Multilayer Gas-Permeable Container for the Culture of Adherent and Non-Adherent Cells

This invention relates to multi-layer films, and containers formed therefrom for the in vitro culture of cells. Specifically, the invention is directed to a multilayer, flexible, gas permeable container having an inner growing surface of polystyrene, which is conducive to the culture of cells.

There are two major types of cells grown in vitro; suspension cells (anchorage-independent cells); and adherent cells (anchorage-dependent cells). Suspension or anchorage-independent cells can multiply, in vitro, without being attached to a surface. In contrast, adherent cells require attachment to a surface in order to grow in vitro. Additionally, some non-adherent cells grow best on a surface that promotes adherent cell growth.

It is known to grow adherent cells, in vitro, in polystyrene flasks. Polystyrene is the most common type of plastic used in the manufacture of rigid, gas impermeable cell culture flasks or plates. It is thought that polystyrene promotes the growth of adherent cells because of its ability to maintain electrostatic charges on its surface which attract oppositely charged proteins on the cell surfaces. However, to date, the available polystyrene culture containers have been of the rigid flask or plate type because polystyrene is known in the art as a rigid, gas-impermeable plastic.

Cells are commonly cultured in a growth medium within polystyrene or other containers placed in enclosed incubators. In addition to providing a certain degree of isolation from pathogens, the incubators maintain a constant temperature, usually 37.degree. C., and a constant gas mixture. The gas mixture must be optimized for a given cell type, and be controlled for at least two parameters: (1) partial pressure of oxygen (pO.sub.2) to serve the aerobic needs of the cells, and (2) partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO.sub.2) to maintain the pH of the growth medium. Since the known types of rigid cell culture containers are gas impermeable, their lids or caps are not sealed onto the containers. Rather, they are offset sufficiently to allow gas exchange through a gap or vent between the cap and the container. Such a container is disadvantageous for clinical uses because the vent might allow contamination of the culture or lead to accidents involving biohazardous agents.

In addition to polystyrene flasks, others have constructed flexible, breathable containers for containing adherent cells to be grown in vitro. For example, the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,151 provides a gas-permeable bag with at least one access port. This allows for a closed system (ie., one without a vent). The bag disclosed in the '151 Patent is constructed from two side walls. The first side wall is made of ethylene-vinyl acetate ("EVA") which may be positively or negatively charged. The second side wall is constructed from a gas permeable film such as ethylene-vinyl acetate or a polyolefin. The first side wall is sealed to the second side wall along their edges. While EVA can hold an electrostatic charge, the charge has the undesirable tendency to decay over time. Eventually, the decay of the charge on EVA will render the container ineffective for growing adherent cells. Rigid styrene flasks with an electrostatic charge are known, and show less of a tendency to lose charge over time.

It has been found that the cell growth rate within a sealed container may be influenced by the gas permeability characteristics of the container walls. The optimal gas requirements, however, vary by cell type and over the culture period. Thus, it is desirable to be able to adjust the gas permeability of the container. The polystyrene flask, and the flexible flask which is entirely constructed from a monofilm, do not provide for such adjustability.

The present invention provides a multi-layer, co-extruded film suitable for producing gas-permeable cell culture bags. The film has an ultra-thin first layer of polystyrene having a thickness from about 0.0001 inches to about 0.0010 inches. The film has a second layer adhered to the first layer made of a polyolefin. The polyolefin acts as a flexible substrate for the polystyrene to provide a flexible, gas permeable film. Thus, the second layer is sometimes referred to as the substrate layer.

The film may also have an adhesive tie layer interposed between the first and second layers. The film may also have one or more additional outer layers of polyolefin (such as polypropylene or polyethylene) to provide strength and scratch resistance, as well as additional tie layers interposed between these additional layers.

The film most preferably has the following physical characteristics: (1) a mechanical modulus of between about 10,000 and 30,000 psi (ASTM D 790); (2) an oxygen permeability within the range of about 9-15 Barrers; (3) a carbon dioxide permeability of 40-80 Barrers; (4) a nitrogen permeability of 10-100 Barrers, and (5) a water vapor transmission rate of not more than 20 (g mil/100 in.sup.2 /day). Optionally, the film should have an optical clarity of between about 0.1% to about 10% as measured by a Hazometer in accordance with ASTM D1003. For adherent cell culture, preferably, the growth surface should have a positive or a negative greater than 40 dynes/cm. This charge will be referred to as surface energy.

