Patent ID: 11905504
Assignee: GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
Field: Biotechnology (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C | IPC C

Claim 13:
14. A body cube for culturing tissue, the body cube comprising:
an organ chip holder comprising:
an organ chip receiver bounded by a receiver wall and that:
receives a plurality of body chips and a cell culture medium; and
communicates to the body chips a volume of the cell culture medium that is limited to a near-physiological amount of the cell culture medium for growing tissue;

a first cell culture medium reservoir bounded by a first reservoir wall and in fluid communication with the body chips and that receives the cell culture medium and communicates the cell culture medium to the body chips; and
a second cell culture medium reservoir bounded by a second reservoir wall and in fluid communication with the body chips and that receives the cell culture medium from the body chips in response to rotation of the organ chip holder; and

the body organ chips disposed in the organ chip receiver, such that body organ chips are mechanically engaged by the receiver wall so that body chips rotate with the organ chip holder when the organ chip holder is subjected to rotation, and the body chips comprise:
a first body organ chip comprising:
a first body chip frame;
a first fluid medium communication channel disposed in the first body chip frame and in fluid communication with the first cell culture medium reservoir, such that the first fluid medium communication channel receives the cell culture medium from the first cell culture medium reservoir and communicates the cell culture medium to a first cell culture chamber;
the first cell culture chamber disposed in the first body chip frame and in fluid communication with the first fluid medium communication channel, such that the first cell culture chamber:
receives the cell culture medium from the first fluid medium communication channel in response to rotation of the organ chip holder, such that a volume of the cell culture medium accommodated by the first cell culture chamber is limited to a near-physiological amount of the cell culture medium;
produces a first tissue disposed in the first cell culture chamber; and
provides contact between the first tissue and the cell culture medium; and
communicates the cell culture medium to a second fluid medium communication channel; and

a second fluid medium communication channel disposed in the first body chip frame and in fluid communication with the first cell culture chamber and that receives the cell culture medium from the first cell culture chamber in response to rotation of the organ chip holder; and

a body barrier chip in mechanical engagement with the receiver wall and the first body organ chip by an alignment member, the body barrier chip comprising:
a body chip frame;
an alignment member disposed in the body chip frame to mechanically engage the first body organ chip; and
a cell culture chamber bounded by the body chip frame and opposing the first cell culture chamber of the first body organ chip, wherein the first tissue grows between the cell culture chamber of the body barrier chip and the first cell culture chamber of the first body organ chip,

wherein the first cell culture chamber comprises:
a chamber wall that contracts the cell culture medium;
a chamber protrusion disposed on the chamber wall and that protrudes from the chamber wall; and
a chamber flow channel bounded by the chamber wall and the chamber protrusion and that receives the cell culture medium from the first fluid medium communication channel and communicates the cell culture medium through cell culture chamber in which tissue grows to the second fluid medium communication channel.