KR-20260064606-A - SIMULATIONEOUS CELL CULTURE DEVICE AND MULTI-REGION LIQUID PATTERNING METHOD USING THE SAME

KR20260064606AKR 20260064606 AKR20260064606 AKR 20260064606AKR-20260064606-A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cell culture device comprising a culture structure including a plurality of cell culture regions, wherein the culture structure maintains a culture medium for culturing cells in each of the plurality of cell culture regions by surface tension, and the plurality of cell culture regions are formed in a through-type structure to enable interaction between adjacent cell culture regions among the plurality of cell culture regions.

Inventors

방석영
문성훈
정민경
김도형

Assignees

방석영

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251029
Priority Date: 20241030

Claims (10)

A culture structure comprising a plurality of cell culture regions; wherein, The above culture structure is, A culture medium for culturing cells in each of the plurality of cell culture regions is maintained by surface tension, and the plurality of cell culture regions are formed in a through-type structure to enable interaction between adjacent cell culture regions among the plurality of cell culture regions. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 1, Each of the above plurality of cell culture regions is, Characterized by being formed as a through-type cube structure of a predetermined size, and having multiple different cells simultaneously cultured through different culture media located in the through-type cube structure. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 2, The size of the above-mentioned through-type cube structure is, Characterized by the fact that the width, length, and height of each of the internal space of the above-mentioned through-type cube structure are within the range of 0.35mm to 2mm. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 1, The above culture structure is, It further includes a coupling part that is mechanically coupled to another cell culture device, Characterized by enabling interaction between cell culture regions of a plurality of cell culture devices connected through the above-mentioned coupling portion. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 4, The above-mentioned connecting part is, It includes a plurality of through holes to enable vertical coupling with the other cell culture device through a holder of a specific structure, Characterized by allowing the culture medium between corresponding cell culture regions of a plurality of vertically coupled cell culture devices to come into contact, thereby enabling interaction between cells. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 4, The above-mentioned connecting part is, It includes embossed or intaglio structural parts to enable horizontal coupling with the above-mentioned other cell culture device, Characterized by enabling interaction between cells by bringing the culture medium into contact between cell culture regions located on the joint surfaces of the plurality of cell culture devices horizontally connected above. Cell culture device.
In paragraph 1, The above culture structure is, Characterized by further including a cylindrical portion formed at both ends of the plurality of cell culture regions to enable liquid perfusion to a series of cell culture regions among the plurality of cell culture regions. Cell culture device.
A multi-region liquid patterning method using a cell culture device comprising a culture structure including a plurality of cell culture regions, A step of patterning a liquid inside each of the plurality of cell culture regions by utilizing the surface tension generated between the culture medium formed on the tip of the pipette and the cell culture region formed with a penetrating structure when the pipette is lifted after penetrating each of the plurality of cell culture regions containing a culture medium for culturing cells; wherein Characterized by the interaction between adjacent cell culture regions among the plurality of cell culture regions above. Multi-region liquid patterning method.
In paragraph 8, The step of patterning the above liquid is, A step of patterning a culture medium containing vascular endothelial cells inside each of a plurality of cell culture regions of the cell culture device; A step of patterning a culture medium containing lung fibroblasts inside each of a plurality of cell culture regions of another cell culture device capable of vertical coupling with the cell culture device above; A step of mechanically coupling the cell culture device and the other cell culture device through a coupling portion formed in a culture structure such that the cell culture device is located at the bottom and the other cell culture device is located at the top; and The method is characterized by including the step of bringing a culture medium into contact between corresponding cell culture areas of the cell culture device and another cell culture device, and forming an artificial tissue vascularized in the cell culture device located below according to the interaction between cells. Multi-region liquid patterning method.
In paragraph 8, The step of patterning the above liquid is, A step of patterning a liquid hydrogel inside a series of cell culture regions in which cylindrical portions are formed at both ends among a plurality of cell culture regions; A step of penetrating microneedles through the above-mentioned cylindrical portion into the series of cell culture regions and proceeding with gelation; and Characterized by including a step in which, after the above gelation, the microneedles are removed to form a blood vessel structure capable of liquid perfusion. Multi-region liquid patterning method.

Description

SIMULATIONEOUS CELL CULTURE DEVICE AND MULTI-REGION LIQUID PATTERNING METHOD USING THE SAME The present invention relates to a cell culture device and liquid patterning technology for cell culture, and more specifically, to a cell culture device that enables the simultaneous culture of various cells within multiple regions by liquid patterning in each of a plurality of cell culture regions. Cell culture technology forms the foundation of life science and medical research and has established itself as an indispensable tool in various application fields, such as exploring the fundamental mechanisms of diseases, developing new drugs, advancing tissue engineering, and toxicity assessment. In particular, cell culture plays a pivotal role in modeling complex biological systems and conducting in-depth studies of cell-to-cell interactions within the laboratory. However, most existing cell culture methods have been performed on a two-dimensional plane, which has an inherent limitation in that it does not adequately reflect the complex three-dimensional environment in which cells exist in the natural world. Such two-dimensional culture methods have limitations in accurately simulating cell-to-cell interactions and the formation of three-dimensional tissue structures, which raises concerns about limiting the reliability of the research and the practical applicability of the results. Furthermore, conventional methods face various limitations in simultaneously culturing diverse cell types and effectively observing their interactions. In particular, in cell co-culture systems, it is difficult to establish and maintain culture conditions optimized for different cell types, which raises concerns about reduced efficiency in cell culture and accuracy of experimental results. Therefore, there may be a demand in the industry for research and development of new cell culture devices to overcome the limitations of conventional cell culture technology and expand the reliability and scope of application of cell research. Various aspects are described with reference to the drawings, wherein similar reference numbers are used to collectively refer to similar components. In the following embodiments, for illustrative purposes, a number of specific details are presented to provide a comprehensive understanding of one or more aspects. However, it will be apparent that such aspect(s) may be practiced without these specific details. FIG. 1 is a drawing of a cell culture device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a multi-region liquid patterning method using a cell culture device according to one embodiment. FIGS. 3 to 5 are drawings for explaining the interaction between cell culture regions of a cell culture device according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing experimental results regarding the interaction between cell culture regions of a cell culture device according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the vertical connection of a plurality of cell culture devices according to one embodiment. FIGS. 8 and 9 are drawings for explaining the interaction between cell culture regions according to the vertical coupling of a plurality of cell culture devices according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the horizontal coupling of a plurality of cell culture devices according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the interaction between cell culture regions according to the horizontal coupling of a plurality of cell culture devices according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 is a drawing of a cell culture device including a cylindrical part according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a drawing for explaining a blood vessel structure formed using a cell culture device including a cylindrical portion according to one embodiment. FIGS. 14 and 15 are drawings for explaining the interaction between cell culture regions using a vascular structure formed in a cell culture device including a cylindrical portion according to one embodiment. Various embodiments and/or aspects are now disclosed with reference to the drawings. For illustrative purposes, numerous specific details are disclosed in the following description to aid in a general understanding of one or more aspects. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these aspects may be practiced without such specific details. The drawings described below and attached describe specific exemplary aspects of one or more aspects in detail. However, these aspects are exemplary, and some of the various methods in the principles of the various aspects may be used, and the descriptions are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Specifically, terms such as “exemplary,” “example,” “aspect,” “example,” etc. as used herein may not be interpreted as implying that any described aspect or design is superior or advantageous to other aspects or designs. Hereinafter, identical or simi