Abstract: A process module for a biology laboratory system includes a housing, a working deck located within the housing, having working deck plate slots for receiving cell culture plates, a liquid handling robot comprising at least one pipette for aspirating a liquid medium, and a first transfer interface in communication with a first storage module for storing cell culture plates. The working deck is movable to a plurality of working positions. In one of the positions, the cell culture plate is located under an operating point of the liquid handling robot. In another of the positions, the cell culture plate is in alignment with the first transfer interface for transfer of the cell culture plate between an outside of the housing and the working deck plate slot. The first transfer interface or a second interface can be brought in communication with a second storage module for storing lab-ware or liquid material.

Abstract: Biological cells, which are stored on carriers in a storage module, are cultivated in a process module. Each cell line is assigned an application containing a treatment specification, which contains one or more workflows that are performed in the process module at successive time intervals, each with a respective start time. Each workflow contains a work step or a plurality of work steps to be performed in succession. The control device controls the parallel execution of a plurality of applications and starts the one or more workflows of the different applications one after another in the same process module. In order to economically perform the workflows successively in a single process module, each workflow is assigned an effective function dependent on the start time, and the sequence and the start times of the workflows of different applications are determined by minimizing or maximizing the sum of the effective functions.

Abstract: A method and device for handling supports which support biological cell cultures or auxiliary agents for treatment of biological cell cultures, using one or more modules, at least one of which is a handling device. Each one of a plurality of supports rests with its edges on support elements, and, depending on the type of supports or the type of auxiliary means supported thereby, the supports require different storage heights, some of which are greater than one or more times a standardized vertical spacing of the support elements. The supports have an information carrier, the information of which can be read by a reading device and can be evaluated by a computing device. For optimal use of the compartments of the storage device, the information contains details about the storage height of the support in question and the handling of the supports is performed using these details.

Abstract: In a method for cultivating biological cells of differing types, carriers are stored in an incubator, in which the carriers comprise one or more storage chambers. One or more cultures comprising cells of a common type are stored in one of the storage chambers. Cultivation parameters are assigned to the cultures. Datasets containing organizational coordinates of each storage chamber and the cultivation parameters of the culture stored therein are stored in a data processing device. The carriers are removed from the incubator at predefined time intervals in order to treat the cultures according to their respective cultivation parameters. The datasets are divided into groups with correlated cultivation parameters. The cultures are subsequently treated in groups.

Abstract: A treatment apparatus for treating biological cell cultures, located in respective storage chambers of a carrier, includes a work deck with one or more bearing spots for bearing the carrier. Each of the bearing spots includes a bearing region corresponding to an area of the carrier. The treatment apparatus additionally includes nozzles for producing a gas flow in a space above the work deck. To avoid liquid droplets or cell material being transported from one storage chamber to another as a result of a horizontal gas flow above the carrier during the treatment, the nozzles are arranged outside of and along an edge of the bearing region or within the bearing region and form a gas curtain around the carrier or the respective storage chambers.

Abstract: A process module for a biology laboratory system includes a housing, a working deck located within the housing, having working deck plate slots for receiving cell culture plates, a liquid handling robot comprising at least one pipette for aspirating a liquid medium, and a first transfer interface in communication with a first storage module for storing cell culture plates. The working deck is movable to a plurality of working positions. In one of the positions, the cell culture plate is located under an operating point of the liquid handling robot. In another of the positions, the cell culture plate is in alignment with the first transfer interface for transfer of the cell culture plate between an outside of the housing and the working deck plate slot. The first transfer interface or a second interface can be brought in communication with a second storage module for storing lab-ware or liquid material.

Abstract: A system for processing biological material includes a first module and at least a second module, in which each of said first and second modules has at least the following identical characteristics: a size and a shape of a housing; a storage device being rotatably located within said housing; and a plurality of plate slots located in the storage device for receiving plates or containers carrying pipette tips, cell cultures or liquids. The first and second modules are selected from a process module, a storage module, an incubator, a freezer, a plastic-ware store, a refrigerator or a centrifuge.

Abstract: A module for an automated biology laboratory system includes a housing and a storage device located within the housing. The storage device has a plurality of plate slots for receiving microplates or lab-ware with a microplate footprint or containers. The laboratory system further includes a transfer slot to transfer the microplates or containers between an inside of the module and an outside of the module; indexing means to facilitate alignment of the transfer slot with a microplate transfer interface comprising an aperture of the housing; and connection means for fixedly connecting the transfer interface of the module to a transfer interface of an adjacent module.

Abstract: A set of lab-ware for a cell culture process includes two or more components selected from: A plate comprising one or more processing wells in a regular arrangement; a plate suitable for holding or holding pipette tips in a regular arrangement; a plate comprising compartments individually holding or suitable for individually holding vials in a regular arrangement; a plate comprising two or more substantially rectangular wells in a regular arrangement; a lidded bottle for bulk supply of a solution or cell culture medium; a plate comprising one or more compartments for holding reagent bottles, two or more of the compartments being in a regular arrangement; a plate having a single well; a plate comprising one or more storage wells holding reagents, being sealed by a foil and/or covered by a lid. All of the two or more components have a uniform footprint. A robotic handling device manipulates the lab-ware.