The present invention also provides a flexible, gas-permeable cell culture container constructed from the above described films, with the polystyrene layer forming the inner surface of the container.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a flexible, gas-permeable cell culture container whose gas permeability may be adjusted to best match the requirements of the cell being cultured in the container. The multi-layer structure of the present film allows one to vary the material of the second layer or substrate layer and its thickness to achieve the desired or predetermined gas permeability requirements for cell growth. Preferably, the type and thickness of the substrate layer and the thickness of the polystyrene layer will be selected to optimize cell growth.

Another aspect of the invention provides for various embodiments of culture containers some of which are advantageous for growing adherent cells, non-adherent cells, and both.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a flexible, gas permeable cell culture container having a first side that is suitable for growing adherent cells, a second side for growing non-adherent cells, and indicia on the container for indicating the first side from the second side.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a two-layer, gas-permeable, flexible film of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible, gas-permeable cell culture container of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a three-layer, gas-permeable, flexible film of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a four-layer, gas-permeable, flexible film of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a five-layer, gas-permeable, flexible film of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible, gas permeable container for the growth of non-adherent cells;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible, gas permeable container for the growth of both adherent and non-adherent cells;

FIG. 7a is a plan view of the container of FIG. 7 showing geometric indicia to distinguish the adherent side from the non-adherent side;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible, gas permeable container for the growth of non-adherent cells having a clear panel for inspection of the contents;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a flexible, gas permeable container of the present invention having access ports;

FIG. 10a is a cross-sectional view of a four layered film of the present invention having a crystalline polystyrene and a high impact polystyrene;

FIG. 10b is a cross-sectional view of a three layered film of the present invention having a skin layer;

FIG. 11a is a perspective view of a container having a skirt attaching the outer surface of one container panel to the outer surface of an opposite container panel;

FIG. 11b is a perspective view of a container formed from two opposed panels each having a polystyrene inner layer deposited on a central portion of substrate layers to leave a peripheral portion of the substrate layers uncoated with polystyrene to form a strong seam.

The present invention provides a multi-layer, gas-permeable flexible film, having a surface layer formed of polystyrene, and a cell culture container constructed therefrom, having an inner surface of polystyrene.

FIG. 1 shows a two-layer film 10, of which the first layer 12 of the film forms an inner cell growth surface when fabricated into a cell culture container 20 (FIG. 2). The film 10 has an effective thickness to allow cell culture growth. The first layer 12 is an ultra-thin layer of polystyrene, preferably having a thickness from about 0.0001 inches to about 0.0010 inches, more preferably 0.0002 inches to about 0.0006 inches, and most preferably about 0.0004 inches. The polystyrene material may be selected from, but not limited to, polystyrenes such as high impact polystyrenes ("HIPS") which are a general purpose polystyrene modified by polybutadiene rubber. Such a polystyrene is sold by Dow Chemical Company under the product designation Styron 47827, Natural. It is also possible to impact modify styrene using styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers which is known by the tradename K-Resin. Crystalline polystyrenes meeting USP Class 6 criteria may also be employed, as may multiple layers of crystalline styrene and impact modified polystyrene.

The second layer 14 is composed of a polymer material such as a polyolefin or a mixture of polymer materials. Preferably, the second layer 14 includes a polymer alloy comprising three components: styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene ("SEBS") block copolymer (40%-85% by weight), ethylene vinyl acetate (0-40% by weight), and polypropylene (10%-40% by weight) as described in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,162 which is incorporated herein by reference. Such a polymer alloy is identified by Baxter International Inc. under the product designation PL-732.RTM. and fabricated into flexible containers under the tradename Lifecell.RTM.. The present invention contemplates using a plurality of layers of the same material or different material to make up the substrate layer. It is also desirable to use, for the second layer 14, other three and four component polymer alloys such as those disclosed in co-pending, and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 08/153,823, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,843, which is incorporated herein by reference. One such group of polymer alloys consists of a first component of a polypropylene which constitutes approximately 30-60% by weight of the polymer alloy. The second component is preferably an ultra low density polyethylene or polybutene-1 which constitute approximately 25-50% by weight of the polymer alloy. The third component of the polymer alloy is preferably a dimer fatty acid polyamide (which should be interpreted to include their hydrogenated derivatives as well), which constitutes approximately 5-40% by weight of the polymer alloy. The fourth component is a compatibilizing polymer that may be selected from various block copolymers of styrene with dienes or alpha olefins; the compatibilizing polymers may be modified with minor amounts of chemically active functionalities such as maleic anhydride. For example, the compatibilizing polymer may be an SEBS block copolymer. The fourth component should constitute between 5-40% by weight of the polymer alloy.

