Low-Cost Carbon Dioxide Generator for Cylinder-Free Cell Culture Incubators

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Low Cost Carbon Dioxide Generator for Cylinder-Free Cell Culture Incubators The proposed technology is a lower-cost method of controlling 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. The proposal specifically addresses a lower-cost chemical method of carbon dioxide generation for use in an integrated gas control system. 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. In vivo, the local concentration of both CO2 and O2 vary depending on the organ, cell position and disease states. The role of these gas concentrations in cellular physiology can be explored and then exploited with convenient, well-controlled cell culture incubators as proposed here. 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. The 5% carbon dioxide set-point historically has arisen due to the common use of cell culture media with bicarbonate-based buffering; research on more physiologically-based carbon dioxide concentrations has been minimal to date. Giner, Inc.'s overall product goal is an auxiliary unit to commercial incubators to supply adjustable, controlled gas atmospheres (oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, humidity) using an electrochemical process to remove or add oxygen to the system and a chemical process to add carbon dioxide. The Phase I goal is to develop a low-cost method of generating carbon dioxide and to integrate a breadboard carbon dioxide generator with a cylinder-free gas control system. 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. RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH: The proposed technology is a system to control the gas atmosphere in cell culture incubators. This will enhance basic research and commercial production that involves cell culture such as cancer research, transplantation, tissue engineering, stem cells, vaccine production, antibody production and cellular assays where specialized gas atmosphere control is required.