阅读说明：本技术 生物对象物的拾取装置 (Pickup device for biological object ) 是由 坂本大 熊谷京彦 于 2018-12-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：细胞移动装置(S)具备：在其下端安装尖端(10)的头(61)；通过控制头(61)的动作使尖端(10)执行抽吸细胞(C)的抽吸动作的控制部(7)；可以向控制部(7)输入信息的输入部(75)。输入部75将有关容器(2、3)的第一信息、有关培养基的第二信息以及有关细胞的第三信息之中的至少一个信息作为抽吸控制信息(D1)来受理。控制部(7),在执行所述抽吸动作之际,基于抽吸控制信息(D1),控制尖端(10)在上下方向的移动量和/或从抽吸孔(t)向尖端(10)内抽吸细胞(C)以及培养基(L)的抽吸量。(A cell transfer device (S) is provided with: a head (61) having a tip (10) mounted at a lower end thereof; a control unit (7) for causing the tip (10) to perform a cell (C) aspiration operation by controlling the operation of the head (61); an input unit (75) capable of inputting information to the control unit (7). The input unit 75 receives at least one of first information on the containers (2, 3), second information on the culture medium, and third information on the cells as the pumping control information (D1). And a control unit (7) which controls the amount of movement of the tip (10) in the vertical direction and/or the amount of suction of the cells (C) and the culture medium (L) from the suction hole (t) into the tip (10) based on the suction control information (D1) when the suction operation is performed.)

1. An apparatus for picking up a biological object, comprising:

a base on which a container having an upper surface opened for accommodating a biological object and a culture medium is placed;

a head disposed above the base and movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, a tip having a suction hole for sucking the biological object from the container being attached to a lower end of the head, the head including a suction mechanism for generating a suction force in the suction hole;

a control unit for controlling the operation of the head to cause the tip to perform a suction operation for sucking the biological object; and the number of the first and second groups,

an input part which can input information to the control part, wherein,

the input unit receives at least one of first information on the container, second information on the culture medium, and third information on the biological object as suction control information,

the control unit controls a movement amount of the tip attached to the head in a vertical direction and/or a suction amount of the biological object and the culture medium from the suction hole into the tip, based on the suction control information, when the suction operation is performed.

2. The apparatus for picking up a biological object according to claim 1,

in the case where the first information is information indicating that a container having a plurality of holes for accommodating biological objects is present in the container, and the second information is information indicating that a culture medium is held in the container in an amount such that the upper surface of the culture medium is located higher than the upper opening edge of the holes,

the control unit controls the amount of movement of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is located above the biological object accommodated in the hole and below the upper end opening edge of the hole when the suction operation is performed on the biological object accommodated in the hole.

3. The apparatus for picking up a biological object according to claim 1,

in the case where the first information is information indicating a container having a flat surface portion to which a plurality of biological objects can be attached on a bottom surface of the container,

the control unit controls the amount of movement of the tip so that the suction hole is positioned at a position satisfying a relationship of 0 < distance a < 0.5 × distance B, assuming that a distance between the suction hole and a certain biological object is a and a distance between the certain biological object and another biological object closest to the certain biological object is B, when the suction operation is performed on the certain biological object attached to the bottom surface.

4. The apparatus for picking up a biological object according to claim 1,

when the second information is information on the viscosity of the medium and a first medium having a predetermined first viscosity and a second medium having a second viscosity higher than the first viscosity are present as the medium to be contained in the container,

the control unit controls the amount of movement of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is closer to the biological object than when the suction operation is performed on the biological object in the first culture medium, when the suction operation is performed on the biological object in the second culture medium.

5. The apparatus for picking up a biological object according to claim 1,

in a case where the third information is information on an adhesion force of the biological object with respect to the bottom surface of the container, and there is a first biological object adhering to the bottom surface with a first adhesion force and a second biological object adhering to the bottom surface with a second adhesion force stronger than the first adhesion force as the biological object to be accommodated in the container,

the control unit controls the amount of movement of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is closer to the biological object than when the suction operation is performed on the first biological object, and/or controls the amount of suction so that the amount of suction of the tip is larger than when the suction operation is performed on the first biological object, when the suction operation is performed on the second biological object.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a pickup device for picking up a biological object such as a cell or a cell block contained in a container from the container by using a tip for suction.