Preferably, the second layer 14, (which may sometimes be referred to as the substrate layer 14) has a thickness within a range of about 0.004 inches to about 0.025 inches, more preferably 0.005 inches to about 0.012 inches, and most preferably 0.006 inches to about 0.008 inches. It is also possible to use multiple layers of the same substrate material, such as PL-732.RTM., to compose the substrate layer 14. Even if multiple layers are used in the second layer 14, the combined thicknesses of the substrate layer components should still fall within the above-specified thickness ranges.

In another embodiment of the invention (FIG. 3), the film may include a first tie layer 16 interposed between the first and second layers 12 and 14. Preferably the first tie layer is a gas permeable olefin and more preferably an ethylene polymer containing vinyl acetate within the range of 16%-30% by weight and most preferably ethylene vinyl acetate with 28% vinyl acetate. Other examples of these polymers include those sold by Quantum Chemicals under the tradename Bynel. It is also possible to use SEBS block copolymers as the first tie layer 16 such as those sold by Shell Chemical Company under the tradename Kraton.

The first tie layer 16 adheres the first layer 12 to the second layer 14. The first tie layer 16 has a thickness preferably within a range from about 0.0002 inches to about 0.0012 inches, more preferably from about 0.0004 inches to about 0.0010 inches, and most preferably about 0.0005 inches.

In yet another embodiment of the invention (FIG. 4), the film shown in FIG. 3 may also have a skin layer 18 adhered to the second layer 14 opposite the first layer 12, to form an outer skin which adds strength and scratch resistance to the film 10. The skin layer 18 is preferably formed from homo and copolymers of polypropylene, more preferably polypropylene polymers codified by rubber. Such polymers would include those sold by Mitsui under the trade name Admer.TM.. The skin layer 18 preferably has a thickness within a range of from about 0.0001 inches to about 0.0020 inches, and more preferably 0.0005 inches. The skin layer could also be composed of a polyethylene.

FIG. 5 shows the film of FIG. 4 except with a second tie layer 19 interposed between the skin layer 18 and the substrate layer 14 to adhere the skin layer 18 to the substrate layer 14. The second tie layer 19 may be composed of similar components as identified for the first tie layer 16 such as modified polyethylenes.

FIG. 10a shows yet another film embodiment having four layers. The layers include a layer of crystalline polystyrene 12a, a layer of HIPS 12b, an ethylene vinyl acetate (having a vinyl acetate content between 16%-30%) substrate layer 14, and a polyethylene skin layer 18. The crystalline polystyrene 12a readily accepts and holds a surface energy. The thicknesses of each of the four layers should be consistent with that set forth above with the exception that the combined thickness of the crystalline polystyrene and HIPS should be within the range of thicknesses set forth for the first layer 12. The layers 12a and 12b may be of the same or different thicknesses to form respectively symmetrical or asymmetrical stacks.

FIG. 10b shows the film of FIG. 10a but without the crystalline polystyrene layer. Thus, the film of FIG. 10b has a first layer 12 of HIPS, a substrate layer 14 of EVA and a skin layer 18 of polyethylene. A two layered film such as the one shown in FIG. 1 is also contemplated by the present invention having a substrate layer 14 of EVA and a first layer 12 of HIPS.

In forming the film 10 of FIG. 1, the ultra-thin layer of polystyrene 12 is co-extruded on the substrate layer 14 using a typical feedblock co-extrusion method.

The resultant film 10 should have a flexural modulus preferably within the range of 5,000-300,000 psi, more preferably within the range of 10,000-200,000 psi, and most preferably 10,000-30,000 psi as measured in accordance with ASTM D 790. The film should have an oxygen permeability within the range of 7-30 Barrers, more preferably 8-20 Barrers, and most preferably 9-15 Barrers. A Barrer has units of (volume of gas in cm.sup.3) (film thickness in cm)(1.times.10.sup.-10)/(time in seconds) (surface area of film in cm.sup.2) (partial pressure of gas in cm of Hg). The film should have a carbon dioxide permeability within the range of 40-80 Barrers. The film should have a nitrogen permeability of 10-100 Barrers. The film 10 should have a water vapor transmission rate of not more than 20 (g mil/100 in.sup.2 /day). Preferably the film should have an optical clarity within the range of about 0.1%-10% as measured by a Hazometer in accordance with ASTM D1003. For adherent cell culture, preferably, the growth surface should have a surface energy of greater than 40 dynes/cm. Most adherent cells require a negatively charged surface; however, some adherent cells require a positively charged surface. The containers must also be capable of withstanding radiation sterilization at radiation levels commonly used in the industry for sterilization.

