ERYTHROCYTE MONITORING DEVICE

1 . An erythrocyte-culture monitoring device comprising:

a light source that is configured to radiate monochromatic light onto a culture solution culturing erythrocytes accommodated in a culture container;

a first photodetector that is configured to detect a light intensity of the monochromatic light transmitted through the culture solution; and

a controller that is configured to evaluate an amount of hemoglobin in the culture solution based on a temporal change in the light intensity detected by the photodetector.

2 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller evaluates a degree of production of the hemoglobin based on a timing at which the light intensity stops changing.

3 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the controller calculates a transmittance or an absorbance of the monochromatic light in the culture solution based on a ratio between a light intensity of the monochromatic light transmitted through the culture solution before culturing of the erythrocytes is started and a light intensity of the monochromatic light transmitted through the culture solution during the culturing of the erythrocytes, and evaluates the amount of hemoglobin in the culture solution based on a temporal change in the calculated transmittance or absorbance.

4 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a second photodetector that is configured to detect a light intensity of the monochromatic light before being transmitted through the culture solution,

wherein the controller calculates a transmittance or an absorbance of the monochromatic light in the culture solution based on a ratio between the light intensity of the monochromatic light before being transmitted through the culture solution detected by the second photodetector and a light intensity of the monochromatic light after being transmitted through the culture solution detected by the first photodetector, and evaluates the amount of hemoglobin in the culture solution based on a temporal change in the calculated transmittance or absorbance.

5 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the monochromatic light radiated onto the culture solution by the light source is in a near-infrared wavelength band between an absorption wavelength band of water and an absorption wavelength band of the culture solution.

6 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the near-infrared wavelength band is between 700 nm and 900 nm.

7 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the near-infrared wavelength band is a range in which an absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin and an absorption coefficient of deoxygenated hemoglobin are substantially equal to each other.

8 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light source varies a wavelength of the monochromatic light for measuring the light intensity between a cell proliferating process for causing cells serving as a base for the erythrocytes to proliferate and a hemoglobin increasing process for causing the cells proliferated as a result of the cell proliferating process to change into the hemoglobin.

9 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light source and the first photodetector are disposed outside the culture container,

wherein the light source radiates the monochromatic light from outside the culture container toward inside the culture container, and

wherein the first photodetector detects the monochromatic light output outside the culture container after being transmitted through the culture solution.

10 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 9 , further comprising:

a retroreflector member that is configured to reflect the monochromatic light output outside the culture container and causes the monochromatic light to return toward the culture container via the same optical path as an optical path of the monochromatic light entering the retroreflector member; and

an optical-path splitting member that is configured to split an optical path of the monochromatic light reflected by the retroreflector member and subsequently transmitted again through the culture container, and guides the split monochromatic light toward the first photodetector.

11 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 1 ,

wherein one of the light source and the first photodetector is disposed inside the culture container, and the other one of the light source and the first photodetector is disposed outside the culture container, and

wherein the first photodetector disposed inside the culture container detects the monochromatic light radiated from the light source disposed outside the culture container and transmitted through the culture solution, or

wherein the first photodetector disposed outside the culture container detects the monochromatic light radiated from the light source disposed inside the culture container and transmitted through the culture solution.

12 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the monochromatic light radiated onto the culture solution by the light source is in a near-infrared wavelength band between an absorption wavelength band of water and an absorption wavelength band of the culture solution.

13 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 12 ,

wherein the near-infrared wavelength band is between 700 nm and 900 nm.

14 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 12 ,

wherein the near-infrared wavelength band is a range in which an absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin and an absorption coefficient of deoxygenated hemoglobin are substantially equal to each other.

15 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the light source varies a wavelength of the monochromatic light for measuring the light intensity between a cell proliferating process for causing cells serving as a base for the erythrocytes to proliferate and a hemoglobin increasing process for causing the cells proliferated as a result of the cell proliferating process to change into the hemoglobin.

16 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the light source and the first photodetector are disposed outside the culture container,

wherein the light source radiates the monochromatic light from outside the culture container toward inside the culture container, and

wherein the first photodetector detects the monochromatic light output outside the culture container after being transmitted through the culture solution.

17 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 16 , further comprising:

a retroreflector member that is configured to reflect the monochromatic light output outside the culture container and causes the monochromatic light to return toward the culture container via the same optical path as an optical path of the monochromatic light entering the retroreflector member; and

an optical-path splitting member that is configured to split an optical path of the monochromatic light reflected by the retroreflector member and subsequently transmitted again through the culture container, and guides the split monochromatic light toward the first photodetector.

18 . The erythrocyte-culture monitoring device according to claim 2 ,

wherein one of the light source and the first photodetector is disposed inside the culture container, and the other one of the light source and the first photodetector is disposed outside the culture container, and

wherein the first photodetector disposed inside the culture container detects the monochromatic light radiated from the light source disposed outside the culture container and transmitted through the culture solution, or

wherein the first photodetector disposed outside the culture container detects the monochromatic light radiated from the light source disposed inside the culture container and transmitted through the culture solution.