Patent Application
20060134598
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for dispensing precise amounts of fluid from a container. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for dispensing precise aliquots of cell culture media from a bulk, sterile, flexible container.
A cell repository, or cell bank, is a collection of living cells maintained indefinitely at extremely low temperatures in a state of suspended animation. Cell repositories, such as the Coriell Institute, establish, maintain, and distribute thousands of different cell lines/cultures, which are used by scientists worldwide for scientific and clinical research. Typically, each cell line is indexed in a searchable database. Upon request, a vial of the specified cell line is recovered from cold storage, thawed, and shipped to the requesting scientist.
To grow a cell line in the repository or laboratory, the cells must be “fed” with cell culture media. The composition of cell culture media varies depending on the cell line with which the media is to be used. At cell repositories, each particular batch of cell culture media is prepared from bulk quantities, typically a 20-liter flexible bag, of base media, to which particular constituents are added to satisfy a particular cell line. The media is then apportioned into much smaller glass or plastic bottles prior to use at the repository or shipment to customers.
During cell line feeding, the cell culture media is typically dispensed from the bottles using a pipetter equipped with a disposable pipet. Each time the pipet is immersed in the media, a risk of contamination occurs if the pipet is not sterile or if contaminants enter through the open top of the bottle. Further, a risk of cross contamination between cell lines occurs if the same media bottle is used to feed several different cell lines. If contamination occurs, both the cell culture media and the cell line must be discarded.
To reduce the risk of cross contamination, laboratory protocol typically limits use of each media bottle to 3 or less distinct cell lines. Because of the risk of contamination, the volume of cell culture media containers is typically limited to low volumes, such as ¼-liter bottles, so that potentially large batches of media are not wasted (discarded) if contamination occurs.
Packaging cell culture media in low-volume units significantly increases the overall cost per unit of media. For example, the material cost of multiple low-volume bottles is much higher than the material cost of a single large bag. Likewise, the shipping and handling cost of multiple low-volume bottles is much higher than the shipping cost of a single, large bag.
The disposal cost of multiple small-volume bottles is also much higher than a large bag because multiple, low-volume bottles weigh more and are bulkier. The disposal cost of cell culture media containers is amplified because such containers are classified as bio-hazardous waste, which is significantly more expensive to discard than non-hazardous waste.
The invention provides an apparatus and method for dispensing precise amounts of fluid from a container. The apparatus and method have particular use for dispensing precise aliquots of cell culture media from a flexible container having a flexible dispense tube.
The apparatus generally includes a housing, load cell, control valve, and programmable controller. The container suspends from the load cell within the housing. The load cell continuously transmits to the controller an output signal, which represents the force, i.e., weight, of the bag on the load cell. The controller regulates the flow of media from the container by selectively activating the control valve. The controller precisely measures the volume of fluid media dispensed from the container by continuously calculating the change in weight of the container using the load cell output signal.
The control valve regulates fluid flow through the dispense tube. Preferably, the control valve comprises a solenoid-actuated pinch valve, which engages only the outer surface of the flexible dispense tube and does not contact the cell culture media.
In one embodiment, fluid is dispensed from the container simply by opening the control valve and allowing gravity to force fluid from the container. In another embodiment, the dispenser includes a container pressurizer for increasing fluid flow from the container. The container pressurizer may comprise a pneumatic compression sleeve, which surrounds and compresses the container. A pneumatic pump, which is functionally connected to the controller, pressurizes the sleeve. The compression sleeve preferably suspends from the load cell and supports the container therein.
In another embodiment, the housing is fully-enclosed and can be either positively or negatively pressurized by a pump in fluid communication therewith. Positively pressurizing the housing increases fluid flow from the container. Negatively pressurizing the housing allows fluid to be infused into the bag through the dispense tube.
The controller can be programmed to dispense aliquots of any volume less than or equal to the volume (V) of the container. The controller can also be calibrated with the specific density of the media contained within the container.
The controller preferably includes a digital microprocessor, an amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The ADC preferably comprises either a successive-approximation (SAR) ADC amplifier integrated circuit or a sigma-delta ADC amplifier integrated circuit. The controller may also include one or more trigger switches, a keypad and an LCD display.
To prevent contamination of the media in the container during dispensing, the apparatus includes a flexible extension tube releasably fixed to the free end of the dispense tube of the container. A disposable pipet is releasably fixed to the end of the extension tube. If either the pipet or extension tube is contaminated, it can be replaced without contaminating the fluid contained in the container.
In a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the container is suspended from a load cell. The initial weight of the container is calculated based on the load cell measurement. The target weight of the container, i.e., the weight after the aliquot is dispensed, is also calculated. Fluid is dispensed from the container while continuously monitoring the actual weight of the container. Once the actual container weight equals the target weight, fluid dispense is terminated. In the preferred embodiment, fluid dispense is controlled by intermittently restricting flow through the flexible dispense tube. The container may be externally pressurized to increase fluid flow from or into the container.