Background

For example, in medical or biological research applications, a work of sorting a biological object such as a cell or a cell mass in a transfer source container and transferring the sorted biological object to a transfer destination container may be performed. Examples of the movement source container include a well plate having a plurality of holes for storing biological objects, and a culture dish having a flat bottom surface to which a plurality of biological objects are attached.

In the moving work, an image of a biological object accommodated in the destination container is picked up by an image pickup device, desired biological object cells are sorted based on the obtained image, and the sorted biological object is suctioned (picked up) by a tip and transferred to the destination container (for example, patent document 1). The tip is provided with a suction hole for a biological object at a lower end thereof, and is attached to a head movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The head includes a suction mechanism that generates a suction force in the suction hole.

When a biological object is sucked by a tip, a suction series operation is performed in which the head is lowered to bring a suction hole of the tip close to a target biological object and suction force is generated in the suction hole by the suction mechanism. Through this pumping sequence, the biological object is pumped into the tip together with the culture medium. Conventionally, the suction-series operation is performed under a certain condition regardless of the type of the vessel or the culture medium, the property of the biological object, and the like. That is, the suction hole of the tip is brought close to a certain distance from the biological object under any condition, and suction is performed with a certain suction amount. In such a fixed suction series operation, a suction error may occur in which a suction of a biological object fails and a plurality of biological objects are sucked simultaneously.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1 International application laid-open No. 2015/087371

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The invention provides a picking device for a biological object, which can restrain suction error when sucking the biological object contained in a container by a tip.

An apparatus for picking up a biological object according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a base on which a container having an upper surface opened for accommodating a biological object and a culture medium is placed; a head disposed above the base and movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, a tip having a suction hole for sucking the biological object from the container being attached to a lower end of the head, the head including a suction mechanism for generating a suction force in the suction hole; a control unit for controlling the operation of the head to cause the tip to perform a suction operation for sucking the biological object; and an input unit capable of inputting information to the control unit, wherein the input unit receives, as suction control information, at least one of first information on the container, second information on the culture medium, and third information on the biological object, and the control unit controls, when the suction operation is performed, a moving amount of the tip attached to the head in a vertical direction and/or a suction amount of the biological object and the culture medium from the suction hole into the tip, based on the suction control information.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a configuration example of a cell transfer device to which a device for picking up a biological object according to the present invention is applied.

Fig. 2A is a sectional view of the tip attached to the head, a moving mechanism of the tip, and a suction mechanism, fig. 2B is a sectional view of the tip during a suction operation, and fig. 2C is an enlarged view of a portion q of fig. 2B.

Fig. 3(a) is an explanatory view of the suction range of the tip, and fig. 3(B) is a schematic view showing the relationship between the suction success rate with the tip for the biological object and the height and distance.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a first example of the pumping-series operation according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5(a) and 5(B) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the first example.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a second example of the pumping sequence operation.

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the second example.

Fig. 8(a) and 8(B) are schematic diagrams schematically showing a third example of the pumping sequence operation.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a fourth example of the pumping sequence operation.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the structure of the cell transfer apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of display on the display unit.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a cell picking operation using the cell transfer device.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The device for picking up a biological object according to the present invention can pick up (suck) a biological object in a plurality of aspects. The biological object to which the present invention can be applied is typically a cell derived from a living body. Examples of the cells derived from the living body include single cells such as hematopoietic cells and single cells, tissue fragments such as Histoculture and CTOS (tissue fragment), cell aggregates such as spheres and organs, monomers such as zebrafish, nematodes and fertilized eggs, and 2D or 3D colonies (colony). The biological object may be a tissue, a microorganism, a small-sized species, or the like. In the embodiments described below, a biological object is exemplified by a cell aggregate (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "cell C") in which a plurality of cells or several to several hundred thousand cells are aggregated.

