Eci, Inc.

Hirata Corporation

Effector Cell Institute

Shiro Kanegasaki

Yuji Kikuchi

Kazuyuki Matsumura

Takafumi Iseri

Takuya Tamatani

Junji Matsuda

Kouichi Noguchi

Takesi Mitsunaga

Teruaki Miyamura

Hiroko Kikuchi

Shinichi Hayashi

A disk for storing liquid samples containing cells and for use in counting and observing the cells through an optical microscope includes an upper member formed of a transparent material and having a plurality of liquid inlets arranged radially and adapted to introduce the corresponding liquid samples therethrough, and a plurality of air vents paired with the corresponding liquid inlets; an intermediate member having a plurality of chambers arranged radially and adapted to store the corresponding liquid samples therein, each chamber corresponding to each pair of the liquid inlet and the air vent and communicating with the liquid inlet and with the air vent; and a lower member formed of a transparent material and backing the intermediate member. The optical microscope assumes the form of an incident-light microscope.

Disk, and counting observation apparatus for counting and observing cells through optical microscope by use of the disk

A solution temperature control device in a biological cell observing chamber () used for the detection of chemotaxis and chemotactic cell separator, comprising a first temperature controller () and a second temperature controller (). The first temperature controller () measures the temperature of a solution filled in a pair of wells and a flow passage in the chamber and controls the temperature to a specified temperature, and the second temperature controller () measures the temperature of a heating part () which heats the chamber () from the outside to indirectly heat the solution filled in the pair of wells and the flow passage and controls the temperature to a specified preheat temperature. Since the state and quantity of cells moving from one well to the other through the flow passage while holding the temperature of the solution at a specified temperature can be accurately observed and measured, accuracy for controlling the temperature of the solution can be remarkably increased.

Solution temperature control device in cell observation chamber

The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells. It aims at providing a structure for detecting chemotaxis of cells at an elevated accuracy with the use of a microquantity of cells. That is to say, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells by which cell injection and position control can be easily carried out while ensuring the prevention of unexpected migration of the cells definitely positioned in a well or the injected sample so that a stable concentration gradient due to the diffusion of the specimen can be maintained and which ensures further automated operation and controlling. Namely, an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells with a structure wherein two wells are connected to each other via a channel having resistance to the passage of cells and each well has an opening for injecting cells or a specimen, characterized by having (1) a means of transporting a liquid and a means of stopping the transportation after the injection or the aspiration discharge of the liquid and (2) a means of sealing the opening(s) in one or both of the cell-injection side and the specimen-injection side.

Apparatus for detecting cell chemotaxis

Satisfactory effects have not always been attained by immunotherapy having been tried, and reliance upon direct attack on cells by anticancer agents, radiation, etc has been inevitable. The present invention intends to provide a therapeutic method that ensures less side effects but higher efficacy than in conventional therapeutic methods through enhancing of immune strength inherently had by living organism. Thus, the present invention relates to an immunopotentiating agent comprising MIP-1&#x3b1; or its functional derivative as an active ingredient.

Immunopotentiating agent

A method of using a microsample treatment apparatus and an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells and separating chemotactic cells includes a number of wells that are connected to each other via a part having resistance to fluids. The wells are each provided with tubes for injecting/sucking a sample and, if necessary, tubes for relieving pressure changes at the injection/suction. The tubes have a space in common at the top ends thereof in which a liquid can be held.

Microsample treatment apparatus

There is provided cell observation apparatus () comprising cell observation chamber () and optical observation means (), the cell observation chamber () having, disposed thereinside, a pair of wells and a channel through which the wells communicate with each other so that cells of a cell suspension stocked in one of the pair of wells can react with a chemotaxis-factor-containing solution stocked in the other well and can move from the one well to the other well through the channel, the optical observation means () capable of optically observing the cells moving through the channel from outside of the cell observation chamber (), wherein the cell observation chamber () with its part exposed from casing () is housed in the casing () and wherein the optical observation means () is housed in the casing () so that the optical axis thereof horizontally extends allow in the cell observation chamber (). Thus, there can be obtained a cell observation apparatus that is compact, being easy in transfer and that has strikingly been improved with respect to handleability.

Cell observation apparatus

A biological cell observing chamber (), wherein an intermediate support body () forming a skeleton outer shell structural part is mounted on a bottom support body () and a cover block body () is mounted on the bottom support body () on which the intermediate support body () is mounted by using lever mechanisms () and () incorporating a cam mechanism and a clamp mechanism so that the contact faces thereof can be pressed against each other in the vertical direction. The cam mechanism comprises cam grooves () and () formed in both leg part inner surfaces of U-shaped levers () and () rotatably supported on the bottom support body () and pins () and () slidably moving in the cam grooves and built in the outer peripheral surfaces of the intermediate support body () and the cover block body () at corresponding two points. Thus, in the biological cell observing chamber used for the detection of cell chemotaxis and chemotactic cell separator, the assembly and disassembly operations for the intermediate support body forming the skeleton outer shell structural part and the cover block body can be facilitated, and the operability of the chamber can be increased.

Cell observation chamber

A microsample treatment apparatus and an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells and separating chemotactic cells includes a number of wells that are connected to each other via a part having resistance to fluids. The wells are each provided with tubes for injecting/sucking a sample and, if necessary, tubes for relieving pressure changes at the injection/suction. The tubes have a space in common at the top ends thereof in which a liquid can be held.

The present invention aims at providing a well unit to be used in fabricating an apparatus whereby movements of cells based on their own actions can be accurately and easily detected, in detecting the chemotaxis of cells due to a chemotactic factor or the inhibition of the chemotaxis of cells by an inhibitor. Accordingly, the present invention provides a well unit to be used in an apparatus for detecting chemotaxis of cells and separating cells characterized in that a plural number of wells, in which a liquid sample can be held in a resting state, are connected to each other via a channel, the channel is provided with a bank, and, in the upper part of the bank, barriers constituting one or more grooves having a width and/or a depth fit for the diameter or deformability of cells are provided or a plane is provided so as to give a gap having a depth fit for the diameter or deformability of cells between the plane and the glass substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shiro Kanegasaki