Patent ID: 8865427

Claim:
A method for performing perifusion, comprising the steps of: providing a perifusion device, said perifusion device comprising a plurality of sample containers having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, the containers receiving liquid through the inlet and discharging through the outlet; a receptacle housing having a plurality of receptacles for receiving liquid from the outlet of the sample container, said plurality of receptacles being positioned in said receptacle housing such that different receptacles receive samples from different liquid outlets of said sample containers; a drive connected to the receptacle housing for moving said receptacle housing such that samples from the liquid outlets of said sample containers are successively collected in different ones of said plurality of receptacles; a valve manifold having a plurality of manifold liquid inlets and a plurality of manifold liquid outlets, and a plurality of flow junctions connecting said manifold liquid inlets to said manifold liquid outlets, and at least one valve disposed between each manifold liquid inlet and each flow junction, wherein each of said liquid inlets is connected to a liquid inlet conduit of said manifold, said liquid inlet conduit having a plurality of branch lines, each branch line being connected to at least one of said flow junctions and having at least one valve associated with said branch line to control liquid flow through said branch line and to said flow junction; a plurality of liquid sources for supplying liquid to said containers, each liquid source being connected to one of said manifold liquid inlets of said valve manifold; said manifold liquid outlets of said valve manifold being connected to said liquid inlets of said sample containers; and, a programmable controller for controlling the operation of said valves and the flow of liquid from said liquid sources to the flow junctions, and thereby to the sample containers; placing sample cells into said containers; providing in at least one of said liquid sources at least one stimulus for said cells; causing said liquid containing said stimulus to flow through said valve manifold; operating said programmable controller to cause said valves to control the flow of liquids from said liquid sources to said flow junctions, said liquids being mixed in said flow junctions and exiting through said manifold liquid outlets to said inlets of said sample containers; collecting said liquid from said liquid outlets of said sample containers in said receptacles; causing said drive to move said receptacle housing; collecting at least one additional sample in at least one additional receptacle; and, detecting the response of the cells to the stimulus in said collected samples.