We turn now to the gas-permeable, flexible cell culture container (20, FIG. 2) formed from the multilayer films described above. The cell culture container 20 includes a body 21 that is constructed from a first side wall 22 and a second side wall 24. The side walls 22 and 24 are sealed along their edges to define a containment area 26 for containing the cell culture media and cells. The side walls 22 and 24 may be sealed by any conventional means such as using heated die and platen which may be followed by a chill die and platen as is well known in the industry. Also, the side walls 22 and 24 may be sealed using inductive welding which also is known in the industry. For containers constructed from films having as the substrate layer 14 the polymer alloy including the dimer fatty acid polyamide, radio frequency techniques may be used. However, the present invention should not be construed to be limited to using any one of these fabrication techniques unless otherwise specified in the claims.

It is possible to construct various flexible, gas permeable containers from the above film in conjunction with other materials.

It has been found that particularly strong seals may be achieved by using the sealing methods disclosed in the co-pending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 08/330,717, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 11a and 11b,substrate layers of two films are attached to one another without attaching the polystyrene layers 12 to one another. As is shown in FIG. 11a, a skirt 50, composed of the same material as the substrate layer 14, attaches the respective outer surfaces of each of the layers 14 to one another. FIG. 11b shows a container constructed from a film having components as described above except the polystyrene layer 12 is deposited on a central portion of the substrate layer 14 leaving a marginal portion of the substrate layer 14 uncoated by the polystyrene. The container is formed by attaching the marginal edges together to form a seam of substrate material bonded to substrate material.

Cell culture containers 20 fabricated using these preferred methods have been found to be sufficiently strong to withstand centrifuging even over an extended period of time at high gravitational forces.

FIG. 6 shows a flexible, gas permeable cell culture container 10 especially useful for the growth of non-adherent cells. The container 10 is constructed from folding and sealing the substrate layers 14 of the film shown in FIG. 1 to define a containment area 30. The first layer of polystyrene 12 faces the containment area 26.

FIG. 7 shows a flexible, gas permeable cell culture container 10 which is suitable for the growth of both adherent and non-adherent cell types. This container is essentially the same as the container set forth in FIG. 6 except the first side wall 22 inner surface 28 is charged with a surface energy of greater than 40 dynes/cm and preferably about 60 dynes/cm. The charge shown is negative; however, it could have a positive charge depending upon the type of cell to be cultured. The first side wall 22 with the charge is suitable for growing adherent cells and the second side wall 24 is suitable for growing non-adherent cells. It is desirable to use some indicia 31 to indicate the charged side from the uncharged side such as the perimeter geometry of the cell culture container (See FIG. 7a). This would include such structural features as a rounding of corners or notching of any portion of the container, or in any way varying the shape or structural features of the container to indicate the charged side from the uncharged side. It is also possible to have a raised or embossed area on one side of the container. It is also possible to use color coding or other printed indicia for distinguishing the charged and uncharged sides 22 and 24.

FIG. 8 shows a flexible, gas permeable cell culture container having a first side wall 22 constructed from the film shown in FIG. 1. The second side wall 24' is constructed from a film having a substrate 30 of ethylene vinyl acetate having a vinyl acetate content of 18%.+-.2% and an inner layer 28' of HIPS. The first and second side walls 22 and 24' are bonded along their edges as set forth above or by any suitable method. The second side wall 24' has an optical clarity as measured by a Hazometer in accordance with ASTM D1003 within the range of 0.1%-10% which provides for ease of viewing the cells using a microscope or with the naked eye. The first side wall 22 would serve as the cell growth surface for non-adherent cells. It is also possible to apply a surface energy to the inner surface 28 of the side wall 22 to provide for a growing surface for adherent cells.

Preferably each of the containers 20, shown in FIGS. 6-8, will include access ports 40 as shown in FIG. 9. The access ports 40 facilitate filling and emptying of the container 20 of cells or cell culture media without interrupting the closed system. Of course, any number of access ports can be provided as well as a tube set assembly, or the like.

It is also desirable to construct containers using the films shown in FIGS. 3-5 and 10a-10b.

It is desirable to construct a flexible cell culture container 10 having a predetermined gas permeability. The predetermined gas permeability selected promotes cell growth within the container 10. Preferably, the selected permeability optimizes cell growth.

The gas permeability depends upon the types of polymers substrate layer, the thickness of the individual layers, and the overall thickness of the film.

Thus, the method of constructing or fabricating a gas permeable, cell growth container having a predetermined gas permeability comprises the following steps: providing a polystyrene, providing an appropriate polymer substrate layer, and coextruding the polystyrene and the polymer producing a layered film having a gas permeability to effect cell growth. Preferably, the cell growth will be optimal.

