This invention relates to a system for handling rotary cylinder type cell culturing containers (hereinafter called "roller bottles") particularly for animal cell culture, in which a series of processes such as filling of culture medium into the roller bottles, cell inoculation, and rinsing of the roller bottles are automatically performed.
Conventionally, in general, a hollow fiber, a microcarrier suspension culturing container, or the like is used as a culturing system for adhesive animal cells. However, there are some kinds of cells which can be cultured only in a roller bottle or small volume, and in the cultivation of the cells by using the roller bottle of this character, generally having an inner volume of about 500-1,000 ml, the culture medium filling process, the cell inoculation process, and the like process are manually performed.
Accordingly, when much volume of cells is to be cultured by using the roller bottles, much manual work or labour is required, which results in increasing in the contamination degree to the cells, and moreover, in the case where a DNA recombinant cell is processed, there is a fear of harming the body of the operator.
In order to eliminate the disadvantages or drawbacks described above, the full automated cultivating process under the aseptic condition with no operator, using a playback type robot, has been considered. With this operation, however, substantially the same numbers of robots as those of operators are required, and thus the whole system or equipment is enlarged and sophisticated. In addition, the control or handling of the robots is considerably troublesome.