DEVICE FOR INCUBATING CULTURES, METHOD FOR INCUBATING CULTURES AND USE

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for incubating cultures, comprising a culture chamber storing the cultures, the cultures being fumigated with an incubation gas. The invention is characterized in that the incubation gas source is used when incubating the cultures with the incubation gas source which is free of liquid incubation gas.

Claims

1. Device for incubating cultures, comprising: a culture chamber storing the cultures, a storage container which is open to an outside or comprises a valve configured to temporarily open the storage container to the outside and which is configured to receive dry ice, wherein, during use: the cultures are aerated with an incubation gas an incubation gas source is free of liquid incubation gas when the cultures are incubated with the incubation gas, the incubation gas is provided for incubation via sublimation, wherein the incubation gas is CO.sub.2 and is provided as the dry ice in the storage container and, wherein the device is designed as a transport container.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein the device, via the sensor, is configured: to detect the incubation gas content of an atmosphere of the culture chamber and to interrupt or enable a supply of incubation gas upon exceeding or falling below predetermined incubation gas limit values.

3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a valve and/or a metering pump, wherein the device is configured to carry out the interrupting or enabling of the supply of the incubation gas via the valve and/or the metering pump.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein, if a percentage by volume CO.sub.2 in the atmosphere of the culture chamber falls below a predetermined value, the valve is opened and/or the metering pump is activated for suppling gaseous CO.sub.2 into the culture chamber.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the culture chamber further comprises a fan for gas exchange in the culture chamber.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the transport container is designed as a case-like container.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein at least one element of the device is connected to an inner side of the transport container in an impact-resilient manner.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the impact-resilient connection is implemented via at least one member of the group consisting of an elastic element, a cardanic mounting, and a spring element.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the element of the device is one of the group consisting of an incubator, the culture chamber, the storage container, a metering pump, a fan, a cell culture carrier, and a cell culture container.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the cell culture carrier is mounted in the culture chamber via ball bearings.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the storage container comprises a CO.sub.2 discharge channel to the outside.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the CO.sub.2 discharge channel is designed as a hose.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the CO.sub.2 discharge channel is situated at an upper third of the storage container.

14. Method for incubating cultures and/or for transporting cultures, comprising: providing a device according to claim 1, wherein, during use, the cultures are aerated with CO.sub.2 and the CO.sub.2 is provided via sublimation of the dry ice.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the use is incubating the cultures and/or transporting the cultures in the culture chamber.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the use is incubating the cultures and transporting the cultures.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein, if a percentage by volume CO.sub.2 in an atmosphere of the culture chamber falls below a predetermined value, a valve is opened and/or the metering pump is activated for suppling gaseous CO.sub.2 from the storage container into the culture chamber.

Description

[0025] The invention is in the following explained in detail with the help of an exemplary embodiment that does not restrict the invention, in which

[0026] FIG. 1 sketchily shows an embodiment according to the invention;

[0027] FIG. 2 sketchily shows several embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 3 sketchily shows another embodiment according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 4 sketchily shows a third embodiment according to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 5 sketchily shows another embodiment according to the invention.

[0031] The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows that the storage container 4 is a container that is open to the ambient atmosphere, for example and in particular a styrofoam container containing one or more pieces of dry ice T, so that CO.sub.2 passes continuously and controlled into the gaseous phase by sublimation and, if necessary, can be charged into the atmosphere of the culture chamber 1 by means of a valve (not shown) and/or, for example and in particular, a metering pump 6, wherein the culture chamber 1 includes, for example and in particular, one or more fans 8 for swirling, and these thus contribute to the homogenization of the atmosphere of the culture chamber 1.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the basic principle of the manner in which elements of the device are connected to an inner side 11 of the transport container 10 in an impact-resilient manner. The incubator 15, the culture chamber 1, the storage container 4 for the CO.sub.2, the metering pump 6, the fan 5, as well as the cell culture carrier 16 and the cell culture container 17 can be mounted by impact-resilient connection via elastic elements 12, cardanic mountings 13, and spring elements 14 on the inner side 11 of the transport container 10.

[0033] According to the invention, a cardanic mounting is to be understood as the suspension of at least one above-mentioned element, for example and in particular, from an inner side 11 of the transport container 10, for example and in particular with the aid of two intersecting pivot bearings that are arranged perpendicular to each other.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a sketch of a cell culture carrier 16 (not shown in detail) being mounted by ball bearings in a culture chamber 1—next to a storage container 4 in which dry ice is stored.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a sketch of a cell culture container 17 which abuts on a cell culture carrier 16, wherein the cell culture carrier 16 abuts on spring elements 14 within a culture chamber 1, the culture chamber 1 itself being also connected to an inner side 11 of the transport container 10 via an elastic element 12.

[0036] A further embodiment of the device according to the invention is sketchily shown in FIG. 5, where in a storage container 4, in which dry ice is stored during use, a CO.sub.2 discharge channel 17 in the shape of a hose is disposed on an upper third in order to all but automatically discharge excess CO.sub.2 out of the device according to the invention, wherein the required CO.sub.2 can be fed into a culture chamber 1 for the incubation, for example, by means of a valve (not shown in detail).