NON-CONTACT DEVICE FOR TREATING CELLS

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for treating cells for stimulating cell growth, comprising a unit (2) for generating and emitting electric pulses, and a treatment unit (3) having an inlet (3a) and an outlet (3a), a treatment space (4) being formed inside the treatment unit (3), the treatment space (4) being penetrated by the emitted electric pulses and an electric field resulting therefrom, a cell material entering into the treatment space (4) through the inlet (3a) being moved without contact through the treatment space (4) and the electric field penetrating the treatment space (4) to the outlet (3b).

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A device, comprising a unit for generating and emitting electric pulses, and a treatment unit having an inlet and an outlet, wherein a treatment space is formed inside the treatment unit, the treatment space being able to be penetrated by the emitted electric pulses and an electric field resulting therefrom, wherein a cell material entering through the inlet into the treatment space can be moved without contact through the treatment space and there are no interactions of the cell material with boundary walls of the treatment space during the movement, and the electric field penetrating the treatment space to the outlet.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein a receiving device is provided in the treatment unit, with which receiving device the cell material moved through the treatment space can be supplied to the outlet.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the receiving device is a funnel-shaped treatment unit.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein the inlet comprises a nozzle.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the treatment space is filled with a dielectric material.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the dielectric material is a gas.

22. The device according to claim 16, wherein the outlet is arranged below the inlet, so that the outlet is located in the fall line of the inlet.

23. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device is a single-flow system.

24. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device further has a unit for generating a magnetic field in the treatment space.

25. The device according to claim 16, wherein the unit for generating and emitting electric pulses comprises two or more electrodes or plates of a capacitor and can generate electric pulses, so that a voltage increase take place between the two or more electrodes of 10% to 90% of a target voltage of the electric pulses within a period of 0.1 to 1000 ns, the electric pulses have a pulse duration of 5 ns to 50000 ns, and the electric pulses, upon reaching the target voltage, have an electric field strength of 0.5 kV/cm to 100 kV/cm.

26. A method for treating cells for targeted inactivation, the extraction of bioactive compounds, and the stimulation of cell growth and/or cellular compounds, comprising the steps a) applying an electric field to a treatment space in a treatment unit, b) introducing cell material through an inlet of the treatment unit into the treatment space, c) passing of the cell material without contact through the treatment space wherein there are no interactions of the cell material with boundary walls of the treatment space during the movement, and the electric field penetrating the treatment space to an outlet of the treatment unit.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the cell material is provided as a suspension in a dielectric material.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the step c) takes place due to gravitational force.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the step c) takes place by deflecting the cell material in a magnetic field.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein an electric field is applied with such electric pulses, so that a voltage increase takes place between two electrodes or plates of a capacitor of 10% to 90% of a target voltage of the electric pulses within a period of 0.1 to 1000 ns, the electric pulses have a pulse duration of 5 ns to 50000 ns, and the electric pulses, upon reaching the target voltage, have an electric field strength of 0.5 kV/cm to 100 kV/cm.

Description

[0048] The present invention is explained below by way of non-limiting examples and figures. Shown are:

[0049] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an embodiment of the device of the present invention.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the device (1) of the present invention for treating cells for stimulating cell growth.

[0051] The device has a unit (2) for generating and emitting electric pulses, for example, a pulse generator. The unit (2) is electrically connected to two electrodes (2a, 2b). A here cylindrical treatment unit (3) having a treatment space (4) in its interior is located between the two electrodes (2a, 2b), to which treatment space electric pulses generated by the unit (2) are applied.

[0052] An inlet (3a) is arranged on the top surface of the treatment unit (3) according to this embodiment, preferably in the center of the top surface of the treatment unit (3). An outlet (3b) is arranged on the bottom surface of the treatment unit (3) according to this embodiment, preferably in the center of the bottom surface of the treatment unit (3). According to this embodiment, the outlet (3b) is arranged in the fall line of a cell material which enters into the treatment unit (3) through the inlet (3a) and passes through the treatment space (4) due to gravitational force.

[0053] A here funnel-shaped receiving device (5) is arranged in the treatment space (4). The receiving device (5) is arranged according to the embodiment shown here in the treatment space (4) immediately above the outlet (3b), so that the lower opening of the receiving device (5) is arranged flush with the (not shown here) opening of the outlet (3b). According to the embodiment shown here, the lower opening of the receiving device (5) and the opening of the outlet (3b) have the same area.