Preparation of a product comprising stromal vascular fraction cells includes washing human biological material comprising adipose in a container apparatus having an internal filter, which divides an internal containment volume of the container apparatus into a tissue retention volume on one side of the filter and a filtrate volume on an opposite side of the filter, and a mixing device with at least one rotatable mixing member disposed in the tissue retention volume. The washing includes operation of the mixing device to rotate the mixing member through the human biological material within the tissue retention volume, and the washing is followed by digesting washed material within the internal containment volume with added enzyme, centrifuging of the container apparatus to prepare a centrifuged pellet in the filtrate volume, selectively removing material of the pellet and preparing a product with a mixture of stromal vascular fraction cells of removed pellet material and an aqueous suspension liquid.

A system, methods, and apparatus are described to collect and prepare single cells, nuclei, subcellular components, and biomolecules from specimens including tissues and in some embodiments use the single cells to form organoids or microtissues. The system can perform enzymatic and/or physical disruption of the tissue to dissociate it into single-cells and then use a hanging droplet method to form organoids or microtissues.

The invention provides systems, modules, bioreactor and methods for the automated culture, proliferation, differentiation, production and maintenance of tissue engineered products. In one aspect is an automated tissue engineering system comprising a housing, at least one bioreactor supported by the housing, the bioreactor facilitating physiological cellular functions and/or the generation of one or more tissue constructs from cell and/or tissue sources. A fluid containment system is supported by the housing and is in fluid communication with the bioreactor. One or more sensors are associated with one or more of the housing, bioreactor or fluid containment system for monitoring parameters related to the physiological cellular functions and/or generation of tissue constructs; and a microprocessor linked to one or more of the sensors. The systems, methods and products of the invention find use in various clinical and laboratory settings.

A method for treating plant based raw material with an enzymatic hydrolysis. The plant based raw material is treated to form lignocellulosic material. The lignocellulosic material or a solid fraction thereof is subjected to the enzymatic hydrolysis. The method includes treating the plant based raw material in at least one treatment stage for forming the lignocellulosic material including over 80% fine solid particles that are fiber-like or indefinable particles smaller than 0.2 mm and the viscosity of the lignocellulosic material is below 18000 mPas at 15% dry matter content. The method further includes subjecting the lignocellulosic material or at least one solid fraction thereof into the enzymatic hydrolysis for forming a lignin based material. The method further includes subjecting the lignin based material into at least one solid-liquid separation stage after the enzymatic hydrolysis and separating a lignin fraction and a soluble carbohydrate containing fraction.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and compositions for the pretreatment of biomass within seconds with low inhibitor formation. The pretreatment process is used to convert biomass to a fuel or other useful chemicals by subjecting the feedstock to a rapid retention time under pressure and temperature and/or chemical reactant. The system includes a continuously-operating valve discharge apparatus to discharge pretreated feedstock while maintaining uniform pressure on the pretreatment system.

Anaerobic digestion apparatus comprises a first chamber for retaining organic matter before and/or during anaerobic digestion and a second chamber for retaining organic matter during anaerobic digestion. The anaerobic digestion apparatus is configured to refrigerate or heat the first chamber to suppress methanogenesis in the first chamber. The anaerobic digestion apparatus comprises a controller programmed to regulate the anaerobic digestion process and to thereby reduce system perturbations. The flow of organic matter to the second chamber where methanogenesis is regulated. There is disclosed an inoculum for anaerobic digestion comprising Acetobacterium woodii and Methanosaeta concilii.

Anaerobic digestion apparatus comprises a first chamber for retaining organic matter before and/or during anaerobic digestion and a second chamber for retaining organic matter during anaerobic digestion. The anaerobic digestion apparatus is configured to refrigerate or heat the first chamber to suppress methanogenesis in the first chamber. The anaerobic digestion apparatus comprises a controller programmed to regulate the anaerobic digestion process and to thereby reduce system perturbations. The flow of organic matter to the second chamber where methanogenesis is regulated. There is disclosed an inoculum for anaerobic digestion comprising Acetobacterium woodii and Methanosaeta concilii.

A method and apparatus for controlled hydrolysis. The method can comprise hydrolyzing a first reagent in a first hydrolysis reaction and deactivating a first enzyme catalyzing the first hydrolysis reaction. The deactivating step can occur in about 10 seconds or less; the deactivating step can comprise adding a deactivating fluid to a composition comprising the first enzyme and heating the first enzyme using a deactivating mechanism. In other aspects, hydrolyzing the first reagent and deactivating the first enzyme can occur in a conduit, and the first hydrolysis reaction can occur in a composition that is at least 50% water by weight. The apparatus can provide a hydrolysis reactor comprising: a conduit; a composition inlet in the conduit for a composition; a first enzyme inlet in the conduit downstream of the composition inlet; and a first deactivating mechanism downstream of the first enzyme inlet to deactivate the first enzyme.

Tissue-processing containers are disclosed for facilitating multistep processing of tissue. Also disclosed are systems incorporating the tissue-processing containers that include shakers, incubators, controllers, and pumps. Multistep methods are disclosed for processing tissues using the tissue-processing containers. The tissue-processing containers are specially designed to achieve efficiencies in automated tissue processing, exposure of tissues to processing media, and multistep tissue processing protocols. The described tissue-processing containers comprise a cup-like cavity comprising a middle hole covered by a mesh screen, troughs for separate processing steps, and are stackable in a substantially airtight and substantially watertight manner. Tissues for processing using the described tissue-processing containers include nerve tissue. Also described herein is a transport housing for the transport of stacks of tissue-processing containers, and which may directly incubate those containers, or which may be placed inside a separate incubator for incubating the containers.

A microfluidic system for processing a tissue sample includes a microfluidic digestion device having an outlet fluidically connected to an inlet of a dissociation/filter device. The microfluidic digestion device includes an inlet and an outlet and a tissue chamber that connects to plurality of upstream fluidic channels and a plurality of downstream fluidic channels. The microfluidic dissociation/filter device includes an inlet, a first outlet, a second outlet, and a plurality of furcating dissociation channels having a plurality of expansion and constriction regions disposed along a length thereof, wherein one or more filters are disposed in a flow path downstream of the plurality of furcating dissociation channels. Pumps are provided to pump buffer and/or enzyme-containing fluid through the digestion device and dissociation/filter device. Tissue is initially processed in the digestion device and then passes into the dissociation/filter device.