Patent ID: 7144727

Claim:
A culture system comprising: (a) a fluid inlet; (b) a first culture compartment having a tubular housing; (c) a first end piece attached to the fluid inlet on one side and to a first end of the tubular housing on a second side, (d) a second culture compartment coaxial with the first culture compartment, the second culture compartment having a proximal end and a distal end; (e) a fluid connector having a first side mounted on a second end of the tubular housing and a second side mounted on the proximal end of the second culture compartment, the fluid connector having a through bore passing from the first side to the second side of the fluid connector, wherein the through bore directs a fluid stream from the first culture compartment into the second culture compartment; (f) a connector filter positioned on the first side of the fluid connector to filter a fluid stream passing out of the first culture compartment and into the through bore of the fluid connector; (g) a fluid outlet; (h) a distal end piece mounted on the distal end of the second culture compartment and connected to the fluid outlet; and (i) an outlet filter transversing the second culture compartment including: a support cylinder having a first end supported by the fluid connector and a second end supported by the distal end piece, a molecular weight cut-off membrane secured to an exterior surface of the support cylinder, and a chamber between the exterior surface of the cylinder and an interior surface of the membrane, the chamber in fluid communication with the through bore of the fluid connector and the fluid outlet.