Cell culturing and storage systems, devices and methods

Patent Number: 7091035

This invention is important for entities looking to expand various stem cells in vitro. The inventors noted that stem cells can differentiated into various types of other cells, and that a "dynamic" method of growing stem cells is relevant to what type of cells can be produced. The invention essentially covers ways of watching and manipulating stem cells and their progeny in culture as they are growing, so as to be able to select or amplify certain aspects of the cells as a whole or in part. The patent has 3 independent claims all directed to a culture "system" that is made so as to allow addition of growth factors, and various cells, into the already growing culture. Of note the inventors are well established in the area of stem cell culture and function, including having a paper in Nature (Androutsellis-Theotokis A et al. Notch signalling regulates stem cell numbers in vitro and in vivo. Nature. 2006 Aug 17;442(7104):823-6.)

View this patent on the USPTO website.