(integral construction of cell transfer device)

Fig. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing the overall configuration of a cell transfer device S to which a device for picking up a biological object according to the present invention is applied. Here, a cell transfer device S that transfers cells C between two containers, specifically, between the first container 2 or the second container 3 and the microplate 4 is illustrated.

The cell transfer device S includes a translucent base 1 having an upper surface as a horizontal placement surface, a camera unit 5 disposed on a lower side of the base 1, and a head unit 6 disposed on an upper side of the base 1. Either the first vessel 2 having the grid-like wells or the culture dish-type second vessel 3 is placed at the first placement position P1 on the base 1, and the microplate 4 is placed at the second placement position P2. The first container 2 and the second container 3 are examples of the "container" of the present invention. In fig. 1, only two containers 2 and 3 are illustrated, but the present embodiment can be applied to other types of containers. That is, one or more containers selected from three or more container groups may be placed at the first placement position P1 on the base 1.

The head unit 6 is attached with a tip 10 that performs suction and discharge of the cells C, and includes a plurality of heads 61 that are movable in the Z direction (vertical direction). The camera unit 5 and the head unit 6 are movable in an X direction (horizontal direction) and a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the paper surface of fig. 1. The first container 2 or the second container 3 and the microplate 4 are placed on the upper surface of the base 1 within the movable range of the head unit 6.

The cell transfer device S is basically a device that picks up a cell C from the first container 2 or the second container 3 holding a plurality of cells C with each of the plurality of tips 10, transfers the picked-up cell to the microplate 4, and ejects the cell C from each of the plurality of tips 10 to the well 41 of the microplate 4, respectively or simultaneously. Before the cells C are aspirated, the camera unit 5 picks up images of the cells C held in the first container 2 or the second container 3, and a sorting operation is performed to sort the high-quality cells C to be transferred to the microplate 4.

Hereinafter, each part of the cell transfer device S will be described. The base 1 is a rectangular flat plate having a predetermined rigidity and formed of a translucent material partially or entirely. Preferably, the base 1 is a glass plate. By forming the base 1 of a light-transmissive material such as a glass plate, the first and second containers 2 and 3 and the microplate 4 arranged on the upper surface of the base 1 can be imaged through the base 1 by the camera unit 5 arranged below the base 1.

The first container 2 and the second container 3 are containers as a source for moving the cells C. The first and second containers 2 and 3 are containers having upper openings 2H and 3H for accommodating the cells C and the culture medium L. Through these upper openings 2H and 3H, the medium 3 and the cells C are put into the first container 2 and the second container 3, and the cells C are aspirated by the aspiration tip 10. As the first container 2 and the second container 3, those made of a light-transmitting resin material or glass are used. This is to allow the cells C carried in the first container 2 and the second container 3 to be observed by the camera unit 5.

The first container 2 has a plurality of holes 22 formed by lattice-like partitions for storing the cells C in the container. Lattice walls 23 defining these holes 22 are disposed on the bottom surface 21 of the first container 2. The well 22 is a partition area for holding each cell C when a cell suspension in which a plurality of cells C are dispersed in the medium L is put into the first container 2 from the top opening 2H. Cells C are attached to the bottom surface 21 in each well 22.

On the other hand, the second container 3 is a dish-type container having no lattice-shaped partition or the like. The bottom surface 31 of the second container 3 is formed as a whole by a flat planar portion. The bottom surface 31 may be provided with a wall portion having a rough partition for storing a plurality of cells C, for example, a partition divided into two partitions or four partitions. When the cell suspension is put into the second container 3 from the upper opening 3H, the plurality of cells C adhere to the bottom surface 31 (planar portion).

The microplate 4 has a plurality of wells 41 for storing the discharged cells C. The wells 41 are bottomed wells opened in the upper surface of the microplate 4. A desired number of cells C and a liquid culture medium 3 are accommodated in one well 41. Generally, the required number is 1. The micro plate 4 is also made of a light-transmitting resin material or glass. This is to allow the camera unit 5 disposed below the microplate 4 to observe the cells C carried in the wells 41.

