that controls driving of the vibration actuator. The control section causes two-phase AC voltages to be applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element to thereby excite predetermined vibrations in the vibration element, to drive the vibration actuator by switching between a movement mode for moving the object to be driven in the X-axis direction and a vibration mode for vibrating the object to be driven in the X-axis direction.

A perfusion bioreactor includes at least one ultrasonic transducer that can acoustically generate a multi-dimensional standing wave. The standing wave can be used to retain cells in the bioreactor, and can also be utilized to dewater or further harvest product from the waste materials produced in a bioreactor.

Acoustic perfusion devices for separating biological cells from other material in a fluid mixture are disclosed. The devices include an inlet port, an outlet port, and a collection port that are connected to an acoustic chamber. An ultrasonic transducer creates an acoustic standing wave in the acoustic chamber that permits a continuous flow of fluid to be recovered through the collection port while keeping the biological cells within the acoustic chamber to be returned to the bioreactor from which the fluid mixture is being drawn.

The invention relates to a method for separating viable target cells from a sample comprising the steps of contacting a sample comprising a suspension of viable target cells that display a molecule on the cell surface with non-porous microparticles that have a density of about 1.45 g/cm.sup.3 or greater, a diameter of about 10 m to 200 m, and a capture ligand covalently immobilized to the microparticle surface that is capable of specifically binding to said molecule; incubating said sample without substantial agitation to form a target cell/microparticle complex; separating non-bound substances in said sample from said target cell/microparticle complex by washing said non-bound substances through a filter while retaining said target cell/microparticle complex; mechanically dissociating said target cell/microparticle complex and eluting said viable target cells through said filter while retaining said microparticles with said capture ligand covalently immobilized to the microparticle surface as well as a cartridge, kit-of-parts, an apparatus configured to be used in the method and a medicament comprising viable target cells obtainable by the method.

Device for sorting living cells, comprising at least one support including a surface having adherence properties with respect to said type of living cells, actuators capable of making said surface vibrate at at least one given frequency and a controller for controlling the actuators such that the surface vibrates at a frequency causing the detachment of at least one type of living cells.

Methods and systems for creating patterns in tissue growth for tissue engineering are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for arranging biological cells along predetermined patterns using an ultrasound includes: emitting the ultrasound by an ultrasound transducer; transmitting the ultrasound through a holographic lens toward a plurality of cells; and generating a pressure field in the predetermined patterns. The predetermined pattern includes a plurality of mutually parallel transverse planes. The parallel transverse planes are configured to entrap groups of cells of the plurality of cells. The axial pressure gradients within the parallel transverse planes are smaller than a first predetermined threshold. The lateral pressure gradients within the parallel transverse planes are larger than a second predetermined threshold. In response to generating the pressure field, the groups of entrapped cells are aligned within parallel transverse planes.

An object of the present invention is to provide: an algae water concentration system that efficiently concentrates algae water in a culture pond into algae water containing algae having a desired size, with a simple structure and at low cost; and a method for operating the same. A cultured algae water concentration system 100 comprises: an algae water supply unit 17 that has an algae water supply container 18 that stores algae water sent from the culture pond therein, and a supply container outlet port 19 through which the algae water is taken out from the algae water supply container; and an algae water concentration unit that has a concentration container 1 for receiving and concentrating the algae water from the algae water supply unit, a filter 3 which divides the concentration container into upper and lower spaces and does not pass algae having a predetermined size or larger therethrough, a vibration device 5 that vibrates the filter in an out-of-plane direction, a concentration container algae water inlet port 7 which takes in the algae water to the concentration container and is arranged below the filter of the concentration container, a concentrated algae water outlet port 9 that is arranged below the filter of the concentration container and takes out algae water therethrough that has been concentrated in the concentration container, and a filtered water discharge port 8 that is arranged above the filter of the concentration container and discharges filtered water having passed through the filter.

Articles of manufacture, including an apparatus for acoustic wave based agglomeration, are provided. The apparatus may include a well and an acoustic wave device. The well may be configured to hold a suspension that includes a plurality of particles. The acoustic wave device may be configured to generate a plurality of acoustic waves. The plurality of acoustic waves inducing acoustic streaming within the suspension. The acoustic streaming agitating the suspension to form an agglomerate comprising at least a portion of the plurality of particles. Methods for acoustic wave based agglomeration are also provided.