초록 ▼

Disclosed is a deposition apparatus (100) which is designed to deposit frozen biological material (1) in a target substrate (2) and includes a charging device (10) and a driving device (20). The charging device (10) is designed to supply the biological material (1) to the driving device (20) while t

Disclosed is a deposition apparatus (100) which is designed to deposit frozen biological material (1) in a target substrate (2) and includes a charging device (10) and a driving device (20). The charging device (10) is designed to supply the biological material (1) to the driving device (20) while the driving device (20) is designed to apply a driving force to the biological material (1). In order to apply the driving force, the driving device (20) is formed such that the biological material (1) can penetrate into the target substrate (2) under the effect of the driving force. Also disclosed are an injector cartridge which is designed to provide frozen biological material in a deposition apparatus as well as a method for depositing biological material (1) in a target substrate (2).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A deposition apparatus which is adapted for depositing biological material in a frozen state in a target substrate, comprising a charging device, a cooling device and a driving device, wherein: (a) the charging device is adapted for providing at least one particle of the biological material at th

1. A deposition apparatus which is adapted for depositing biological material in a frozen state in a target substrate, comprising a charging device, a cooling device and a driving device, wherein: (a) the charging device is adapted for providing at least one particle of the biological material at the driving device;(b) the cooling device is adapted for cooling the biological material, at least a part of the charging device and at least a part of the driving device to a temperature below −130° C;(c) the driving device is a fluid drive adapted for applying a driving force to the at least one particle of the biological material by way of a cooling gas adapted to freeze the biological material;(d) the biological material comprises at least one eukaryotic cell;(e) the target substrate comprises an isolated biological tissue, a composite composed of at least one of biological tissue and non-biological matrix material, a cell culture, a cell monolayer, a cell multilayer, a matrix material without biological cells, a synthetic cell culture device, a natural cell culture device or living biological tissue in a body of a biological organism;(f) the driving device for applying the driving force is formed in such a way that the at least one particle of the biological material can penetrate into the target substrate under an effect of the driving force without causing irreparable injury to the target substrate; and(g) there is a clear path from the charging device to the target substrate along which the at least one particle of the biological material is driven. 2. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a preparation device which is adapted for supplying the biological material to the charging device. 3. The deposition apparatus according to claim 2, in which the preparation device contains a droplet generator, which is adapted for generating droplets of the biological material, or a particle generator, which is adapted for generating frozen droplets of the biological material. 4. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a directing device which is adapted for orienting a movement of the biological material towards the target substrate. 5. The deposition apparatus according to claim 4, in which the directing device comprises a nozzle device. 6. The deposition apparatus according to claim 4, in which the directing device comprises a tool suitable for manual handling and having at least one hollow line. 7. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: (a) the charging device comprises a sample injector, which is adapted for introducing the biological material into an acceleration line of the driving device; (b) the sample injector comprises an injector cartridge and a droplet dispenser; (c) the sample injector is arranged in the acceleration line and has a longitudinal direction with an inflow opening and an outflow opening, which are designed to be flowed through by a fluid provided by the driving device; and (d) the droplet dispenser is adapted for supplying droplets of the biological material into the acceleration line. 8. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: (a) the charging device comprises a sample injector, which is adapted for introducing the biological material into an acceleration line of the driving device; (b) the sample injector comprises an injector cartridge and a particle dispenser; (c) the sample injector is arranged in the acceleration line and has a longitudinal direction with an inflow opening and an outflow opening, which are designed to be flowed through by a fluid provided by the driving device; and (d) the particle dispenser is adapted for supplying particles of the frozen biological material into the acceleration line. 9. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: (a) the charging device comprises a sample injector, which is adapted for introducing the biological material into an acceleration line of the driving device; (b) the sample injector comprises an injector cartridge; and (c) the injector cartridge is arranged replaceably in the acceleration line. 10. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: (a) the charging device comprises a sample injector, which is adapted for introducing the biological material into an acceleration line of the driving device; (b) the sample injector comprises an injector cartridge; and (c) the injector cartridge is closed by cover elements which can be opened when the driving force of the driving device is applied. 