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.

This invention relates to compositions of matter, methods, modules and automated, end-to-end closed instruments for automated mammalian cell growth, reagent bundle creation and mammalian cell transfection followed by nucleic acid-guided nuclease editing in live mammalian cells. The disclosed compositions and method entail making “reagent bundles” comprising many (hundreds of thousands to millions) clonal copies of an editing cassette and delivering or co-localizing the reagent bundles with live mammalian cells such that the editing cassettes edit the cells and the edited cells continue to grow.

A system and method for sorting sperm is provided. The system includes a housing and a microfluidic system supported by the housing. The system also includes an inlet providing access to the microfluidic system to deliver sperm to the microfluidic system and an outlet providing access to the microfluidic system to harvest sorted sperm from the microfluidic system. The microfluidic system provides a flow path for sperm from the inlet to the outlet and includes at least one channel extending from the inlet to the outlet to allow sperm delivered to the microfluidic system through the inlet to progress along the flow path toward the outlet. The microfluidic system also includes a filter including a first plurality of micropores arranged in the flow path between the inlet and the outlet to cause sperm traveling along the flow path to move against through the filter and gravity to reach the outlet.

The present invention provides automated devices for use in supporting various cell therapies and tissue engineering methods. The present invention provides an automated cell separation apparatus capable of separating cells from a tissue sample for use in cell therapies and/or tissue engineering. The cell separation apparatus can be used in combination with complementary devices such as cell collection device and/or a sodding apparatus to support various therapies. The automated apparatus includes media and tissue dissociating chemical reservoirs, filters, a cell separator and a perfusion flow loop through a graft chamber which supports a graft substrate or other endovascular device. The present invention further provides methods for using the tissue grafts and cell samples prepared by the devices described herein in a multitude of therapies including revascularization, regeneration and reconstruction of tissues and organs, as well as treatment and prevention of diseases.

A device for treatment of cells with particles is disclosed. The device includes a semi-permeable membrane positioned between two plates, the first plate defining a first flow chamber and comprising a port, a flow channel, a transverse port, and a transverse flow channel, the first flow chamber constructed and arranged to deliver fluid in a transverse direction along the first side of the semi-permeable membrane, the second plate defining a second flow chamber and comprising a port. A method for transducing cells is disclosed. The method includes introducing a fluid with cells and viral particles into a flow chamber adjacent a semi-permeable membrane such that the cells and the viral particles are substantially evenly distributed on the semi-permeable membrane. The method also includes introducing a recovery fluid to suspend the cells and the viral particles, and separating the cells from the viral particles. A method of activating cells is disclosed.

A system for buoyant particle processing includes: a reaction vessel, a stirring mechanism, a set of one or more pumps, and a filter. The system can additionally or alternatively include a set of pathways and/or any other suitable component(s). A method for buoyant particle processing includes: stirring the contents of a reaction vessel; washing a set of buoyant particles; and filtering the contents of the reaction vessel. Additionally or alternatively, the method can include any or all of: preprocessing the set of buoyant particles; adding a set of inputs to the reaction vessel; washing the set of buoyant particles; repeating one or more; and/or any other suitable process(es).

Various systems, methods, and devices are provided for focusing particles suspended within a moving fluid into one or more localized stream lines. The system can include a substrate and at least one channel provided on the substrate having an inlet and an outlet. The system can further include a fluid moving along the channel in a laminar flow having suspended particles and a pumping element driving the laminar flow of the fluid. The fluid, the channel, and the pumping element can be configured to cause inertial forces to act on the particles and to focus the particles into one or more stream lines.

The present invention provides 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; and a spot diameter adjustment device that adjusts a spot diameter formed in a portion to be irradiated with the laser in an object to be irradiated. 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.

There is provided a cell recovery method for recovering cells which are cultured in at least one container containing a liquid medium and adhere to an inner surface of the container, the method including performing: a medium discharge step of discharging the liquid medium from the container; a peeling liquid supply step of supplying a peeling liquid for peeling the cells from the inner surface of the container to the container; a peeling liquid discharge step of discharging the peeling liquid from the container before the cells are completely peeled from the inner surface of the container; a waiting step of waiting until the cells are peeled by action of a residual peeling liquid; and a recovery liquid supply step of supplying a recovery liquid for recovering the cells to the container.

A system and method for isolating and analyzing single cells, wherein the system includes: an array of wells defined at a substrate, each well including an open surface and a well cavity configured to capture cells in one of a single-cell format and single-cluster format, and a fluid delivery module including a fluid reservoir superior to the array of wells through which fluid flow is controlled along a fluid path in a direction parallel to the broad face of the substrate; and wherein the method includes: capturing a population of non-cell particles into the array of wells in single-particle format; releasing, from the non-cell particles, a set of probes into the array of wells; capturing a population of cells into the array of wells in single-cell format; releasing biomolecules from each captured cell into the array of wells; and generating a set of genetic complexes comprising the biomolecules associated with a single captured cell and a subset of probes within individual wells of the array of wells.