Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc.

Bimini Technologies LLC

Alvin Edward Peterson

Joan Zeltinger

Lee K Landeen

Noushin Dunkelman

Mark A Applegate

Lucas Fornace

James H Flatt

John W Bennett

Scott Chesla

Jason Gee

Gail K Naughton

Stephen V Kemmerrer

Jane Willoughby

Ronda Elizabeth Schreiber

Dror Seliktar

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for the concentration of cells from a cell suspension into unprocessed tissue, such as adipose tissue. Also disclosed herein are systems for optimizing hydration of tissue and cell enriched grafts.

Systems, methods and compositions for optimizing tissue and cell enriched grafts

An apparatus and method for sterilizing, seeding, culturing, storing, shipping, and testing three-dimensional tissue constructs is disclosed. The apparatus includes a fluid reservoir, a pump, at least one treatment chamber, and a means for controlling media flow characteristics around a tissue construct disposed within the treatment chamber, and for controlling movement of the construct itself, so as to simulate a variety of physiologic conditions. One exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a means for applying an axial stress to the construct. Applying an axial stress to the construct during seeding and culturing results in a tissue-engineered construct with cells and their fibers oriented in a manner which is more likely to possess long term dimensional stability and the patency of native vessels with normal physiologic function.

Apparatus and method for simulating in vivo conditions while seeding and

An apparatus and method for sterilizing, seeding, culturing, storing, shipping, and testing cartilage constructs is disclosed. The apparatus generally includes a treatment chamber and a means for varying the fluid flow and pressure within the treatment chamber during seeding and culturing. The application of pressure to the cartilage construct improves both the uniformity of seeding throughout the construct and facilitates the flow of nutrients to and removal of waste products from cells embedded in the construct. In this manner, a tissue-engineered cartilage construct with cells and their fibers oriented in a manner which is more likely to possess long term dimensional stability and the patency of cartilage with normal physiologic function may be formed.

Apparatus and method for sterilizing, seeding, culturing, storing,

Mammalian cells capable of producing cartilage are cultured under a shear flow stress of about 1 to about 100 dynes/cm.sup.2 to produce artificial cartilage for surgical transplantation to replace damaged or missing cartilage. Shear flow stressed cells display enhanced maintenance of chondrocyte phenotype and produce an extracellular matrix containing an enhanced ratio of type II collagen to type I collagen. The cells may be chondrocytes, chondrocyte stem cells or cells such as myoblasts or fibroblasts that transdifferentiate into chondrocytes. A bioreactor is used containing a growth chamber having a substrate on which the cells capable of producing cartilage are attached, and means for applying relative movement between a liquid culture medium and the substrate to provide the shear flow stress. The substrate may be a scaffold, or a nonporous surface such as the surface of a rotatable drum or disc, or the surface of a static plate that supports cell growth in a monolayer. Cartilage is produced by covering the substrate with a liquid growth medium, inoculating into the medium cells capable of producing cartilage, allowing the cells to attach to the substrate, applying and maintaining relative movement between the growth medium and the cells to provide the shear flow stress to produce shear flow stressed cells, and culturing the shear flow stressed cells to produce cartilage.

Application of shear flow stress to chondrocytes or chondrocyte stem

An apparatus and method for sterilizing, seeding, culturing, storing, shipping, and testing heart valves is disclosed. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for dynamically seeding and culturing heart valves with human cells, resulting in a heart valve populated with viable human cells. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a fluid reservoir, a pneumatic pressure chamber, a pressure source for providing a varying pressure to the pressure chamber, and a heart valve holder. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a fluid reservoir, a pump, a venturi tube, a heart valve chamber, a heart valve holder, and a valve connected to a timer. In each embodiment, the components are combined in a fluid circuit to create a variable cycling and pulsatile fluid flow for seeding and culturing which can closely resemble the physiological conditions found in the human heart.

An apparatus and method for sterilizing, seeding, culturing, storing, shipping, and testing vascular grafts is disclosed. Specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for seeding and culturing vascular grafts with human cells. The apparatus includes a fluid reservoir, a pump, an alternating pressure source, and at least one treatment chamber. By alternating pressure to a support structure within the treatment chamber upon which a vascular graft scaffold is positioned, a varying radial stress is placed on the scaffold. In an alternative embodiment, fluid is pumped directly through the vascular graft subjecting the vascular graft to radial and shear stresses. Applying shear and/or radial stresses to the vascular graft during seeding and culturing simulates physiological conditions.

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Jamul, CA, United States of America

Alvin Edward Peterson