Roller bottle for trans-membrane co-culture of cells and method for its

Abstract

A roller bottle for trans-membrane co-culture of cells includes an exterior receptacle with a longitudinal axis having a first chamber surrounded by a sidewall. The exterior receptacle has a first neck at one end having an opening therethrough providing fluid access to said first chamber. The roller bottle further includes an interior container with a longitudinal axis and a second chamber, the interior container being located coaxially within the exterior receptacle. The interior container has a second neck at one end providing fluid access to the second chamber. The exterior receptacle is formed from a material that is substantially impermeable to gas and liquid and is sealed in a substantially fluid tight fashion forming the first chamber that has fluid access by the first neck. At least a portion of the interior container is formed from a microporous material. The roller bottle of the invention enables culturing one cell type in the presence of another cell type for the study of interactions between the cells while maintaining a physical separation between the cell types providing a scale up in cell population size from well type inserts. The microporous membrane allows free interchange of media soluble cellular products between the cell types, but maintains physical separation.