The present invention relates to a cell culturing method and kit. More specifically, it relates to a cell culturing method and kit using a support that is exposed to the air. It further relates to a method of culturing cells by allowing them to migrate onto a porous polyimide film.

A bioreactor system is provided that includes a cell culture vessel having a first end, a second end, and at least one reservoir between the first and second ends; and a cell culture matrix disposed in the at least one reservoir. The cell culture matrix has a structurally defined substrate with a surface for adhering cells thereto. The bioreactor system flows material through the at least one reservoir and through the cell culture matrix in a flow direction from the first end to the second end, and the cell culture matrix exhibits isotropic fluid flow permeability therethrough.

Cultivation systems including a cultivation substrate configured to promote seaweed holdfast formation and seaweed attachment are disclosed. The cultivation systems may include one or more of a nutrient phase, an adhesive, a bioactive agent, a liquid containing phase. The cultivation substrates may be patterned. The cultivation systems may specifically retain and viably maintain specific seaweed species such as dulse, kelp and nori.

Disclosed are a biomimic system simulating lung tissue, a method for manufacturing same, and a microfluidic control method using same, wherein the biomimic system comprises lung epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts, which are isolated from human lungs, and commercially available vascular endothelial cells, and wherein a microfluid flows through the biomimic system. Each chamber inside the corresponding system can allow a fluid, which contains gas and a medium, to flow therethrough and simulate respiration-like movement, wherein all of the three types of cells can survive inside the system even when one week or more have elapsed after through-flow of the fluid. In addition, the pH and pO.sub.2 in the chamber can be monitored by using a pH sensor and a gas partial pressure sensor inside the system, and thus the three types of cells inside the system can be exposed to external environments, drugs, and the like under the same conditions as in the lungs in vivo. Therefore, a wide range of studies including modeling of lung diseases by harmful substances and testing of therapeutic drug efficacy can be conducted, and further, the utilization to in vitro disease modeling, customized medicine prescriptions, and the like can also be made.

Devices, systems, and methods can be used for the automated production of dendritic cells (DC) from dendritic cell progenitors, such as monocytes obtained from peripheral blood. The invention makes it possible to obtain sufficient quantities of a subject's own DC for use in preparing and characterizing vaccines, for activating and characterizing the activation state of the subject's immune response, and to aid in preventing and/or treating cancer or infectious disease.

The present disclosure describes a microfluidic chip for culturing and in vitro testing of 3D organotypic cultures. The tests may be performed directly on the organotypic culture in the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes at least one microfluidic unit which includes two fluidic compartments, such as upper and lower, separated by a permeable supporting structure, one or more access opening for the fluidic compartments, and a set of lids interchangeable with a set of insets. The permeable support structure serves as a support for the organotypic culture. The upper and lower compartments may include inlets and outlets which allow fluids to be perfused into the lower compartment and fluids to be perfused into the upper compartment. The access opening may be closed with a lid or accommodate an inset.

A bioreactor for culturing of cells is described. Screens suitable as a cell growth scaffold may comprise crossed fibers. Screens may be contained loosely in a screen holder, which in turn may be contained inside a manifold assembly. A lower manifold, screen holder and upper manifold may have identical or similar interior open cross-sections. Flow of liquid medium can occur upwardly through the array of screens, then flowing over a weir in the presence of an air pocket, and into a moat and a pump. The screen holder may have slots whose exterior-facing ligaments are rounded, and may have grooves whose interior-facing edges are rounded. These components may be located inside an incubator suitable to maintain desired environmental conditions and cleanliness.

The purpose of the invention is to provide novel cell culture substrates, cell culture vessels, and methods for cell culture. A cell culture substrate having a planar mesh structure, the substrate being coated with a polymer, is provided. Cells are cultured in a cell culture vessel having this substrate.

An in vitro microfluidic intestine on-chip is described herein that mimics the structure and at least one function of specific areas of the gastrointestinal system in vivo. In particular, a multicellular, layered, microfluidic intestinal cell culture, which is some embodiments is derived from patient's enteroids-derived cells, is described comprising L cells, allowing for interactions between L cells and gastrointestinal epithelial cells, endothelial cells and immune cells. This in vitro microfluidic system can be used for modeling inflammatory gastrointestinal autoimmune tissue, e.g., diabetes, obesity, intestinal insufficiency and other inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders. These multicellular-layered microfluidic intestine on-chips further allow for comparisons between types of gastrointestinal tissues, e.g., small intestinal duodenum, small intestinal jejunum, small intestinal ileum, large intestinal colon, etc., and between disease states of gastrointestinal tissue, i.e. healthy, pre-disease and diseased areas. Additionally, these microfluidic gut-on-chips allow identification of cells and cellular derived factors driving disease states and drug testing for reducing inflammation.

A microfluidic device is useful for modelling drug transmission across the vasculature and vascular barriers. The device includes a frame, a fluid-permeable lumen configured to carry a fluid through the frame in a first direction, a first chamber surrounding the lumen, and a second chamber surrounding the first fluid-permeable chamber. At least one surface of the first chamber is configured for deposition of a first population of endothelial cells. An outer surface of the second chamber is configured for deposition a second population of cells. The second chamber is configured to carry a fluid through the frame in a second direction. The fluid-permeable lumen is configured to allow the fluid to permeate through a wall of the lumen into the first chamber, and the first chamber and the second chamber are in fluid communication with each other.