A bioreactor system can include one or more bioreactor groups, where each group has a plurality of bioreactor clusters and a gantry shared by the plurality of bioreactor clusters. Each bioreactor cluster can include one or more manifolds and a plurality of bioreactor units. Each bioreactor unit can include a well, a lid covering the well, a waste valve to control a flow rate of waste out of the well, and one or more dispensing valves to control flow rates of dispensing one or more materials into the well. The gantry can include one or more sensors and a movable gantry head with one or more sensor probes configured to selectively sense properties of contents of respective bioreactor units included in the plurality of bioreactor units.

A system and method of controlling temperature of a medium by refrigerant vaporization, or working gas condensation, or a combination of both, the system including a container, at least one a working gas reservoir having at least one reservoir section that includes a wall with an exterior surface structured to be thermally coupled with a volume of the medium in the container and to provide a volume of medium thermal coverage in the container, a condensation apparatus to provide regulation of working gas condensation in the reservoir, whereby the working gas reservoir forms a vapor space in each of the at least one reservoir section in response to receiving the working gas and to the condensation apparatus regulation of condensation to enable working gas condensation at or near a selected temperature of the volume of medium in the container that is thermally coupled to the respective reservoir section.

The method for analysis and cell culture comprises the following steps: generating a train (14) of ordered drops (16) in a carrier fluid (40), the train (14) of drops (16) comprising at least one culture drop (42), the culture drop (42) comprising a culture medium (50) and at least one cell (4), circulating the train (14) of drops (16) in a tube (10), incubating the train (14) of drops (16) in the tube (10), measuring at least one parameter indicative of the content of the culture drop (42) in the tube (10) at different times, recovering the culture drop (42) at one end (36) of the tube (10),

the steps being carried out in a controlled atmosphere (6).

Described herein are bioreactor support structures configured to be used with containers having different designs, and methods for making and using such bioreactors. The support structures described herein may include two or more agitator motors and control systems or an adjustable-position agitator motor, a removable spacer and/or lid, multiple configurations for ports and probes, and multiple exhaust filter heating blankets. Also described herein are methods of manufacturing a multi-agitator motor or adjustable-position agitator motor bioreactor, as well as methods of modifying an existing support structure to be used with a container not originally designed to be used with the existing support structure, and methods for operating these bioreactors.

Method and apparatus for biomass cultivation (preferably using algae) incorporating photo bio-reactor (PBR) technology coupled with a heat sink to increase energy efficiency. An external PBR array is coupled to an indoor storage tank system with a volume equal to or greater than the volume of the PBR array. A controller can be used to optimize the growth of biomass by optimizing three key growth parameters: exposure to sunlight, temperature and nutrients. The indoor tank system serves as a reservoir where algae can be protected from harsh ambient conditions, minimizing the cost of energy for heating and cooling that would normally be incurred to accommodate ambient temperature swings caused by weather if the biomass is always stored in an outdoor PBR array. During cold winter nights, the biomass can be brought indoors to conserve thermal energy. High energy efficiency can be achieved when the heat sink consists of a second holding tank and a second tubing array, and the swings in the ambient temperature are exploited to add or reject energy from the biomass cultivation.

A system for receiving a disposable bag (44) has a receiving container (10) with a container interior for receiving the disposable bag (44) and a temperature-control hollow wall (20) that at least partially surrounds the container interior of the receiving container (10). A temperature-control unit controls the temperature of the container interior by will a temperature-control medium arranged in the temperature-control hollow wall (20) at a maximum pressure of about 1 bar.

Provided is a simple, safe warming method which causes no or little damage to a biological sample. A method of warming a biological sample includes the steps of: i) putting a biological sample container (5) into a heat medium container (2), the biological sample container (5) having a biological sample disposed therein, the heat medium container (2) having a heat medium (4) disposed therein; and thereafter ii) closing an inlet (3) of the heat medium container (2), the inlet being an inlet through which the heat medium (4) is injected into the heat medium container (2); and iii) moving the heat medium (4) by moving the heat medium container (2) with the inlet (3) closed.

There is described a live cell chamber generally having a body having walls defining a sealed cavity, a sample area inside the cavity, a measurement device configured to perform one or more measurements on the sample area and a controller configured to generate a signal based on said one or more measurements. In one embodiment, the sealed cavity has a thicker inlet area and a thinner sample area, allowing to approach the focal plane of a microscope objective in the sample area. In one embodiment the sample area has a plurality of spaced-apart sample receiving regions having a hydrophilic material, and a sample repelling region surrounding each of the plurality of spaced-apart sample receiving regions and having a hydrophobic material. In another embodiment, a platform is provided to receive the sample in the cavity, and a provided mechanism allows movement between the top and bottom wall.

A culture device comprising: an adjusting gas supplier which supplies to a culture space an adjusting gas for adjusting the concentration of a definite gas component in the culture space; an adjuster which adjusts the moisture in the culture space; and a controller which controls the adjuster, wherein the controller controls the adjuster depending on the supply amount of the adjusting gas or a parameter correlated to the supply amount.

A culture apparatus including: a heat-insulated casing including an inner case surrounding a culture space, and an outer case, the heat-insulated casing having an opening; a box-shaped heat-insulated door to open and close the opening; and, one or more heaters provided to one or more inner surfaces of the inner case and an inner surface of an inner wall surface of the heat-insulated door, the inner wall surface facing the culture space when the door is closed; the heaters including one or more first heaters turned on when the interior of the culture space is at a first temperature to incubate a culture in the culture space and when the interior of the culture space is controlled at a second temperature to make the interior of the culture space, and second heaters to be energized when the interior of the culture space is controlled at the second temperature to sterilize the interior of the culture space.