Cylinder-Free Atmosphere Control for Incubators

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed technology is a convenient and flexible system to control the gas atmosphere in cell culture incubators without the use of pressurized gas cylinders. The product would be an auxiliary unit/accessory to a cell culture incubator for laboratories that want the convenience and safety of no gas cylinder operation and the flexibility of dial-in oxygen and carbon dioxide set points over a wide range. Mammalian cell culture plays an important role in basic medical research, transplantation, tissue engineering, stem cell production, vaccine production, antibody production and cellular assays. Standard incubators for mammalian cell culture are typically operated at 142 mm Hg (18.6%) oxygen and 38 mm Hg (5%) carbon dioxide using pressured gas mixes. As the role of oxygen concentration in cellular physiology becomes more well understood, the need for adjustable oxygen incubators (1%-60%) for both research and production is becoming apparent. Lower concentrations of oxygen are required for research on stem cells, embryonic cells and tumor cells; higher concentrations may be advantageous for the culture of multilayer tissue such as skin, pancreatic islets and tissue engineering products. Giner, Inc.'s overall product goal is an auxiliary unit to commercial incubators to supply controlled gas atmospheres (oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, humidity) using electrochemical processes to generate all the gases required. In Phase I, feasibility was successfully demonstrated by providing gas generation and control to a small incubator with a prototype system. In Phase II, the technology will be sized for a range of commercial incubators, be packaged with an integrated electronic display and terminal and be more full- featured in preparation for commercialization. The Phase II prototype will be evaluated and utilized in a biomedical research laboratory at a medical school. Commercial Potential: The cell culture incubator market is substantial and growing with over 16,000 carbon dioxide incubators sold in 2005 with $112 million in sales worldwide. The proposed technology would be a premium auxiliary/accessory unit for laboratories that want the convenience and safety of no gas cylinder operation and the flexibility of dial-in oxygen and carbon dioxide set points over a wide range. Giner will be partnering with a manufacturer and a distributor to commercialize the technology.