Patent ID: 7919307

Claim:
An apparatus comprising, a) a rigid solid body; b) one or more flexible bodies connected to the rigid solid body; c) first and second check valves within or connected to the rigid solid body; d) waste and nutrient connectors; e) a cell culture area within or connected to the rigid solid body, the cell culture area having an inlet and an outlet; wherein; f) the rigid solid body, the one or more flexible bodies and the check valves define i) a first flow path between the nutrient connector and the inlet of the cell culture area and between the outlet of the cell culture area and the waste connector and ii) a second flow path between the outlet of the cell culture area and the inlet of the cell culture area, wherein the second flow path passes through the check valves and a portion of the second flow path between the check valves is deformable to reduce the interior volume of the portion of the second flow path between the two check valves, the check valves and the portion of the second flow path between them thereby adapted to act as a pump.