Design Of A Portable Real-time Monitoring Cell Culture Systems

In vitro cell culture, as an importanr technique for the cell biology experimental study, is widely used in modern medicine, life sciences and pharmaceutical research and development. It has advantages in conveniently operating and maintaining long-term stability of cell passage. Various in vitro cell culture methods and apparatus are developed. Out of demands of some unconventional cell biology experimental study, there has been continuing attention to culture conditions control,parameter detection and culture system miniaturization. Moreover, gross or microscopic examination is generally used during cell culture process, the method of time-lapse photographic record of living cells is also used to observe cell dynamic change. But new demands of real-time monitoring and recording cell culture process arise with development of cell biology research, a, because those events significant to cell biological and biochemical studies may be hidden in the process of cell growth. So the function of real-time tracking and recording of cell culture process is also needed in a portable cell culture device.This paper attempts to study the real-time observational approaches and on-line fluid control technology of cell culture process to improve quality of medium exchanging and precision of cell culture state monitoring, and to make the whole device portable, so as to provide technique support for some special cell biology research and application The study centered around a cell culture system based on a self-made cell bioreactor, an online microscopic observation system composed of a CCD and an objective camera,, and an online fluid control system driven by an syringe pump. The main work includes cell culture device designing, components selecting, microscopic observation platform establishing, fluid control mode alternatives selecting, and electronic control system developing. Finally a portable cell culture system was completed, which has a function of automatically real-time observation on cell growth, and of purposive control for cell culture process.Human umbilical vein endothelial cell line EA.hy926 was used to verify functions of developed device. The microscopic observation system, the fluid control system and the overall function of the device were assessed by three functional experiments. The results demonstrate that the device can support above functions independently, which satisfies the design requirements..This study developed techniques of online microscopic observation and fluid control for a miniaturized cell culture device. A portable cell culture device integrated with the techniques and process recording function was made, which could serve for cell biology research and application with special demands of size, portability, online observation and automated operation.