An apparatus for sampling a cell culture includes a sampler for connecting to a bioreactor with a fixed bed including the cell culture. A releasably attached sample portion for positioning within or adjacent the fixed bed includes a substrate on which cells may be grown and then removed from the bioreactor to provide an indication of cell growth. A kit for sampling a cell culture bed of a bioreactor includes the sampler for sampling the cell culture bed with the releasably attached sample portion, along with a container adapted to detach the sample portion from the sampler. A method of obtaining a sample of a cell culture in a bed within a bioreactor includes positioning a sampler positioned at least partially in or adjacent to the bed to promote the growth of cells on a releasably attached portion of the sampler, withdrawing the sampler from the bioreactor, and detaching the portion of the sampler.

Described herein are decellularized extracellular matrix for mechanically supporting engineered vascular grafts. Methods are provided for fabricating all-natural, non-immunogenic, strong products that do not rely on common plastic supports. Also provided are bench-top models of atherosclerosis. Embodiments provide completely inclusive models that contain all steps of atherosclerosis, including late-stage disease processes. Example models utilize tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBV); stages of atherosclerosis are induced for instance by application of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDLs) (early-stage), followed by macrophage introduction (early-stage), and induction of calcification using calcified protein particles (CPPs; late-stage). Also provided are kits useful to investigate disease processes and better patient treatment options, including new drug development.

Microfluidic device comprising at least one cell culture unit for forming, culturing, growing and/or maintaining a 3D tissue structure such as a 3D strip of cardiac tissue, wherein the at least one cell culture unit comprises: a respective culture chamber for culturing cells having a chamber outlet opening; and a cell supply channel arranged to guide a microfluidic flow of liquid holding cells between a channel inlet and a channel outlet, wherein the cell supply channel is provided with a flow inhibitor which is operable to selectively provide a flow inhibiting state or a flow permitting state depending on a fluid pressure at the flow inhibitor, wherein, in the flow inhibiting state, the flow inhibitor is configured to substantially inhibit liquid flow between the cell supply channel and the culture chamber, wherein, in the flow permitting state, the flow inhibitor is configured to permit such liquid flow such that the cell supply channel is in liquid communication with the culture chamber to supply the culture chamber with cells, wherein the culture chamber is provided with at least two mutually spaced apart elastic support structures which extend in the culture chamber and which are configured for elastically supporting a tissue formed in the culture chamber, in particular a cultured 3D tissue formed from the cells, wherein the elastic support structures are elastically deformable, in particular flexible, in particular to vary a mutual distance of said support structures under influence of a varying contraction force between said support structures.

Provided is a technique for detecting a cell-derived substance with high sensitivity without destroying cells. A cell detection device of the present disclosure includes: a medium adding device configured to add a part of a prepared culture medium to a culture container holding cells to be detected; a medium collection device configured to collect the culture medium from the culture container; and a detection device configured to detect light from the luminescent reagent mixed with the collected culture medium.

A cell culture apparatus includes: a cylindrical member that includes a body cylindrical portion and a culture membrane arranged at an opening end portion of the body cylindrical portion; and a cylindrical covering member that is fitted to the body cylindrical portion and includes (i) a first cylindrical portion which covers an outer circumferential surface of the body cylindrical portion when fitted to the cylindrical member and (ii) a second cylindrical portion which is adjacent to the first cylindrical portion in an axial direction of the covering member and forms a container with the culture membrane serving as a bottom surface when fitted to the cylindrical member, and the first cylindrical portion includes a first part in which a length in the axial direction is a first length and a second part in which the length is a second length shorter than the first length.

An apparatus for cell cultivation includes first reservoir structure, second reservoir structure and a membrane. The first reservoir structure has first matrix of pitted reservoirs and the second reservoir structure has second matrix of pitted reservoirs. The first reservoir structure, second reservoir structure and the membrane are arranged as a stack. The membrane is arranged between first reservoir structure and second reservoir structure, and the first matrix of pitted reservoirs is aligned with the second matrix of pitted reservoirs to couple pitted reservoirs of the first matrix of pitted reservoirs together with pitted reservoirs, of the second matrix of pitted reservoirs via the membrane.

A biomass containment device (BCD) and methods of measuring microbial growth or enzyme activity in the presence of insoluble substrates using the BCD is described. The BCD is compatible with microbial growth and enzyme assays, is sterilizable, is reusable, and the size can be varied to fit any container.

The disclosure relates to the fabrication of a three dimensional [3-D] cell culture membrane comprising one or more functionalized surfaces adapted to provide cell culture conditions suitable for the analysis of proliferation, differentiation or function of cells, typically eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells.

A cell culture matrix for a perfusion-flow fixed-bed reactor is provided. The cell culture matrix includes a substrate having a porous sheet for adhering cells thereto. The sheet has a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a thickness separating the first side and the second side, and a plurality of openings formed in the substrate, arrayed in a regular pattern, and passing through the thickness of the substrate. The porous sheet is wound into a cylindrical shape having a plurality of wound layers, and the cell culture matrix does not include a spacer material or physical barrier between the plurality of wound layers of the substrate.

Aspects of the present invention provide improved methods and apparatus for use in in vitro modeling of the interaction of cells with cellular constructs/parts/axons, including axon mimetics and use of three-dimensional fibers.