Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Public University Corporation Yokohama City University

Corning Incorporated

Nagoya University

Kuraray Medical Inc.

Biosensor Laboratories Co., Ltd.

Biosensor Research Laboratories Co., Ltd.

Hitoshi Tsuruta

Motohiro Fukuda

Go Tazaki

Michihiro Nakamura

Hideki Taniguchi

Yoichi Matsumoto

Masato Takai

Keiko Oka

Satomi Matsui

Tomoki Kakiuchi

Hideaki Yamada

Nozomu Sugo

Yun-Wen Zheng

Yoko Itchoda

Tomoko Kosaka

Shuhei Nakaji

Takeshi Suehiro

Kishio Furuya

Koji Sekiguchi

Yoshihiro Koori

Kouji Sekiguchi

Takuji Kato

Shigeji Ito

Takao Shimizu

Masahiro Sokabe

To provide a cell culture kit including cultured living cells of various donors, and a manufacturing method thereof. The cell culture kit includes a culture plate and living cells cultured thereon. The culture plate includes a plurality of microchambers () and living cells derived from various donors are adhered to surfaces of the plurality of microchambers (). Specifically, living cells D, D, and Dderived from various donors are adhered to the plurality of microchambers (). In each microchamber (), living cells derived from one donor or living cells derived from various donors may be cultured. The living cells derived from various donors are adhered and cultured in the cell culture kit as a whole, which makes it possible to provide a cell culture kit to conduct a test using cells derived from various donors.

Cell culture kit, screening method, and method of manufacturing cell culture kit

Provided is a cell culture method whereby an in vivo function can be sustained over a long period of time and culture can be conducted using the minimum number of cells required. The cell culture method includes culturing undifferentiated cells in a layered state in a partitioned micro-space and obtains differentiated cells. When screening a pharmaceutical agent, undifferentiated cells capable of differentiating into liver cells, intestinal epithelial cells, nerve cells, myocardial cells and vascular endothelial cells are preferred. Particularly, in the prediction of pharmacokinetics or the like for humans, human cells are preferred.

Cell culture of fetal liver in layered state in a partitioned micro-space

To provide a cell culture method capable of sustaining in-vivo functions for a long time by suppressing dedifferentiation. A cell culture method in accordance with the present invention is to culture cells in a multi-layered state in a minute partitioned space and to obtain a tissue structure having a function resembling an in-vivo function. When the cells are mammary gland epithelial cells, a hollow acinus-like structure can be formed. The minute partitioned space is particularly preferably a micro container in a cell culture container having a plurality of such micro containers on the surface.

Mammary gland epithelial cell culture

A polyamide having an equilibrium water absorption of not more than 10% is used as a main material. As a polyamide having an equilibrium water absorption of not.more than 10%, for example, a polyamide comprising a dicarboxylic acid component comprising 60-100 mol % of terephthalic acid and a diamine component comprising 60-100 mol % of 1,9-nonanediamine and/or 2-methyl-1,8-octanediamine is used. As a result, a porous membrane showing extremely small dimensional change even after a hot water treatment, and particularly useful as a medical separation membrane permitting an AC sterilization treatment and the like is obtained.

Porous membrane

A hollow fiber membrane made of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer, comprises a dense layer existing in the inner surface and a porous layer existing in the layer other than the dense layer, wherein the hollow fiber membrane has a porosity of 60 to 90%, an overall mass transfer coefficient for myoglobin in a water-based system of not less than 0.003 cm/min., and a rejection rate for albumin in a bovine blood system of not less than 97%. The EVA hollow fiber membrane is useful for hemopurification membranes such as hemodialysis membranes, hemodiafiltration membranes, hemofiltration membranes and continuous hemofiltration membranes, and a process for producing the same.

Hollow fiber membrane made of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer

There is disclosed an apparatus for the determination of a trace amount of an analyte substance or organism. A substrate solution is brought into contact with a small diameter tube which has captured, at least on its inner surface, a trace amount of an analyte substance or organism. The trace amount has the ability to change the pH of the substrate solution. A pH change following a reaction of a substrate in the substrate solution in the small diameter tube is measured;

Apparatus for the determination of a trace amount of an analyte

A method for assaying an enzyme on a targeted solid body surface, including the steps of contacting an end opening of a thin tube with a targeted solid body surface to form a space between the targeted solid body surface and inner wall surface of the thin tube, supplying a substrate solution into the space to bring the substrate solution in contact with the targeted solid body surface, and determining a pH change of the substrate solution in the space by using a pH electrode; and an apparatus therefor.

Method for assaying urease

A method for measuring trace amounts of analyte substance(s), which utilize a pH electrode is disclosed. This method is by far simpler than conventional optical detecting systems. The apparatus for practicing the method is also disclosed. By the use of pH electrode, the apparatus is compact, inexpensive and easy to operate, and hence usable in small-size and medium-size hospitals or clinical laboratories and by patient's bedside.

Method and apparatus for the measurement of analyte substances

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Hitoshi Tsuruta