11. The deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooling device is adapted for cooling at least part of the directing device. 12. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control circuit which is connected to the control of at least one of the charging device, the driving device, a preparation device which is adapted for supplying the biological material to the charging device and the cooling device. 13. The deposition apparatus according to claim 12, in which at least one of the charging device, the driving device, the preparation device and the cooling device is adapted for a switched-mode operation. 14. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of: an imaging device comprising at least one of a camera device, a microscopy device, an ultrasound device, a stroboscopy device and an endoscopy device,a navigation device which is adapted for positioning the deposition apparatus relative to the target substrate, anda conditioning device comprising at least one of an illumination device and a temperature control device. 15. An injector cartridge which is adapted for providing frozen biological material in a deposition apparatus according to claim 1. 16. The injector cartridge according to claim 15, which is closed by cover elements which can be opened when the driving force of the driving device is applied. 17. A method for depositing biological material in a target substrate, comprising the steps: providing the biological material in a deposition apparatus of claim 1,applying a driving force to the biological material, andembedding the biological material in a frozen state in the target substrate, the biological material being introduced into the target substrate under the effect of the driving force,wherein: (a) the biological material comprises at least one eukaryotic cell; (b) the target substrate is a biological tissue; (c) the biological material follows a clear path from a charging device to the target substrate; and (d) the cooling device cools the biological material, at least a part of the charging device and at least a part of the driving device to a temperature below −130° C. 18. The method according to claim 17, in which the biological material further comprises at least one biocompatible additional substance. 19. The method according to claim 18, in which the at least one eukaryotic cell and the at least one biocompatible additional substance form at least one of the following compositions: a composition containing one individual eukaryotic cell which is surrounded by the additional substance,a composition containing a cell group which is surrounded by the additional substance,a composition containing an additional substance which forms a hollow body, in which the at least one eukaryotic cell is arranged,a composition containing an additional substance which is surrounded by eukartyotic cells, anda composition containing the at least one eukaryotic cell, the at least one additional substance and a solid carrier material. 20. The method according to claim 17, in which the biological material comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of stem cells, precursor cells, differentiated cells, tumor-influencing cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, cartilage cells, bone cells, islet cells, gland cells, endothelial cells and epithelial cells. 21. The method according to claim 17, in which the target substrate is arranged outside a body of a biological organism. 22. The method according to claim 17, in which the driving force is applied to the biological material by at least one of a flowing fluid and a mechanical driving element. 23. The method according to claim 22, in which a predetermined driving force is applied to the biological material in such a way that the biological material is positioned in the target substrate at a predetermined penetration depth. 24. The method according to claim 23, in which the driving force is set by a control circuit. 25. The method according to claim 17, in which different cell types are positioned in the target substrate one after the other. 26. The method according to claim 17, in which the biological material is positioned in the target substrate with a predetermined geometric pattern. 27. The method according to claim 26, in which the geometric pattern is set by means of a nozzle device, from which the biological material moves towards the target substrate. 28. The method according to claim 17, in which the biological material is transformed into the frozen state before the driving force is applied. 29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of freezing droplets of a cell suspension. 30. The method according to claim 29, in which hanging droplets of the cell suspension are frozen. 31. The method according to claim 28, in which droplets of the cell suspension are frozen on a hydrophobic underlayer. 32. The method according to claim 17, in which the biological material is transformed into the frozen state during or after the application of the driving force. 33. The method according to claim 17, further comprising at least one of the further steps: monitoring the target substrate by means of an imaging process using at least one of a camera device, ultrasound, NMR and microscopy,heating the target substrate after the biological material has been deposited, andreducing a temperature of the target substrate prior to the embedding of the biological material. 34. Method of modifying biological tissue, said method comprising: providing a biological material, which contains at least one eukaryotic cell, in the frozen state in a deposition apparatus of claim 1;applying a driving force to the biological material; andembedding the biological material in a frozen state in the biological tissue to modify the biological tissue, wherein the biological material is driven by the driving force along a clear path to the biological tissue.