Systems for cell control

Inventors

Wang, Stan • Aivio, Suvi • Wagner, Matthias • PILSMAKER, Catherine • Madrid, Marinna

Assignees

Cellino Biotech Inc

Abstract

The disclosure relates to growing cells, directing cells to grow into specified cell types, genetically and physically manipulating cells, and addressing one or more individual cells within a mixed cell population. Aspects of the disclosure relate to vectors useful to induce developmental changes in cells, in which those vectors have a temporal component. Vectors of the disclosure encode a controllable, temporal series of events. Once the vectors are delivered into target cells, a series of discrete and different genetic events may be induced. The disclosed methods generally provide for the temporal encoding of multiplex genetic effectors in vector format for cell state transitions.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a system having a surface having cells cultured on the surface, a laser scanning subsystem positioned to emit coherent light towards the surface, and an imaging subsystem positioned to receive light from the surface. A computer processor receives an image of cells from the imaging subsystem and operates the laser scanning subsystem using coherent light to selectively remove one or more cells from the surface.

The selective removal is used to manage cells cultured on the surface by operating on individual cells based on information obtained from imaging. The managing of the cells includes controlling local cell density, removing cells that are not properly differentiating, removing cells based at least in part on predicted functional characteristics, and removing cells based at least in part on a ratio of cell types of the cells cultured on the surface.

The invention further extends the same core concept to a method including culturing cells on a surface, emitting coherent light using a laser scanning subsystem towards the surface, receiving light using an imaging subsystem, receiving an image of the cells using a computer processor, and controlling the laser scanning subsystem to use the coherent light to selectively remove one or more cells from the surface to manage the cells cultured on the surface.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims are clm-00001 (system) and clm-00018 (method). Across the independent claims, there are four main inventive elements: a surface with cells, coherent light emitted by a laser scanning subsystem, imaging of the cells and receipt of an image by a computer processor, and processor-controlled selective removal of one or more cells to manage the cultured cell population.

The independent claims define a closed loop of imaging and laser scanning in which a computer processor uses an image to control coherent-light-driven selective removal of cells on a cultured surface, with the population management criterion selected from controlling local density, removing improperly differentiating cells, removing based on predicted functional characteristics, and/or removing based on a ratio of cell types.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications

No documented applications found