The invention relates to a medium-filled Petri dish into which filters can be introduced particularly simply, and to a method for the microbiological investigation of liquids or gases by means of filtration and incubation of the filters in said Petri dishes.

The invention relates to a feeding system (10) having a feeding apparatus (30) for conveying laboratory vessels for samples, microorganisms, cell cultures or the like, and a carrier (12) having one or plural holders (16) for storing laboratory vessels, which feeding apparatus (30) has a loading area (36) and an unloading area (46) remote from the loading area (36) in which plural laboratory vessels can be stored in a vertically stacked configuration, with each receiving unit (34) being coupled to an endless conveyor unit (38) which transports the receiving unit (34) from the loading area (36) to the unloading area (46), and in which the carrier (12) can be used to introduce laboratory vessels into one or plural receiving units (34) in the loading area (36), for which purpose the carrier (12) is at least partially slid over the at least one receiving unit (34) which is to be loaded or unloaded, and for this purpose has projections (28, 32) and/or recesses that are associated with the carrier (12) and are provided in the loading area (36) of the feeding apparatus (30), which will result in positive locking of the feeding apparatus (30) and the carrier (12) when the carrier (12) has been inserted in the loading area (36). According to the invention, the carrier (12) has at least two holders (16) and the positive locking of the carrier (12) and the receiving unit (34) in the loading area (36) of the feeding apparatus (30) will allow only a single predefined orientation of the carrier (12) in the loading area (36).

A semipermeable membrane includes a holding body with a low water absorption property having a lattice structure and having a semipermeable property in a liquid phase. A cell-culturing device is provided with the semipermeable membrane at least at a portion thereof. A tissue-type chip is provided with the cell-culturing device including one type of cells. An organ-type chip is provided with the cell-culturing device including at least two types of cells. A kit for providing a multicellular structure is provided with an openable and closable sealed container including the tissue-type chip or, and a culture medium. An organ-type chip system is provided with at least two of the tissue-type chips or the organ-type chips, and the tissue-type chips or the organ-type chips are connected while maintaining a sealing property. A cell-culturing method is a method of using the cell-culturing device.

A device for centering of petri dishes, where the petri dishes include a bottom container with a lateral surface and a lid with a lid diameter, including an elevator with an elevator axis and an elevator drive, and the conveyor includes concentrically along the elevator axis a frustoconical through-hole tapering downwards, and the elevator drive is built to move a substantially flat plate from a neutral position downwards into a first position, which is reached as soon as the petri dish rests with its weight on the inner surface of the through-hole, and the elevator drive is built to rotate the plate during a movement of the plate from the neutral position into the first position.

The invention relates to a pro-biofilm coating applied by means of cold atmospheric plasma polymerization of a precursor on a substrate. The coating has a roughness such that it promotes the creation of more than 100% biofilm on the substrate, where the 100% of biofilm is the one as produced on the same substrate being devoid of said pro-biofilm coating. The invention also relates to a method of producing said pro-biofilm coating and a substrate coated with same.

A segmented culture dish and imprinting system allows duplicate plates to be produced rapidly and without culture-to-culture overlap. The segmented culture dish and imprinting system includes a dish stamp, a first culture dish, and a second culture dish. The dish stamp may be placed on the first and/or the second culture dishes. The first and the second culture dishes have a key on an inside surface that ensures the orientation of cultures is always preserved, eliminating the need for markings on culture dishes.

The invention features devices and kits for capturing and culturing microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, or protists) and methods of using the devices and kits to detect microorganisms in environmental and other samples. The device includes a nutrient media having a flat growth area on which microorganisms can grow. Samples are collected by contacting the device with any environmental sample, e.g., rolling device on a work surface or exposing device to air, or by filtering a sample through a membrane. Microorganisms deposited on the membrane derive nutrients from the underlying media and grow into colonies that can then be detected using methods known in the art. The detected colonies can be imaged digitally or with film.

An imaging system and method for microbial growth detection, counting or identification. One colony may be contrasted in an image that is not optimal for another type of colony. The system and method provides contrast from all available material through space (spatial differences), time (differences appearing over time for a given capture condition) and color space transformation using image input information over time to assess whether microbial growth has occurred for a given sample.

Disclosed herein are cell processing systems, devices, and methods thereof. A system for cell processing may comprise a plurality of instruments each independently configured to perform one or more cell processing operations upon a cartridge, and a robot capable of moving the cartridge between each of the plurality of instruments.

A method for preparing a solid medium platform for cultivating algae, comprising obtaining an algae culture solution (“ACS”) at approximately room temperature of a specific volumetric quantity, denoted “x”; creating raw agarose solution (“AS”) by adding low melting point agarose powder (“AP”) to water of a volume equal to “x” in a container that is different from the one used for said ACS; heating and stirring AS; cooling or waiting for the AS to cool down to approximately 15-35% above the gelling temperature of the AS; adding micronutrients supportive of algae growth after AS has cooled to approximately 15-35% above the gelling temperature of the AS to create an agarose micronutrient solution (“AMS”); after the AMS has cooled, combining the AMS with ACS and pouring the mixture into an open container and stirring; apportioning the AMS/ACS mixture into cultivating container(s); and waiting for the mixture to congeal.