An apparatus for conveying a plurality of articles (10) includes a transport belt (6), a bumper stopper (14), and a rotator (12). A motor moves the transport belt which is adapted to rotate the rotator as the belt conveys the plurality of articles. The stopper can move between first and second positions relative to the transport belt wherein the bumper stopper guides one article toward the rotator when the bumper stopper is in the first position. The bumper stopper allows the article to be conveyed to another location when the bumper stopper is in the second position. The transport belt can continue to convey other articles while the one article is temporarily held in place by the bumper stopper. The rotator is configured to rotate the article conveyed by the transport belt. The article can remain in contact with the transport belt while the rotator is rotating the article.

The disclosure relates to a tissue culture device and components of a system used to grow, maintain and measure recording from cells. In some embodiments, the tissue culture device is an insert with a surface onto which cells may be plated and grown. Electrodes on or near the surface of the cells can be used to measure electrophysiological data when current is applied to the system.

A method and apparatus for locating and selecting a colony of microorganisms on a culture dish and identifying microorganisms in said selected colony using MALDI. The method comprises the automated steps of locating and selecting a colony of microorganisms on a culture dish; obtaining a sample of said selected colony of microorganisms; depositing at least some of said sample of said selected colony of microorganisms on a target plate; and transferring said target plate with said sample in an apparatus for performing MALDI for identification of said sample of said selected colony of microorganisms. A sample of a colony of microorganisms is automatically deposited on a depositing spot such that the sample covers at most approximately half of said one of the depositing spots of the target plate. A suspension of a sample of microorganisms is automatically prepared by automatically picking the sample with a picking tool and submerging the picking tool with said sample in a suspension, after which the picking tool is vibrated in vertical sense only to release the sample from the picking tool.

One or more light sources may apply stimuli to a colony of organisms. The stimuli may include visible and non-visible light. The stimuli, taken together, may tend to favor survival of organisms that are adapted to perform photosynthesis which involves absorbing energy from infrared or ultraviolet light. In some cases, the set of stimuli may include illuminating the entire colony of organisms with green light, illuminating only a first portion of the colony with pulsed ultraviolet light, and illuminating only a second portion of the colony with pulsed infrared light.

Reader and plate methods, operations, and systems for observing a biological sample are shown and described. In one embodiment, a reader device includes selecting a plate type between at least two plate type selections on a user interface. One embodiment includes aligning a peel plate within a tray holder nest to define a semi-fixed processing position. One embodiment includes transporting a peel plate from a loading position into a focal alignment with an imaging device for monitoring biological growth, when present.

The claimed invention is directed towards a novel combination cell electroporation/cell culturing apparatus which can be termed a cell culture dish suitable for in vitro electroporation, and towards a device suitable for in vivo electroporationboth useful in methods suitable for the generation of developmentally-activated, pluripotent, pluripotent-like, multipotent, and/or self-renewing cells which are capable of beginning to differentiate in culture into a variety of cell types and capable of further differentiation in vivo. The claimed invention is also directed towards the generation of desirable, differentiating somatic cell populations transplantable to animals or patients, genetic modification of endogenous and exogenous cells, and the treatment of patients suffering from diseases that may be ameliorated by these methods. This invention also provides methods for preventing, treating, or retarding disease, for example, immunodeficiency virus (e.g. HIV-1, HIV-2, SIV, FIV, etc.) infection.

An automatic processing device of culture plates (2) including a support frame (3); a slide (4) for removably housing a culture plate (2) and movably mounted on the support frame (3) selectively displaceable between a first loading position, a plurality of image-acquiring positions, and a first unloading position; a camera (6) of a linear type, provided with telecentric optic (7) and a trilinear sensor, and arranged acquire a multiplicity of linear images of corresponding linear portions of an upper surface of the culture plate (2), during the displacing of the slide (4); a first lighting device (11) orientated such as to illuminate the linear portions of an upper surface of the culture plate (2); an advancing device (14) of the slide (4) configured such as to enable obtaining a constant and substantially vibration-free advancing speed of the slide (4) in the image-acquiring zone; and an electronic control device (9) of a functioning of the camera (6), of the lighting device and of the advancing device (14).

Provided are a culture device and a cell culture method using the culture device. The culture device includes: a temperature sensitive layer and a luminescence emitting structure. The luminescence emitting structure is connected to and overlaps with the temperature sensitive layer, and is configured to emit a cold light that travels through the temperature sensitive layer.

Devices for magnetic 3d culture are described including magnetic lids/bases for single Petri plates, adjustable height cap for same, as well similar devices for multi-magnet culture plates. A pen-like device for sterilely lifting and moving cells is also described, and this magnetic pipettor can also exist in multi-well magnetic pipettor formats.

Disclosed is a method of continuously culturing cells, including culturing the cells by injecting a culture medium into an internal compartment of a sealed culture vessel and then inoculating the culture medium with the cells, detaching the adhered cells when the density of the cells cultured in the compartment of the culture vessel is a reference value or more, and obtaining the cells detached from the culture vessel, which is maintained in a sealed state.