Bioreactor for growing biological materials supported on a liquid surface

Abstract

A bioreactor assembly of the present invention for holding a media and supporting growth of a plurality of plants. The assembly includes a light source and a container having a light transmissive wall structure and defining a reservoir. A major axis of the reservoir is substantially horizontal allowing the reservoir to be filled with media to a partial level and to define a relatively large surface area for support of the plants. The assembly may also include clamps to secure and seal separate wall structure portions of the container together, and end caps to the wall portions, to define an aseptic environment. As another option, the clamps may define openings therethrough that allow passage of various devices for measuring and controlling bioreactor function such as a gas supply nozzle, a gas exit nozzle, an air temperature probe, a pH probe, a sampling drain, a gas composition probe and a media temperature probe.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 845,914, filed on May 14, 2004, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention is related to the use of bioreactors for holding media and promoting the growth of biological materials, and in particular transparent bioreactors for growing biological materials requiring a light source, such as aquatic plants. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Photo-bioreactors are devices that allow photosynthetic microorganisms to grow in a controlled manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,816 to Forth (“Forth”) discloses a biomass production apparatus including a transparent chamber 10 which has an inverted, triangular cross-section, as is shown in FIG. 1 of Forth. Extending through the chamber is a first conduit 22 which has a plurality of perforations along its le...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a bioreactor assembly that allows for the growth of multiple plants in a controlled, sterile, and clean environment. The assembly includes a light source and a container with a light-transmissive wall structure that defines a reservoir for holding media and supporting plant growth. The container has clamps to secure the various portions of the wall structure together and maintain an aseptic environment. The assembly also includes one or more openings for the insertion of various sampling and control devices. The clamping system allows for easy assembly and disassembly of the containers for maintenance and modification. The measurement and supply devices ensure that the environment within the reservoir is tightly controlled to maximize plant growth and expression of biological materials. Overall, the bioreactor assembly provides a clinical and commercial scale production of biopharmaceuticals from genetically modified plants."

Problems solved by technology

Although the bioreactor disclosed by Forth promotes the growth of biological matter, it is generally not useful for applications requiring a sterile growth environment.

Such contaminants are especially troublesome for pharmacological applications wherein strict Food and Drug Administration guidelines for avoiding contamination must be met.

In addition, the constant circulation of the liquid required by Forth interferes with the growth of some types of biological matter.

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