Cell culture apparatus

Abstract

A cell culture apparatus includes a measurement-position designating unit, an image processing unit, and a subculture-timing determining unit. The measurement-position designating unit designates measurement positions in the culture vessel. The image processing unit calculates a confluent rate as a proportion of an area occupied by the cells in the observation image, of the positions designated by the measurement-position designating unit. The subculture-timing determining unit determines the subculture timing of the culture vessel, based on the confluent rate calculated in the image processing unit. More specifically, the subculture-timing determining unit determines the subculture timing, based on a first threshold value with respect to an average value of the entire measurement area on the observation image, and a second threshold value with respect to at least one measurement area on the observation image. The second threshold value is larger than the first threshold value.

1 . A cell culture apparatus comprising:
 a measurement-position designating unit that designates a measurement position in a culture vessel;   an image processing unit that calculates a confluent rate as a proportion of an area occupied by cells in an observation image, of positions designated by the measurement-position designating unit; and   a subculture-timing determining unit that determines a subculture timing of the culture vessel, based on the confluent rate calculated by the image processing unit,   wherein the subculture-timing determining unit determines the subculture timing, based on a first threshold value with respect to an average value of entire measurement areas on the observation image, and a second threshold value with respect to at least one measurement area on the observation image, and   wherein the second threshold value is larger than the first threshold value.   
     
     
         2 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the subculture-timing determining unit determines a subculture timing with the second threshold value with respect to measurement area P 0  in a case where a center of the culture vessel is set as the measurement area P 0 .   
     
     
         3 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein, in a case where an average value of the measurement areas is smaller than the first threshold value and the measurement area P 0  is larger than the second threshold value, the subculture-timing determining unit determines a state as a first uneven-spread state in which the cells unevenly spread in a central portion of the culture vessel.   
     
     
         4 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein, in a case where the center of the culture vessel is set as the measurement area P 0 , and measurement areas P 1  to P 8  are set at equal intervals along a side of a square at positions separated from the measurement area P 0  by at least a predetermined distance, the measurement-position designating unit sets at least one measurement area out of a straight line passing through the measurement area P 0  and any one of the measurement areas P 1  to P 8 .   
     
     
         5 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein, in a case where the center of the culture vessel is set as the measurement area P 0 , and the measurement areas P 1  to P 8  are set at equal intervals along the side of the square at the positions separated from the measurement area P 0  by at least the predetermined distance, the subculture-timing determining unit determines a subculture-timing with the second threshold value with respect to two areas on the straight line passing through the measurement area P 0  and any one of the measurement areas P 1  to P 8 .   
     
     
         6 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein, in a case where the average value of the measurement areas is smaller than the first threshold value and the two areas on the straight line passing through the measurement area P 0  and any one of the measurement areas P 1  to P 8  is larger than the second threshold value, the subculture-timing determining unit determines a state as a second uneven-spread state in which the cells unevenly spread in a straight line shape in the culture vessel.   
     
     
         7 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first threshold value is from 45% confluent rate to 70% confluent rate, both inclusive and the second threshold value is from 75% confluent rate to 90% confluent rate, both inclusive.   
     
     
         8 . The cell culture apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the first threshold value is 60% confluent rate, and the second threshold value is 80% confluent rate.