The camera unit 5 captures an image of the cell C held in the first and second containers 2 and 3 or the microplate 4 from the lower surface side of the first and second containers 2 and 3 or the microplate 4, and includes a lens portion 51 and a camera body 52. The lens unit 51 is an objective lens used in an optical microscope, and includes a lens group for forming an optical image of a predetermined magnification and a lens barrel for accommodating the lens group. The camera body 52 is provided with an image pickup element such as a CCD image sensor. The lens unit 51 forms an optical image of an imaging object on a light receiving surface of the imaging element. The camera unit 5 is movable in the X direction and the Y direction below the base 1 along a guide rail 5G extending in the left-right direction parallel to the base 1. The lens unit 51 is movable in the Z direction for focusing operation.

The head unit 6 includes a plurality of heads 61 and a head main body 62 on which the heads 61 are mounted, wherein the plurality of heads 61 are provided to pick up the cells C from the first and second vessels 2, 3 and move them to the microplate 4. A suction tip 10 for performing suction (picking up) and discharge of one or more cells C is attached to the tip of each head 61. The head main body 62 holds the head 61 so that the head 61 can be raised and lowered in the + Z and-Z directions (vertical directions), and is movable in the + X and-X directions (horizontal directions) along the guide rail 6G. In addition, the head main body 62 is also movable in the Y direction. That is, the head 61 is movable in XYZ directions.

(details of tip and head)

Fig. 2A is a sectional view of the tip 10 mounted on the head 61 and a schematic view of a moving mechanism of the tip 10 and a suction mechanism. The tip 10 is constituted by an assembly of a pipette (syring) 11 and a piston 12. The pipette 11 has a tubular passage 11P as a suction path of the cells C in its interior. The piston 12 moves forward and backward in the tubular passage 11P while sliding in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the straw 11 defining the tubular passage 11P.

The pipette 11 includes a pipette base end 111 formed of a large-diameter cylindrical body and a pipette body 112 formed of a small-diameter long cylindrical body. The tubular passage 11P is formed in the straw body portion 112. The pipette tip 113, which is the lower end of the pipette body 112, is provided with a suction hole t serving as an opening for sucking or discharging the cells C contained in the containers 2 and 3. One end of the tubular passage 11P communicates with the suction hole t. The pipette base end 111 is connected to the other end of the pipette body 112 via a tapered portion. The upper end of the straw base end 111 is fitted into the lower end of the head 61.

The piston 12 includes a piston base end portion 121 formed of a cylindrical body, a needle-like piston body portion 122 connected to a lower portion of the piston base end portion 121, and a piston tip portion 123 serving as a lower end of the piston body portion 122. The outer diameter of the piston base end portion 121 is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the straw base end portion 111 by a predetermined length. The outer diameter of the piston main body portion 122 is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular passage 11P.

The piston base end portion 121 is housed in the straw base end portion 111, and the piston 12 is assembled to the straw 11 in a state where the piston body portion 122 is inserted into the tubular passage 11P of the straw body portion 112. In the state shown in fig. 2A in which the piston body 122 is inserted deepest into the suction pipe body 112, the piston tip 123 protrudes from the suction hole t. A rod 61R movable in the vertical direction in the internal space of the head 61 is attached to the upper end of the piston base end portion 121.

The head 61 is provided with a head motor 63 that functions as a moving mechanism for moving the tip 10 in the vertical direction and a suction mechanism for generating a suction force in the suction hole t of the tip 10. The head motor 63 is a plurality of motors incorporated in the head main body 62, and includes a head lifting motor 631 and a piston lifting motor 632. The piston raising and lowering motor 632 is an example of the pumping mechanism.

The head lifting motor 631 is a motor as a driving source for lifting and lowering the head 61 with respect to the head main body 62. If the head 61 is moved up and down by the driving of the head lifting motor 631, the tip 10 mounted at the lower end of the head 61 is also moved up and down. That is, the height position of the suction hole t of the tip 10 may be set at a desired position by the operation control of the head elevating motor 631.

