Abstract: The present invention relates to a culture vessel for three-dimensional cell cultivation and a three-dimensional cell co-cultivation method using the same. The culture vessel comprises a well formed by a column positioned thereon and at least one support protruding from the column within the well. In contrast to conventional techniques, the present invention allows cells to be cultured at a position spaced from a culture vessel, thus enjoying the advantage of smoothly supplying oxygen necessary for three-dimensional cell culture structures.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device and a method for storing and transporting at least one human or animal tissue with a view to transplantation or ex vivo experimentation. The device can store such tissue in a specific storage medium until the transplantation or the ex vivo experimentation, and in particular to storing a sample of human or animal cornea, such as a corneal graft. This device for storing at least one human or animal tissue comprises at least one chamber which is suitable for receiving and storing the tissue in a liquid storage medium and which comprises means for continuous renewal of the medium in said at least one chamber. The device additionally comprises means for adjusting at least one physicochemical parameter of said medium, including its pH, by continuous circulation of a buffer gas in said at least one chamber outside of and in contact with said medium.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a device for patterning extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel comprising a first layer surface patterned to define a microchannel, a second layer comprising a loading channel in fluid communication with loading ports to receive an ECM hydrogel, wherein the first layer is attached over the second layer such that the patterned surface faces the loading channel to define an open chamber with regions of reduced cross-sectional area, and wherein the ECM hydrogel is confined to fill said regions, thereby forming a perfusable channel in the open chamber. The present disclosure also provides the same device wherein the second layer is a substrate without a loading channel and is optically pervious; and additionally provides a method of patterning ECM hydrogel comprising use of the aforementioned device. Importantly, ECM patterning is achieved by surface tension between the ECM hydrogel and the first layer at the boundaries of the microchannel.

Abstract: An atmospheric greenhouse gas reduction system that includes greenhouse gas reduction particles having carbon dioxide conversion material that is capable of converting carbon dioxide in atmosphere into simple carbohydrates. The greenhouse gas reduction particles have a size of up to about 1,000 nanometers.

Abstract: A fixed-bed bioreactor system is provided that includes a vessel with a media inlet, a media outlet, and an interior cavity disposed between and in fluid communication with the media inlet and media outlet. The vessel further includes a cell culture substrate disposed in the interior cavity between the media inlet and the media outlet in a packed-bed configuration, the cell culture substrate including a plurality of porous disks in a stacked arrangement. The interior cavity includes a cell culture section and a spacer section, the cell culture substrate defining the cell culture section and the spacer section being disposed between the cell culture section and the media outlet, and each of the plurality of porous disks has a surface configured to culture cells thereon.

Abstract: A thin-walled microplate suitable for use in the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique comprising a plurality of thin-walled tubes or wells arranged in a fixed array, each well having an upper portion with an open top and a lower, frustoconical portion having a substantially flat bottom.

Abstract: A water filtering system includes providing light deep into a liquid used in applications such as the cultivation of both attached and suspended photosynthetic organisms. The system is configured to inject a stream of bubbles into the liquid and a light source is configured to shines light through the bubbles. The bubbles allow some light to travel deep into the liquid along the length of the bubble stream and scatter/deflect some light out of the bubble stream and into the surrounding liquid including screens for growing algae.

Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for mechanoporation-based high-throughput payload delivery into biological cells. For example, one system can process at least 1 billion cells per minute or at least 25 billion cells per minute, which is substantially greater than conventional methods. A cell processing apparatus comprises a processing assembly formed by stacking multiple processing components. Each processing component comprises channels, which may be used for filtration, mechanoporation, and/or separation of cells in the cell media. This functionality depends on the configuration of each channel. For example, each channel comprises one or more ridges such that each ridge forms a processing gap with an adjacent one of the processing components. The ridges may extend to the side walls or form a bypass gap with the wall. The processing gaps can be specially configured to compress cells as the cells pass through these gaps thereby initiating the mechanoporation process.

Abstract: Metastable state spore incubation mixing systems are described. An example system includes a spore container to store spores, a nutrient container, an arrangement of valves and tubes, a reciprocating pump, a mixing tube, and a holding tank. In a drawing phase of the system, a controller can control the reciprocating pump to draw a ratioed volume of the spores, the nutrients, and water through the valves and tubes. During an expelling phase of the system, the controller can control flow control valves to direct the spores, nutrients, and water through the mixing tube and into the holding tank. The controller can also direct a heater to heat the mixture in the holding tank to a predetermined temperature. Once the mixture reaches the temperature, the controller can also direct the system through a number of other phases of operation, including cooling and purging phases.

Abstract: An apparatus for perfusing an organ or tissue includes a perfusion circuit for perfusing the organ or tissue; an oxygenator for oxygenating perfusate that circulates through the perfusion circuit; and an oxygen supply device such as an oxygen concentrator or an oxygen generator configured to supply oxygen to the oxygenator. A method of perfusing an organ or tissue includes producing oxygen from a device such as an oxygen concentrator and an oxygen generator; supplying the produced oxygen, preferably as the oxygen is produced, to a perfusate to oxygenate the perfusate; and perfusing the organ or tissue with the oxygenated perfusate. The produced oxygen preferably has a concentration greater than the oxygen concentration in air.

