A transfer device for a living organism for placing an object in a living organism comprises a plurality of movable units. Each movable unit comprises one or more needles extending in a first direction. Each needle has a cylindrical shape capable of storing the object therein. Each movable unit is movable in the first direction.

Kits for making a spheroid-stabilizing hydrogel in a calcium-free or calcium-chelated cell culture media include (a) a gelation agent including a polygalacturonic acid (PGA) compound or an alginic acid compound, wherein the PGA compound includes at least one of: (i) pectic acid or salts thereof, or (ii) partially esterified pectic acid having a degree of esterification from about 1 to about 40 mol % or salts thereof; (b) a crosslinking agent, wherein the crosslinking agent includes a salt of a divalent ion; and (c) a proton donor, wherein the proton donor includes lactones, esters, or other compounds that hydrolyze in aqueous solutions to form acids over a period of from 10 minutes to 1 hour. Resultant spheroid-stabilizing hydrogels and methods of preparing the same.

The invention relates generally to methods, apparatus and systems for cells in culture. More specifically, the invention relates to novel multiwell plates and concentrator masks. This invention also relates to using the multiwell plates and concentrator masks for cell seeding and for cellular assays.

The present invention is directed to a method of measuring cell migration by measuring the invasion ratio of cells incubated on a pillar array inserted into a well structure, the method including steps of: preparing a pillar array having a plurality of micropillars and a well structure having a plurality of microwells into which the plurality of micropillars is insertable, respectively; forming cell spheroids by incubating cells in an extracellular matrix attached to the end contact surfaces of the micropillars; allowing the cells contained in the cell spheroids to invade the end contact surfaces; staining and scanning the cell spheroids, the cells contained in the cell spheroids, and the cells that invaded the end contact surfaces; and calculating the invasion ratio of cells by the following equation through a fluorescence image of the scanned cells:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{Invasion}\mathrm{Ratio}=\frac{\mathrm{Invasion}\mathrm{cell}\mathrm{area}}{\mathrm{Total}\mathrm{cell}\mathrm{area}}=\frac{A_{\mathrm{Total}}-A_{\mathrm{spheroid}}}{A_{\mathrm{Total}}}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}\right]\end{array}$

wherein A.sub.total represents the total cell area, and A.sub.spheroid represents the spheroid area.

The present invention relates to a method for cultivating cells, in particular tissues, comprising a carrier plate unit, which has at least one access opening, at least one cultivation chamber, and at least one channel connecting the access opening to the cultivation chamber.

The present invention is drawn to devices and systems for allergen detection in a sample. The allergen detection system includes a sampler, a disposable analysis cartridge and a detection device with an optimized optical system. In some embodiments, the allergen detection utilizes aptamer nucleic acid molecules as detection agents. In some embodiments, the nucleic acids are conjugated to magnetic beads or solid surfaces such as glasses, microwells and microchips.

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.

The purpose of the present invention is to efficiently dispense cells while reducing the risk of incorporating bacteria, etc. A cell dispensing device 1 includes: a first tube 23a which connects a container 21 and a dispensing container 22; a syringe pump 24 attached to a second tube 23b connected to a branching portion 31 formed on the first tube 23a; and a buffer tank 25 provided between the syringe pump 24 and the branching portion 31. In addition, a cell suspension contained in the container 21 is temporarily stored in the buffer tank 25 by means of the syringe pump 24, and the cell suspension stored in the buffer tank 25 is delivered to the dispensing container 22.

Bioreactor systems can include a first frame and a second frame, a well plate, a motor plate, a motor, and a controller. The first frame may define a well plate inset and standoff insets for a first set of metal standoffs. The second frame may define a plurality of mounts and a plurality of insets for a second set of metal standoffs. A gear may be positioned in each of the plurality of mounts. A paddle may be coupled to each of the gears. The well plate can be positioned within the well plate inset. The motor plate can be supported by and connected to the first set of metal standoffs and the second set of metal standoffs. The motor can be mounted on the motor plate and operatively connected to one of the plurality of gears.

Methods and systems are provided for a sample holder for a multi-detector quantitative microscopy system. In one example, the sample holder includes a frame with a central opening, a pivotable arm positioned adjacent to the central opening and having a whippletree assembly at a first end of the pivotable arm, and a movable ram, in contact with a second end of the pivotable arm, the movable ram configured to pivot the pivotable arm.