The piston raising and lowering motor 632 is a motor as a driving source for raising and lowering the rod 61R in the internal space of the head 61. If the driving rod 61R is moved up and down by the piston up-and-down motor 632, the piston 12 attached to the rod 61R is also moved up and down. The suction force is generated in the suction hole t by raising the piston 12 relative to the suction pipe 11, and the discharge force is generated in the suction hole t by lowering the piston 12. That is, the suction operation and the discharge operation of the cell C by the tip 10 can be controlled by controlling the operation of the piston raising and lowering motor 632.

Fig. 2A shows a state in which the piston 12 is lowered to the lowest. This state is a state before the cell C is aspirated to a state where the cell C aspirated to the tip 10 is ejected. The piston tip 123 protrudes slightly downward from the straw tip 113. Fig. 2B shows a state where the piston 12 is raised by a predetermined height. This state is a state of the tip 10 when the suction operation for sucking the cells C is performed. Fig. 2(C) schematically shows an enlarged view of a q portion (a peripheral portion of the suction hole t) of fig. 2 (B).

During the suction action, the piston tip portion 123 is retracted inside the tubular passage 11P. At this time, a suction force is generated in the suction hole t, and the fluid around the suction hole t, in this embodiment, the culture medium L containing the cells C, is sucked into the suction space H formed in the tubular passage 11P by the retraction of the piston tip portion 123. That is, the medium L containing the cells C is held in the suction space H. After the suction operation, if the piston 12 moves downward, the fluid held in the suction space H is discharged from the suction hole t. The amount of the fluid to be sucked can be adjusted by the rising height of the piston 12, and the speed of the fluid to be sucked can be adjusted by the rising speed of the piston 12. That is, the suction amount and the suction speed can be set to desired values by controlling the operation of the piston raising and lowering motor 632.

(suction characteristics of tip)

Fig. 3A is an explanatory view of the suction range of the tip 10, and fig. 3B is a schematic view showing the relationship between the suction success rate of the tip 10 for the cells C and the height and distance. Fig. 3A shows a state in which the piston 12 is relatively raised with respect to the straw 11 and the piston tip 123 is retracted into the tubular passage 11P, that is, a state in which the suction operation is performed. The suction hole t is opposite to the cell C attached to the attachment surface 13.

The amount of liquid sucked into the pipette 11, which is the amount of liquid sucked into the culture medium containing cells C, is determined by the inner diameter a1 of the tubular passage 11P and the retraction length a2 of the piston tip 123. In the liquid around the straw tip 113, a suction range E, which is a range in which a liquid flow in the inflow direction toward the suction hole t is generated due to the suction force generated to the suction hole t, is determined by the height a3 of the straw tip 113 with respect to the adhesion surface 13 and the suction amount. By one suction action, a volume portion of the liquid in the suction range E or a volume portion of the liquid larger than it is almost sucked into the suction pipe 11. Therefore, if the suction operation is performed in a state where one or more cells C to be suctioned are accommodated in the suction range E, the probability of suctioning the cells C into the pipette 11 can be increased. That is, the cells C existing in the distance a4 (the diameter of the point of the aspiration range E) where the aspiration range E intersects the attachment surface 13 can be aspirated into the pipette 11.

FIG. 3B shows the aspiration success rate of cells C with the viscosity of the medium and the aspiration amount fixed. The inner diameter a1 of the tubular passage 11P of the suction pipe 11 used was 0.18 mm. The horizontal axis represents a distance a4 shown in fig. 3A, i.e., a distance (mm) from the axial center g of the tubular passage 11P, and the vertical axis represents a height (mm) corresponding to the height a 3. For example, the suction success rate at a height of 0.1 to 0.3 at the point where the distance is 0 indicates the suction success rate in the height direction on the shaft center g shown in fig. 3 (a).

The region (1) in FIG. 3B is a region where the height a3 is high, the cells C are away from the axis g, and the success rate of aspiration of the cells C is the lowest (60% -70%). The suction success rate slightly increases (70% to 80%) in the region (2) inside the region (1), and increases to 80% to 90% in the region (3) having a height of 0.3mm or less and a distance of 0.2mm or less. In addition, the suction success rate reaches 90% -100% in the area (4) with the height of less than 0.2mm and the distance of less than 0.1 mm. If such suction characteristics are found experimentally for each of the tips 10, the suction range E (distance a4) in which the cells C can be sucked can be set to a desired range by setting the suction amount and the height a 3.

