Cell Culture Pump with Gas Control
Keep the pH and oxygen of your media constant outside the incubator
Gas control for incubator-free setup
Control the media gas mix for dynamic cell cultures outside the incubator
Stable long-term flow
Stable flow in the physiological profiles of your choice
Versatile
Hook your pre-mixed gas bottle or standard compressed air
Need a microfluidic SME partner for your Horizon Europe project?
Perfusion outside the CO2 incubator
Keep the gas concentration of your media constant (5% CO2, for example) in your perfusion experiments by pressurizing the media reservoir with the correct gas mix. The cell culture pump does not exchange gas with the atmosphere as most pressure-driven controllers do during regulation.
Therefore, the intended gas mix arrives at the reservoir without alteration and prevents the gas in the media from diffusing out of the liquid into the atmospheric air, changing its concentration. The constant flow of media ensures that the correct composition always reaches the cells.
The flow sensor maintains the correct flow rate throughout the perfusion in a feedback loop with the cell culture pump. The stage-top incubator keeps the temperature stable for long periods, allowing for high-quality live cell imaging experiments or more portable and convenient bench-top handling.
This pack contains:
Flow sensor (Galileo, MIC)
Software (Galileo user interface)
Stage top incubator
Cell culture pump
Fittings, tubings, luers
Reservoirs
Microfluidic chip (application-dependent; suggestion Microfluidic chipshop fluidic 480)
User guides for instruments
This instrument can also be adapted to our automated cell culture platform.
For applications requiring fluid injection to test the effects of drugs, for example, a rotary valve or a check valve recirculation bridge can be added to the setup. Check out our automated recirculation system and this application note that explains how to assemble the recirculation bridge.
Cell culture pump technical specifications
The cell culture pump can come with 1 to 4 channels. Each channel connects to a flow sensor with a feedback-loop between pressure and flow rate. Each channel has the following specifications (tested with a set pressure value of 2 bar):
| Characteristics | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | +/- 2.5 mbar |
| Air consumption | few ml/min |
| Response time | 140 ms |
| Settling time | 2750 ms |
| Overshoot | 0.12 mbar |
If you want to know more, do not hesitate to contact our experts!
What comes inside the box?
When you order the pack, you can expect to receive the pressure regulator with the desired number of channels, the reservoirs, the software and the cable to connect to the computer and to the power supply, as seen below (the laptop is only illustrative).
Flow sensors are bought separately.
Why switch to pressure-driven flow control?
Pressure-driven flow control, such as the cell culture pump, provides better long-term stability than other types of flow generators. It also gives the possibility of choosing the best flow profile for your application: you can decide to have a pulsatile flow, stop-go, intermittent, stable, and continuous to more accurately replicate the ideal conditions of your experiment while peristaltic and syringe pumps are limited to pulsatile flows which are inherent to their mechanical nature.
Customize your pack
Our instruments can be added to different setups depending on your specific needs. In this light, our microfluidic specialists will advise you on the best instruments and accessories depending on your needs and will accompany you during the system’s setup.
Frequently asked questions
Which gases can the cell culture pump use?
The cell culture pump can use any non-corrosive gas mixture.
Can the cell culture pump be placed inside the CO2 incubator?
It was designed to be kept outside the CO2 incubator.
Does the cell culture pump keep the gas sterile?
To guarantee the sterility of the used gases, we advise adding a small disposable filter at the gas inlet of the reservoir.
Funding and Support
The Tumor-LN-oC project helped develop this instrument. This project is funded by the European Union’s H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2020 grant agreements—no. 953234 (Tumor-LN-oC).
Products & Associated Accessories
FAQ - Cell Culture Pump with Gas Control
What is Cell Culture Pump with Gas Control and what problem does it solve?
The Cell Culture Pump with gas control is a pressure-driven flow instrument designed for perfusion experiments that need to be carried out outside a CO2 incubator. The problem it solves is that in most pressure-driven flow systems, the process of pressurization requires that gases be exchanged with ambient atmosphere, which in turn leads to a change in the composition of dissolved gases in media. However, this pump solves this problem by simply pressurizing the media in a container with a desired mix of gases without any exchange with ambient atmosphere.
