Culturflex apparatus and flexible tubular casing therein

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE PROLONGED ANDCONTINUOUS CULTURING OF MICROORGANISMS AND FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TOXINS COMPRISING AN OUTER SEALED ENVELOPE MADE OF LIQUID IMPERVIOUS, FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL AND PROVIDING A LIQUID CHAMBER THEREIN AND AN INNRE ENVELOPE MADE OF AN ELONGATED TUBULAR SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE DISPOSED IN THE CHAMBER INSIDE SAID OUTER ENVELOPE AND HAVING A LIQUID CHAMBER THEREIN, SAID MEMBRANE BEING OF SERPENTINE CONFIGURATION, OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID OUTER ENVELOPE SO AS TO EXPOSE A MAXIMUM SURFACE AREA OF THE MEMBRANE TO THE LIQUID CHAMBER OF SAID OUTER ENVELOPE, AND BEING PERMEABLE TO WAST PRODUCTS, AND NUTRIENTS AND IMPERMEABLE TO THE MICROORGANISMS ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS SERVING AS A LIQUID CULTURE MEDIA CHAMBER AND THE OTHER CHAMBER SERVING AS A CHAMBER FOR MICROORGANISMS IN A SUITABLE LIQUID SO THAT NITRIENTS FROM THE CULTURE MEDIA CAN DIALYZE THROUGHT THE MEMBRANE TO THE LIQUID CONTAINING THE MICROORGANISMS, WASTE PRODUCTS FROM THE MICROORGANISMS CAN DIALYZE THROUGH THE MEMBRANE TO THE CULTURE MEDIA AND THE TOXINS FROM THE MICROORGANISMS WILL BE HELD BY THE MEMBRANE IN THE LIQUID CONTAINING THE MICROORGANISMS, BOTH OF SAID CHAMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FULL OF SAID LIQUIDS FOUND WITHIN SAID RESPECTIVE CHAMBERS, AND BOTH OF SAID ENVELOPES CONTIANING SEPARATE REMOTELY LOCATED INLETS AND OUTLETS SO THAT FRESH CULTURE MEDIA CAN BE FLOWED INTO THE CULTURE MEDIA CHAMBER AND CULTURE MEDIA CONTAINING WASTE PRODUCTS CAN BE WITHDRAWN THEREFROM AND FRESH LIQUID CAN BE INTRODUCED INTO THE MICROORGANISM CONTAINING CHAMBER AND LIQUIDS HAVING TOXINS CAN BE WITHDRAWN THEREFROM, THE INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS OF THE INNER ENVELOPE BEING ARRANGED TO COMMUNICATE WITH OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE TUBULAR MEMBRANE AND TO EXTEND THROUGH THE OUTER ENVELOPE IN SEALED RELATION THERETO.