Abstract: An in vitro tissue plate may include a well plate, a fluidic plate disposed on a bottom surface of the well plate, and a media manifold disposed on a bottom surface of the fluidic plate. The well plate may have at least two wells, including a tissue well and a waste well. The fluid plate may include a fluid channel extending between and fluidly connecting the tissue well to the waste well. The media manifold may include a one or more media outlets fluidly connected to the fluid channel. A tissue layer may be deposited in the tissue well. The tissue layer may include human cells such as neurovascular cells.

Abstract: A cell culture vessel (100) includes a wall including an inner surface defining a cell culture chamber of the vessel. A substrate (215) of non-porous material is positioned in the cell culture chamber between a first region of the cell culture chamber and a second region of the cell culture chamber. The substrate includes a plurality of microcavities (220), each microcavity of the plurality of microcavities includes a concave surface defining a well and an opening, the concave surface of each microcavity includes at least one aperture including a dimension less than or equal to about 15 microns defining a path from the well to the second region. A cell culture vessel including a substrate including a plurality of microcavities and a layer of porous material is also provided. Methods of culturing cells in the cell culture vessel are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention discloses means, use and non-GM method for modulating proteins in microorganisms. This method comprising steps of providing a system comprising a plasma discharge source, the plasma; the plasma discharge electric field is in the range of about 200 to about 500 v/m; and a plasma modifying mechanism comprising (1) at least one magnetic material, and at least one piezoelectric material, and (2) at least one optical crystal material, the plasma modifying mechanism providing modified plasma output having frequencies in the range of about 3 KHz to about 30 KHz; and discharging the plasma towards the microorganisms in a pulsed profile; thereby modulating proteins from the target microorganisms. The invention also discloses means, use and non-GM method for de novo generating of proteins in microorganisms from within the proteome of the microorganisms.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are devices, methods and compositions for making and using microfluidic devices comprising making a microfluid device comprising one or more channels; and coating at least a portion of an interior surface of at least one channel, wherein one or more gradients are formed by simultaneously introducing into the device a first cellular culture media composition having a certain concentration of a gas, an active agent or both and a second composition having a concentration of a gas, an active agent or both that is/are different from that of the first composition. Such devices are used to investigate cellular responses to physiological states and active agents.

Abstract: Provided herein are microtiter plates, systems, and uses thereof. In particular, provided herein are cell culture (e.g., microtiter plates) with a plurality of wells that comprise diffusion channels, systems comprising the devices (e.g., comprising cells), and use of the devices and systems in co-culture applications (e.g. in high throughput screening) and biological assays.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and compositions are provided for extracting bone marrow cells from bone obtained from deceased donors, for preparing the bone marrow for cryopreservation, and for obtaining desired cells from cryopreserved and fresh bone marrow.

Abstract: A living body specimen transport device for receiving multiple living body specimens has a frame, a rotating bracket, and a storage assembly. The rotating bracket can be rotated with respect to the frame. The storage assembly can receive a container with a living body specimen and be rotated with respect to the rotating bracket. A center of gravity of the storage assembly is lower than a pivoting point where the rotating bracket is mounted on the frame and a pivoting point where the storage assembly is mounted on the rotating bracket. With such structure, even when the living body specimen transport device is vibrated and shaken during transporting and then the frame of the living body specimen transport device is tilted or turned over, the rotating bracket and the storage assembly can rotate to be vertical by themselves, which keeps the living body specimen being soaked in the preservation solution.

Abstract: Fluidic multiwell bioreactors are provided as a microphysiological platform for in vitro investigation of multi-organ crosstalks for an extended period of time of at least weeks and months. The disclosed platform is featured with one or more improvements over existing bioreactors, including on-board pumping for pneumatically driven fluid flow, a redesigned spillway for self-leveling from source to sink, a non-contact built-in fluid level sensing device, precise control on fluid flow profile and partitioning, and facile reconfigurations such as daisy chaining and multilayer stacking. The platform supports the culture of multiple organs in a microphysiological, interacted systems, suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications including systemic toxicity studies and physiology-based pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic predictions. A process to fabricate the disclosed bioreactors is also provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a biomimetic cell culture apparatus that mimics interactions among organs in a human body. The present disclosure includes a plurality of culture units for culturing cells, a conduit for connecting the plurality of culture units to each other to form a circulating path, a pump unit disposed on the conduit for forming a flow in culture medium such that the culture medium circulates through the plurality of culture units, and an agitating module for agitating the plurality of culture units.

Abstract: A single-wavelength light source is configured to generate an excitation light source. A sample holder that defines an inner cavity is capable of holding a sample and includes a surface transparent to the excitation light source. One or more mounts are attached to at least one of the light source or the sample holder. The mounts are configured to change an incident angle of the excitation light source on the surface. One or more optical components are positioned in a path of a fluorescence emission emitted from the surface and guide the fluorescence emission to a detector. A detector detects an intensity of the fluorescence emission.