When the cell C is aspirated by the tip 10, a suction series of operations is performed in which the suction hole t of the tip 10 is brought close to the target cell C and suction force is generated in the suction hole t. By this pumping series action, the cells C are pumped into the tip 10 together with the culture medium. At this time, the approach distance of the aspiration hole t to the target cell C is set with reference to the aspiration range E. Conventionally, the pumping operation is performed under a certain condition regardless of the type of the vessel or culture medium in which the cells C are stored, the nature of the cells C, and the like. That is, under any condition, the suction hole t of the tip 10 is brought close to the cell C by a predetermined distance, and suction is performed by a predetermined suction amount. In such a fixed suction series operation, a suction failure of the cells C and a suction error in which a plurality of cells C are simultaneously sucked may occur. In the present embodiment, the aspiration sequence operation is appropriately set according to the type of the vessel, the culture medium, the properties of the cells C, and the like, whereby the aspiration error can be suppressed. Hereinafter, a specific example of the pumping operation will be described.

(first example of suction series action)

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a first example of the pumping-series operation according to the present embodiment. Here, the first vessel 2 having a plurality of wells 22 is used as a vessel to be a source of movement of the cells C. A lattice wall 23 defining a plurality of holes 22 is provided upright on the bottom surface 21 of the first container 2. The first vessel 2 is filled with a culture medium L. The amount of the culture medium L to be injected is such that the upper surface of the culture medium L is higher than the position of the upper opening edge 23T of the hole 22. That is, the lattice walls 23 are immersed in the medium L.

The cells C are put into the first container 2 from the upper opening 2H so that the cells C are in a cell suspension dispersed in the medium L. The wells 22 are wells intended to receive one cell C each. However, since the cells C are thrown into the cell suspension, there is a possibility that one or two or more cells C may enter one well 22 or that none of the cells C enter the well 22. Nevertheless, there is a state in which only one cell C enters in some of the wells 22. Since the single cell C is easily judged to be good or bad by the image pickup of the camera unit 5, the cell judged to be "good" becomes the suction (moving) object of the tip 10. Fig. 4 shows a state in which the tip 10 with XY coordinates aligned with one hole 22 is disposed above the hole 22, and the hole 22 accommodates one cell c (t) which is a suction target for performing a suction operation.

Fig. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing an operation of a first example of the pumping-series operation. When the tip 10 performs a suction operation on the target cells c (t) contained in the wells 22 immersed in the medium L, the tip 10 is lowered so that the suction wells t enter the wells 22. Specifically, as shown in fig. 5(a), the amount of lowering movement of the tip 10 is controlled so that the position of the aspiration hole T flush with the pipette tip 113 is located above the target cell c (T) contained in the well 22 and below the upper end opening edge 23T of the well 22. That is, if it is assumed that the height of the upper-end opening edge 23T from the bottom surface 21 is b1, the suction hole T is lowered by a prescribed entry length b2 so as to be located closer to the bottom surface 21 than the height b 1.

The entry length b2 may be selected to allow the lower end of the aspiration range E of the tip 10 to reach the depth of the floor 21 that the target cells c (t) contact. Furthermore, the aspiration hole t is preferably located directly above the target cell c (t). In addition, if the entering length b2 is too deep, the pipette tip 113 or the plunger tip 123 may come into contact with the target cell c (t) due to an error in the shaft control accuracy of the head 61 to which the tip 10 is attached, or the like, thereby damaging the cell. Therefore, in consideration of the above-described accuracy error, the entry length b2 is set to a depth to such an extent that the tip 10 does not come into contact with the target cell c (t).

