	US 12,270,018 B2
	Culture additive diffusion mechanism, culture container, culture system, and method of producing cells
Takeyuki Mogi, Musashino (JP)
Assigned to Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 16/963,762
Filed by YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jan. 18, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/001558 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 21, 2020, PCT Pub. No. WO2019/146531, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-009460 (JP), filed on Jan. 24, 2018; and application No. 2018-230328 (JP), filed on Dec. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0040431 A1, Feb. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/26 (2006.01); C12M 1/36 (2006.01); C12N 5/073 (2010.01); C12N 5/071 (2010.01)

CPC C12M 29/06 (2013.01) [C12M 33/14 (2013.01); C12M 41/48 (2013.01); C12N 5/0605 (2013.01); C12N 5/069 (2013.01); C12N 2501/165 (2013.01)]

12 Claims

1. A culture system comprising:

a culture container and a culture management apparatus;

wherein the culture container comprises a culture additive diffusion mechanism and a culture unit into which a culture target and a culture medium are introduced;

the culture additive diffusion mechanism comprises:

an additive retention unit configured to retain an additive used in a culture; and

a diffusion adjustment unit configured to adjust a diffusion rate of the additive from an inside of the additive retention unit to an outside of the additive retention unit,

wherein the culture unit and the culture additive diffusion mechanism are connected via the diffusion adjustment unit;

wherein the culture management apparatus comprises an acquisition interface, a controller, and a transmitter;

wherein the acquisition interface is configured to acquire a culture protocol that defines at least an addition procedure of the additive;

wherein the controller is configured to refer to the culture protocol to generate transmitter control information;

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a control signal for adjusting the diffusion rate of the additive to the diffusion adjustment unit based on the transmitter control information;

wherein the diffusion adjustment unit is configured to adjust the diffusion rate of the additive based on the control signal;

wherein the diffusion adjustment unit consists of a temperature-responsive material and a near-infrared absorber;

wherein an entire periphery of the additive retention unit is surrounded by the diffusion adjustment unit, or an impermeable unit and the diffusion adjustment unit;

wherein the culture system further comprises:

a plurality of the culture containers; and

a transport unit configured to move at least one culture container among the plurality of culture containers to a predetermined position;

wherein the controller is configured to refer to the culture protocol to generate, for each culture container among the plurality of culture containers, transmitter control information for adding the additive to the culture container; and

wherein based on the transmitter control information corresponding to the culture container located at the position, the transmitter is configured to transmit the control signal to the diffusion adjustment unit of the culture container moved to the position.