Films in accordance with the present invention were coextruded from a 0.0003 inch thick layer of polystyrene (K-Resin or HIPS) on a 0.0075 inch thick layer of polyolefin alloy (PL-732.RTM. or PL-269.RTM.). A portion of the 732.RTM./HIPS film was corona discharge treated (good results have also been achieved without corona discharge as shown in Table 1 below). The film was formed into a flexible container or bag using a heat seal process. A length of film was cut from a roll of coextruded film. Port fitments, described in the commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,726, which is incorporated herein by reference, were heat sealed to the film near the midpoint of the length. The film was folded across the width of the sheet, near the sealed port fitments. The folded sheet with port fitments was placed on a heated brass platen and heat sealed using a heated brass die. The die and platen were operated at a constant temperature, the die at 280.degree. F., and the platen at 370.degree. F. No chilling dies or devices were employed. After sealing the container, the container was removed from the platen and allowed to air cool. Port closures were solvent bonded to the port fitments as is known in the art.

The bags were radiation sterilized and employed in cell culture studies of human progenitor cells. The bags were used to culture progenitor cells in a 10-12 day period in vitro culture. Progenitor cells were derived from purified CD34+ cells (stem cells) collected from peripheral blood as mobilized stem cells during a leukopheresis procedure. The cells were cultured via a process described in co-pending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 07/855,295, now abandoned, which is incorporated herein by reference. Coextruded cell culture bags were seeded at a cell density of 0.1-1.times.10.sup.5 (cells/ml). Coextruded culture bags were able to support an increase in the total number of viable cells during the 10-12 day culture period. Typical increases of 40-70 fold were observed. Cell proliferation in excess of 100 fold has been obtained in the culture bags using recombinant growth factors known to support progenitor cell growth in vitro. In addition to the increase in cell number, the culture bags were able to support an increase in Colony Forming Cells ("CFC") and early granulocytes as determined by flow cytometry and cytological staining. Early granulocytes are considered nonadherent cells that grow well in an adherent cell environment.

A film in accordance with the present invention was coextruded with a 0.0003-0.0005 inch thick layer of high impact modified polystyrene on a 0.0075-0.0080 inch thick layer of polyolefin alloy (PL-732.RTM.). The film was formed into a flexible container or bag using a heat seal process. The flexible container was inserted into an envelope composed of PL-732.RTM. of between 0.010-0.011 inches thick, and the envelope was heat sealed to the container around the periphery.

The composite container was used to culture progenitor cells over a three day period in vitro culture. Progenitor cells were derived from purified CD34+ cells (stem cells) collected from peripheral blood as mobilized stem cells during a leukopheresis procedure. The cells were cultured via a process described in co-pending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 07/855,295, now abandoned, which is incorporated herein by reference. Coextruded composite containers were seeded at a cell density of 1.times.10.sup.5 (cells/ml). After three days, the culture density was 19.5.times.10.sup.5 (cell/ml) with 82% of the CD 34+ cells viable.

These growth data compare favorably to a container made in accordance with Example 1 which, in the same experiment, had a culture density of 17.8.times.10.sup.5 (cell/ml) at the end of the three day culture period.

Films made in accordance with the present invention were coextruded and were used to culture progenitor cells over a ten day period in vitro culture (X-Vivo 10+10 mg/ml HSA with IL3, G-CSF, GM-CSF at 1000 U/ml each and SCF at 20 ng/ml). Progenitor cells were derived from purified CD34+ cells (stem cells) collected from peripheral blood as mobilized stem cells during a leukopheresis procedure. The cell proliferation data for various containers are set forth in the Tables 1 and 2 for two separate experiments.

Containers were coextruded from PL-732.RTM. and HIPS as set forth in Example 1. PL-732.RTM. containers and Teflon.RTM. containers are commercially available. These containers were used to culture lymphokine activated killer cells over a seven day period in AIM-V (serum free culture media) with IL-2 1000 U/ml growth factor. The results of this experiment are set forth in Table 3 wherein P.I..+-.S.D. stands for proliferation index plus or minus an indicated standard deviation.

Containers were coextruded from PL-732.RTM. and HIPS as set forth in Example 1. PL-732.RTM. containers and Teflon.RTM. containers are commercially available. These containers were used to culture tumor infiltrating lymphocytes over a seven day period in AIM-V (serum free culture media) with IL-2 1000 U/ml growth factor. The results of this experiment are set forth in Table 4 wherein P.I..+-.S.D. stands for proliferation index plus or minus an indicated standard deviation.

It is understood that, given the above description of the embodiments of the invention, various modifications may be made by one skilled in the art. Such modifications are intended to be encompassed by the claims below.