Method and device for cell culture in open continuous mode

1. An automated and remotely controlled continuous cell culture method for selecting variants of an initial inoculum of live cells, which variants are proliferating in suspension, said method comprising the following stages:

a) seeding one or more live cells in a liquid culture medium contained in a first disposable single-use culture vessel whose top has an opening which is kept open in a closed container, wherein the opening in the top of the culture vessel is sufficiently wide so as to accommodate the introduction of sterile disposable single-use pipettes, gas bubbling device, and optionally, measurement probes, through the opening into the liquid culture medium in the culture vessel;

b) the cells in said culture medium, which are in suspension, are brought to a specific growth stage, which corresponds to a given cell density or to a physicochemical parameter measured in the culture medium;

c) the cell density in the culture medium containing the cells in suspension, or the value of said physicochemical parameter, reached in stage b), is kept substantially constant by the automated introduction of fresh culture medium or a diluent into said culture vessel with a sterile disposable single-use pipette, followed by automated disposal of the used pipette;

d) a portion of the culture medium of the culture obtained in c) containing the cells in suspension is removed by automated pipetting with a sterile disposable single-use pipette so as to maintain constant the volume of the culture, followed by automated disposal of the used pipette;

e) a fraction of the culture medium containing the cells in suspension obtained in d) is removed by automated transfer with a sterile disposable single-use pipette and is transferred by robotic means into a second disposable single-use culture vessel whose top has an opening which is kept open in the same closed container as the first culture vessel, followed by the automated disposal of the used pipette;

f) said first culture vessel with the remaining culture fraction that it contains is robotically withdrawn and disposed of; and

g) after several generations of culture in the second vessel, the cells proliferating in suspension are selected,

wherein at least the stages a) to f) are carried out in the closed container.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a gas stream, such as sterile air, is applied continuously at the periphery of the openings at the tops of the culture vessels.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a sterile gas stream is applied from the top to the bottom of the culture vessels.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the sterile gas stream from the top to the bottom is maintained by creating a partial vacuum at the periphery of the culture vessels.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the sterile gas stream is discharged out of the container at the bottom of said culture vessels.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein stages a) to f) are repeated one or more times with successive culture vessels before proceeding with stage g) in which the second culture vessel is the last in the succession of culture vessels.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a substantially constant cell density is maintained in the culture in stage c) by diluting the culture with fresh medium while keeping a constant volume of culture medium containing the cells in suspension in the culture vessel.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first used culture vessel is discharged from the closed container using an airlock.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the container is thermostatically controlled allowing regulation of the temperature of the cell culture.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein several cultures are carried out simultaneously in several culture vessels placed in the same container.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein gas is injected by means of a bubbling device introduced into the culture vessel.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein several stages of the method are carried out using one or more automated arms allowing movements inside the container.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cells are cultured continuously over a number of generations greater than 10 2 without opening of the container to the outside environment.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is applied to the culture of autotrophic microorganisms and said culture is illuminated during the different stages of said method.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cells are cultured continuously over a number of generations greater than 10 6 generations, without opening of the container to the outside environment.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cells are cultured continuously over a number of generations greater than 10 10 generations, without opening of the container to the outside environment.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the live cells are microorganisms.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the live cells are bacteria, yeast or unicellular algae.