US 11,905,504 B2
Body cube and process for culturing tissue
Mandy Brigitte Esch, Gaithersburg, MD (US); and Longyi Chen, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Assigned to GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed by Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed on Apr. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/234,298.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/011,794, filed on Apr. 17, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0324312 A1, Oct. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. C12M 3/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/12 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12N 5/071 (2010.01)
CPC C12M 21/08 (2013.01) [C12M 25/06 (2013.01); C12M 29/00 (2013.01); C12N 5/0697 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A body cube for culturing tissue, the body cube comprising:
an organ chip holder comprising: a first cell culture medium reservoir bounded by a first reservoir wall and that receives a cell culture medium; and an organ chip receiver bounded by a receiver wall and that receives a body barrier chip and a first body organ chip;
the body barrier chip is in mechanical engagement with the receiver wall so that the body barrier chip rotates with the body cube;
the first body organ chip is in mechanical engagement with the receiver wall and the body barrier chip so that the body barrier chip, the first body organ chip, and the organ chip holder rotate together in response to rotation of the body cube, the first body organ chip comprising:
a body chip frame that mechanically engages the body barrier chip and the receiver wall;
a first fluid medium communication channel in fluid communication with the first cell culture medium reservoir and that: is disposed in the body chip frame; and receives the cell culture medium from the first cell culture medium reservoir, wherein a first cell culture chamber is bounded by the body chip frame, is in fluid communication with the first fluid medium communication channel, and receives the cell culture medium from the first fluid medium communication channel in response to rotation of the body cube; and
a second fluid medium communication channel in fluid communication with the first cell culture chamber and that: is disposed in the body chip frame; and receives the cell culture medium from the first cell culture chamber in response to rotation of the body cube; and
the body barrier chip and the first body organ chip disposed in the organ chip holder, the first body organ chip comprising: the first cell culture chamber that receives the cell culture medium and produces a first tissue in the first cell culture chamber; and a primary tissue surface on which is disposed the first fluid medium communication channel, the second fluid medium communication channel, and the first cell culture chamber, such that the organ chip holder receives the cell culture medium and communicates the cell culture medium to the first cell culture chamber of the first body organ chip in response to rotation of the organ chip holder,
wherein the first cell culture chamber comprises:
a chamber wall that contacts the cell culture medium;
a chamber protrusion disposed on the chamber wall and that protrudes from the chamber wall; and
a chamber flow channel bounded by the chamber wall and the chamber protrusion and that receives the cell culture medium from the first fluid medium communication channel and communicates the cell culture medium through cell culture chamber in which tissue grows to the second fluid medium communication channel.