For the purpose of illustration, there is shown in the accompanying drawings several embodiments of the invention. The apparatus and method are described below with particular application to dispensing precise, controlled amounts of cell culture media for the purpose of feeding cell lines in a sterile environment. However, it should be appreciated that the apparatus and method are useful for dispensing precise, controlled amounts of a variety of fluids in various environments. Further, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the apparatus and method are not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown herein and described below.
A cell culture media dispenser in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in
In the embodiment shown in
The dispenser 10 may include a housing 12, which may be mounted to the laminar flow hood 8 or another support surface proximate the flow hood 8. In the embodiment illustrated in
A device for continuously weighing the bag 14 is fixed in the housing 12. In a preferred embodiment, the weighing device comprises a load cell 24 fixed to the upper portion of the housing 12. The load cell 24 includes a support hook 36, which engages the eyelet 22 of the bag 14 and freely suspends the flexible bag 14 within the housing 12.
In the embodiment shown in
A control valve is also preferably located within the housing 12. The control valve regulates media flow from the bag 14. In a preferred embodiment, the control valve comprises a pinch valve 28, which engages only the outer surface of the dispense tube 20 and does not contact the media flowing through the tube 20. For example, the pinch valve 28 may comprise model number 360P011-42 NC manufactured by NResearch, Maplewood N.J. As best seen in
If a pinch valve 28 is selected as the control valve, the dispense tube 20 should comprise a durable, elastomeric material, which will withstand repetitive compression and release of the dispense tube 20 until the bag 14 is empty. For this reason, the dispense tube 20 is preferably made from silicone or C-flex tubing.
The load cell 24 and pinch valve 28 are functionally connected to a programmable controller 26. Within the tolerances of the dispenser 10, the controller 26 can be programmed and calibrated to dispense a precise aliquot of any volume less than or equal to the volume (V) of the bag 14.
The controller 26 preferably includes a readily-available, programmable microprocessor 42. For example, the microprocessor 42 may comprise a programmable microprocessor such as model AT89S8252 manufactured by Amtel, Inc., Agoura Hills, Calif.
Referring to
After receiving a trigger signal, and having been programmed with the volume of the aliquot, the controller 26 calculates the target weight (“target count”) of the bag 14 by subtracting the weight of the aliquot (“dispense count”) from the current weight of the bag 14. The controller 26 then opens the pinch valve 28, which allows media to flow through the dispense tube 20. While media is flowing, the controller 26 continuously monitors the decreasing weight of the bag 14 by continuously sampling the load cell output signal. When the target weight is reached, the controller 26 closes the pinch valve 28 and interrupts fluid dispense. A controller logic diagram is shown in
Typical load cells of the size described above generate weak output signals. For example, the load cell described above develops an output signal of about 2 mV per volt of applied excitation over its rated load capacity of 2000 g. With an applied excitation of 10V, for example, the range of output signal is only about 0 to 20 mV. Since the value of the load cell output signal is low, the controller 26 must be designed to minimize electrical noise, which may sharply compromise the load cell output signal and compromise the accuracy of the weight-detecting function of the load cell 24. Further, because of the sensitivity of the load cell 24, the housing 12 should be securely mounted to a stationary object or located in a location remote from physical vibration or other disturbances, so that additional external forces do not act on the bag 14 and compromise the accuracy of the weight-detecting function of the load cell 24.
The weak output signal of the load cell 24 must be amplified because microprocessors typically require input signals significantly greater than the output signal typically generated by a load cell. For example, the microprocessor described above requires an input signal strength from 0 to about 4 V, whereas the load cell output signal described above is from 0 to 20 mV. Therefore, the controller 26 may include an amplifier, which, in this example, should amplify the output of the load cell 24 by a factor of about 200. However, to account for overload in the bag 14, i.e., more than 2000 g fluid in the bag, the gain of the amplifier may be limited to a lower factor of, for example, 187.5, which would result in a maximum voltage of 3.75V when the bag contains 2000 g fluid. In a preferred embodiment, the amplifier comprises a precision instrumentation amplifier integrated circuit (IC), which is integrated with the analog-to-digital converter, described below.
To convert the load cell signal (now amplified) from analog to digital, the controller includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 25. In preferred embodiments, analog to digital conversion of the load cell output signal is performed by either a successive-approximation (SAR) ADC IC or a sigma-delta ADC IC. In the embodiment illustrated in
As described above, noise may also affect the accuracy of the load cell output signal. Accordingly, rather then relying on a single value, the SAR ADC may calculate multiple values and average the values. The averaging of values acts as a filter as numbers that were affected by noise will have less impact. Increasing the number of values that are used improves filtering but adversely affects the time required to record a change in the weight of the container 14. For example, the SAR ADC may maintain the numbers in a circular queue that has a power of two queues (e.g., 8, 16, 32) and the average is the average of the numbers stored in the queues (rolling average).
