US 12,247,190 B2
Bi-layer multi-well cell culture platform
Jonathan R. Coppeta, Windham, NH (US); Joseph L Charest, Cambridge, MA (US); Else M. Vedula, Brookline, MA (US); Jeffrey T. Borenstein, Newton, MA (US); Abigail June Spencer, Boston, MA (US); and Brett C. Isenberg, West Newton, MA (US)
Assigned to The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, MD (US)
Filed by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/240,634.
Application 17/240,634 is a continuation of application No. 15/819,986, filed on Nov. 21, 2017, granted, now 11,001,796.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/425,658, filed on Nov. 23, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2021/0238526 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C12M 1/12 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/32 (2006.01); C12M 1/34 (2006.01); C12M 1/36 (2006.01); C12M 1/42 (2006.01); C12M 3/00 (2006.01); C12M 3/06 (2006.01); C12N 5/071 (2010.01); G01N 33/50 (2006.01)
CPC C12M 25/04 (2013.01) [C12M 21/08 (2013.01); C12M 23/12 (2013.01); C12M 23/16 (2013.01); C12M 25/02 (2013.01); C12M 29/00 (2013.01); C12M 35/08 (2013.01); C12M 41/00 (2013.01); C12M 41/48 (2013.01); C12N 5/0686 (2013.01); C12N 5/069 (2013.01); G01N 33/5082 (2013.01); C12N 2533/30 (2013.01); C12N 2535/00 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a well plate comprising a plurality of structural layers, and a membrane, wherein the membrane separates two structural layers, and the well plate defines an array of tissue modeling environments, and each tissue modeling environment includes:
a first fluid reservoir, a second fluid reservoir, a third fluid reservoir and a fourth fluid reservoir, each fluid reservoir configured to hold a column of fluid;
a first microchannel fluidically coupling the first fluid reservoir to the second fluid reservoir;
a second microchannel fluidically coupling the third fluid reservoir to the fourth fluid reservoir, wherein at least a portion of the first microchannel overlaps at least a portion of the second microchannel across the membrane; and
a pump assembly configured to induce a first set of fluid flows through a first set of tissue modeling environments in the array of tissue modeling environments and to induce a second set of fluid flows through the first set of tissue modeling environments in the array of tissue modeling environments;
wherein the pump assembly the pump assembly is arranged above the well plate and further comprises, for each tissue modeling environment in the first set of tissue modeling environments:
a first output extending down from the pump assembly into the first fluid reservoir for pumping a first fluid into the first fluid reservoir;
a first intake extending down from the pump assembly into the second fluid reservoir for pumping the first fluid out of the second fluid reservoir;
a second output extending down from the pump assembly into the third fluid reservoir for pumping a second fluid into the third fluid reservoir; and
a second intake extending down from the pump assembly into the fourth fluid reservoir for pumping the second fluid out of the fourth fluid reservoir.