A cell culturing device includes a plurality of trays that are stacked on top of each other, each of the plurality of trays having a floor and an upstanding encircling sidewall, the floor and the encircling sidewall of each tray bounding a space configured to hold a liquid cell culture medium, the plurality of trays comprising a top tray, a bottom tray and one or more intermediate trays disposed therebetween. The bottom tray and the one or more intermediate trays each have a first venting port extending upwardly from the floor thereof, each first venting port bounding a channel passing through the floor of the corresponding tray and being in fluid communication with an adjacent tray. The channel of the bottom tray is openly exposed so that a gas can flow from the space of the bottom tray through the channel of the bottom tray.

The present invention relates to systems and methods involving interconnected plate components, including bases, lids and covers, interconnected in a manner such that a continuous strip of each component is prepared. The continuous strips may be stored as rollstock in a reel style. The physical properties of each continuous strip allow the base, lid and/or cover to include means for positive control. In one embodiment, the continuous strip of bases is advanced and processed through an automated system with positive control, and remains in the form of a continuous strip until agar in the bases is cured, at which time the bases are singulated. When a lid is applied to a base using methods described herein, an airtight seal is formed improving the quality of culture media used in testing.

A thin film culture device for enumerating mold colonies is provided. The device comprises water-resistant first and second substrates with a growth region disposed therebetween, a dry, cold water-soluble gelling agent disposed in the growth region, and an effective amount of a calcium-chelating compound disposed in the growth region. The effective amount of calcium-chelating compound is capable of reducing a rate of lateral enlargement of the colony-forming unit growing in the culture device relative to the rate of lateral enlargement of a colony of the same mold species growing in an otherwise identical culture device that does not contain the effective amount disposed in the growth region, wherein reducing the rate of lateral enlargement of the colony-forming unit does not substantially delay detection of the colony. A corresponding method is also provided.

A bioreactor and method of forming complex three-dimensional tissue constructs in a single culture chamber. The bioreactor and methods may be used to form multi-phasic tissue constructs having tissue formed from multiple cell types in a single culture chamber. The bioreactor includes at least one translation mechanism to facilitate translation of one or more tissue constructs without direct user intervention, thereby providing a closed, sterile environment for complex tissue fabrication. The bioreactor may be used as a stand-alone device or as part of a large-scale system including many bioreactors. The large-scale system may include a perfusion system to monitor and regulate the tissue culture environment.

An apparatus for dispensing microorganism culture plates, culture plate loader and culture plate reader comprising the same, as well as method dispensing microorganism culture plates, method of loading such culture plates into a culture plate reader, and method of counting microorganism colonies on such culture plates.

A multi-layer culture vessel operation system capable of easily performing a multi-layer culture vessel handling operation is provided. A multi-layer culture vessel operation system includes: a cart device 20 movable with a multi-layer culture vessel 30 mounted thereon; and an operational device 10 capable of holding and rotating the multi-layer culture vessel 30, wherein the cart device 20 includes: a cart 21 having wheels 22; and a fixing part 23 that is removably mounted on the cart 21, and fixes the multi-layer culture vessel 30 to the cart, wherein the operational device 10 includes: a rotating portion 11 that holds the multi-layer culture vessel 30 and performs a rotation operation of rotating the multi-layer culture vessel 30 around a first rotation axis and/or a second rotation axis; a shaking portion 13 that holds the multi-layer culture vessel 30 and performs a shaking operation of shaking the multi-layer culture vessel 30 in a horizontal direction; and a control portion 15 that causes the shaking portion 13 to perform the shaking operation following the rotation operation by the rotating portion 11, without returning the multi-layer culture vessel 30 to the cart 21.

This culturing apparatus is provided with a humidifying pan which is disposed in a culturing space and in which a liquid for humidification is retained, a first heater for heating the humidifying pan; and a second heater for controlling the temperature of the culturing space, the first heater and the second heater being separately provided.

Assemblies, systems, and methods for isolation of target material are provided. In various embodiments, an assembly for target material isolation includes a housing having an upper portion and a lower portion together defining an inner chamber. The inner chamber includes a semi-toroidal shape and the semi-toroidal shape defines a longitudinal axis. The assembly further includes one or more fluidic connection from the exterior of the housing to the inner chamber. An isolation material (e.g., polymer wool and/or magnetic beads) may be disposed within the inner chamber. A system includes a configured to fit at least a portion of the housing and releasably couple the assembly. Upon activation of the motor, the assembly may rotate about the longitudinal axis. An angle of the platform may be adjustable to thereby change the angle of the longitudinal axis about which the assembly rotates.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for precisely arranging nerve cells on a substrate while suppressing the migration of nerve cells.

A manufacturing method for a substrate on which nerve cells are arranged is provided, the method including a step of arranging, on a substrate, a plurality of liquid droplets containing nerve cells by an inkjet method to form one or a plurality of liquid pools, the substrate having a region in which a cell adhesive material is arranged and a region in which a cell non-adhesive material is arranged; and a step of incubating the liquid pool until the nerve cells sediment and temporarily adhere onto the substrate to form a cell aggregate. The diameter per one liquid pool is 500 μm or less, and the density of nerve cells per one liquid pool is 10.sup.5 cells/cm.sup.2 or more.

A cell culture device (10) of the cultivation of cells. The cell culture device (10) includes a plurality of trays (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d), each tray (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) having a cell growth surface (20) and at least one wall (22, 24) extending upwardly from the cell growth surface (20). The at least one wall (22, 24) is configured to receive an additional tray thereon. A ratio of the number of the plurality of trays (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) per a height dimension of the plurality of trays (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) is greater than or equal to about 1 tray per 12 mm.