By increasing the number of samples in the queue, the degree of filtering is improved, but at the expense of a reduction in the speed of response to changes in the measured weight of the container 14. Therefore, a relatively fast response is required in order to close the pinch valve 28 promptly and without over-dispensing. For example, if a fine tip dispenser 34 is used to dispense media at a rate of 1 ml/S, then a delay of 10 mS in recognizing the target weight or count would result in an over-dispense of 1%. Therefore, the filtered data should preferably be able to track the actual signal at better than 100 Hz. Variations of the moving-average scheme in which the older samples are weighted to reduce their contribution over time are also possible.
Alternatively, rather than using a rolling average, a burst average may be used. The burst average calculates an average for every certain number of calculations (e.g., 8, 16, 32) and loads these values into a circular queue that calculates the rolling average of the bursts of calculations.
According to another embodiment, a sigma-delta ADC may be used that has 24 bit resolution so that filtering is built in the conversion. A sigma-delta ADC offers much higher resolution (typically, 24-bits) than a SAR ADC but has a much lower conversion rate. The sigma-delta ADC performs the same function as the SAR ADC except that the software filtering is replaced largely by the hardware filtering inherent in the sigma-delta architecture.
The controller 26 may be programmed to assume that the density of the media is 1, and thus equivalence exists between weight and volume. Alternatively, the controller 26 may be programmed with the specific density of the fluid contained within the bag 14, which is then used to calculate the weight of the aliquot. Alternatively, the weight of the aliquot can be calibrated using a volumetric measuring cylinder or electronic scale. This calibration procedure may also be used to compensate for any response lag of the control valve.
In a preferred embodiment, the container 14 and dispense tube 20 are integrally formed. The bag 14 is filled and packaged in a sterile environment. The free end of the tube 20 has a seal, such as a disposable, manual pinch valve, which is removed after the dispense tube is connected to the pinch valve 28.
To reduce the cost of the bag 14 and dispense tube 20, the pinch valve 28 is preferably located inside the housing 12 to reduce the length of silicone or C-flex dispense tubing needed to pass through the pinch valve 28 and exit the housing 12. Thereafter, an extension of less expensive flexible tubing 32 may be connected to the dispense tube 20 by, for example, a luer coupling 30. The extension tubing 32 connects at the other end to the dispense tip 34. If the dispense tip 34 or extension tubing 32 becomes contaminated, either can be replaced without replacing or disturbing the bag 14.
In the embodiment shown in
In another embodiment of the invention shown in
In this embodiment, the container pressurizer comprises a double-walled compression sleeve 150 having a closed bottom and an open top. The sleeve 150 includes two opposed eyelets 122 formed in the upper perimeter, which engage hooks on the load cell support bracket 136 and which suspend the sleeve 150 from the load cell 124. The bag 14 is inserted in and supported by the compression sleeve 150.
A port 123 is formed in the sidewall of the compression sleeve 150. The port 123 connects to a tube 152, which provides fluid communication between a pump 154 and the interior of the sleeve 150. The pump 154 is functionally connected to a controller 126, which activates and deactivates the pump 154 as needed to expel fluid from the container 14. In the embodiment shown in
While a compression sleeve 150 is disclosed, it should be appreciated that other means may be employed to pressurize the contents of the bag 14. For example, the bag 14 itself may have sufficient compressive elasticity to compress and expel media therefrom if initially pressurized. Alternatively, an elastic sleeve with sufficient compressive elasticity to compress the bag and expel media therefrom, or as described below, a sealed, pressurized housing may be used.
In another embodiment of the invention 210 shown in
Referring to
The pump 254 is functionally connected to the controller 226, which activates and deactivates the pump 254 as needed to expel fluid from or admit fluid to the bag 14. In the embodiment shown in
The invention also provides a method of feeding cell cultures in a laminar flow hood. The method of feeding reduces the risk of contaminating the cell culture media and reduces the amount of disposable media container waste.
Cell culture media is initially produced in a very large container such as, for example, a 20 liter bag. The media is then apportioned into the 2-liter disposable, flexible bags described above. A 2-liter bag is loaded into a dispenser as described above. The dispense tube is threaded through the pinch valve of the dispenser. The free end of the dispense tube is positioned within the hood. The disposable extension tube and dispense tip are then connected to the dispense tube. The volume of the aliquot is programmed into the controller. Aliquots of media are then dispensed to the cells by activating one of the trigger switches.
If the dispense tip becomes contaminated, the tip is discarded and replaced. Likewise, if the extension tube is contaminated, it is discarded and replaced. Cells are fed until the media contained in the bag is exhausted. By using the aforementioned apparatus and method, the risk of contamination of the cell culture media is reduced. Further, the amount of disposable media container waste is also significantly reduced.
While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.