Why would a researcher need to conduct perfusion experiments outside a CO2 incubator?
Some experiments cannot be done within a CO2 incubator, such as live cell imaging under a microscope. In this case, it is important to have a microscope and a stage-top incubator included in the pack that allows a researcher to conduct high-quality experiments under a microscope by having direct access to the sample under study. In general, experiments conducted on a bench-top are easier to conduct and monitor compared to the one conducted within a incubator.
What kind of gases can be used with this pump?
The gases that can be used with the pump are any non-corrosive gas mixture. This is a great advantage of the product, as it can be used with a wide variety of gases. The most common use of the pump is with a mixture of carbon dioxide and air, which is needed for a physiological pH level. However, it can also be used with other gases, such as nitrogen, or any other pre-mixed gas available in a standard gas bottle. It can also be used with compressed air, which is available in a standard bottle, as mentioned in the product description. This is a great advantage, as there is no need for a special gas supply, especially if the experiment is not of a special kind that requires a special gas mixture.
How does the pump ensure the sterility of the gas?
The pump cannot, by itself, ensure the sterility of the gas. This is mentioned in the description of the product. What is recommended is that a small filter is placed at the gas inlet of the reservoir. This is a simple, inexpensive solution that can prevent any contamination from getting into the media through the pressurizing path. This is a factor that must be taken into account from the beginning, as any contamination of the gas can affect the results of the entire experiment.
Where is the pump physically placed – can the pump be placed inside the incubator?
No, the Cell Culture Pump with gas control is specifically designed to be used outside the CO2 Incubator. This is part of the basic design rationale behind the pump, as it allows for the use of perfusion systems outside the incubator, with the gas control function moved from inside the crowded space of the incubator to the bench top itself. The cell temperature is controlled separately using the stage top incubator, which maintains the microfluidic chip, as well as the cell environment, at the correct temperature during bench top/microscopy experiments.
How does the feedback loop between the pump and the flow sensor function?
Each pump channel comes with a flow sensor, which continuously monitors the actual flow rate in the system. If the actual flow rate changes from the set point, for example, because of changes in the resistance of the tubing, the level in the reservoir, etc., the pump compensates for the changes in the actual flow rate by adjusting the pressure output. The correction occurs in a closed-loop manner with a response time of 140 ms, a settling time of approximately 2,750 ms, and an overshoot of just 0.12 mbar, as well as an accuracy of ±2.5 mbar. This means that the actual flow rate experienced by your cells remains stable, even after hours and days, which is obviously important for reproducible experiments.
How many channels does the pump support, and what does this mean for experimental design?
The cell culture pump can be used with one, two, three, or four channels, with separate pressure regulation and feedback on flow for each channel. The number of channels allows you to perfuse multiple chips simultaneously from the same pump, which is important in comparative studies, drug studies, or simply running multiple biological replicates in parallel.
What sort of flow profiles can the pump deliver, and why is this important compared with syringe or peristaltic pumps?
A significant difference between the cell culture pump and peristaltic or syringe pumps is the sort of flow profiles they can deliver. While peristaltic and syringe pumps are limited to pulsatile flow, the cell culture pump can deliver a range of profiles, including stable continuous, pulsatile, stop-go, and intermittent flows. The reason this is important is that different cell types respond in different ways to pulsatile versus smooth flow, so the ability to program the pump with the sort of profile you need, as opposed to the profile that the pump mechanism allows, gives the researcher much more flexibility in terms of the sort of microenvironment they are seeking to mimic.
What software is used to control the pump, and does it require a computer?
The pump is controlled using the Beetle Software, which is downloadable from the webpage, free of charge, in the current version, i.e., 3.0.2, along with a user guide available as a downloadable PDF file. Unlike the Mini Pump, this pump does require a computer, as the feedback-loop monitoring needs to be done using the software interface, as does the programming of the flow profiles. The cable required for the connection to the computer as well as the power supply is included.