Fig. 5A is a state before the tip 10 starts the suction action. That is, the piston 12 is lowered to the lowest position, and the piston tip 123 slightly protrudes from the suction hole t of the straw tip 113. On the other hand, fig. 5B is a state in which the tip 10 has completed the suction action. The piston tip portion 123 retracts into the tubular passage 11P by a predetermined retraction length. By this retracting action, a suction force is generated at the suction hole t, and the target cells c (t) are sucked into the suction space H generated near the lower end of the tubular passage 11P by the retraction together with the culture medium L.

According to the first example of the suction-series operation, the suction operation is performed in a state where the suction hole t enters the hole 22 accommodating the target cell c (t). Therefore, the flow of the culture medium L accompanying the suction operation is hardly generated in the peripheral hole 22 adjacent to the hole 22. Therefore, when the suction operation is performed on the target cells C (t), the cells C accommodated in the peripheral holes 22 can be prevented from being sucked incidentally. That is, only the target cells c (t) may be aspirated into the tip 10.

In addition, by the suction action, the culture medium L corresponding to the suction range E in the well 22 where the target cell c (t) exists is sucked into the tip 10. To fill up the amount of medium sucked in, a flow of medium L from the gap between the tip 10 and the upper opening edge 23T into the hole 22 is generated. If the flow is large, the cells C accommodated in the adjacent wells 22 may be simultaneously aspirated by the tip 10. For this reason, it is desirable that the retraction length of the piston tip 123, that is, the amount of the culture medium L sucked from the suction hole t is preferably smaller than the volume of one hole 22. This can suppress the flow generated by sucking the cells C from the adjacent wells 22.

(second example of suction series action)

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a second example of the pumping-series operation according to the present embodiment. Here, the vessel serving as the source of movement of the cells C is the second vessel 3 of a dish culture type which does not include a lattice-shaped partition zone or the like. As described above, the second container 3 has the bottom surface 31 formed of the flat planar portion. By pouring a cell suspension of the medium L in which the cells C are dispersed from the upper opening 3H, a plurality of cells C are attached to the bottom surface 31. The cells C are dispersedly adhered to the bottom surface 31 in a single state or in a block state composed of a plurality of cells. In fig. 6, a state in which the tip 10 aligned in XY coordinates with one cell c (t) as a suction target to perform a suction action is arranged above the target cell c (t) is illustrated. The other cell C present at the position closest to the target cell C (t) is referred to as adjacent cell C (n).

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing an operation of a second example of the pumping-series operation. In the second container 3 without the lattice walls 23 of the first container 2 as in the first example, the adjacent cells c (n) are easily aspirated simultaneously by the aspiration flow generated when the target cells c (t) are aspirated. In order to limit the suction range E so that such simultaneous suction can be prevented, the height position of the suction hole t with respect to the target cell c (t) is set. Specifically, assuming that the distance between the aspiration hole t and the target cell c (t) is a and the distance between the target cell c (t) and the adjacent cell c (n) is B, the amount of the downward movement of the tip 10 is controlled so that the aspiration hole t is located at a height position satisfying the relationship of 0 < distance a < 0.5 × distance B.

Fig. 7A shows a state before the suction operation is performed in a state where the suction holes t are arranged at the height positions (a > 0.5 × B) that do not satisfy the above-described conditional expressions. In this case, the tip 10 is provided with a suction range E1 corresponding to the height position thereof. In general, when the distance a is at a height position of 1/2 or more of the distance B, the probability that the adjacent cell c (n) is included in the suction range E1 becomes high. Therefore, if the above-described pumping operation is performed, the probability that not only the target cell c (t) but also the adjacent cells c (n) are pumped simultaneously becomes high, which is not desirable.

In contrast, fig. 7(B) shows a state before the suction operation is performed in a state where the suction holes t are arranged at the height positions (0 < a < 0.5 × B) satisfying the above-described conditional expressions. That is, the aspiration hole t is brought close to the target cell c (t) so that the distance a becomes 1/2 or less of the distance B. In this case, the range of the tip 10 becomes the suction range E2 narrower than the suction range E1 of fig. 7 (a). By using the thus limited aspiration range E2, the adjacent cells c (n) can be outside the aspiration range E2, and aspiration of the adjacent cells c (n) can be suppressed. As shown in the second example, when the suction operation is performed on the second container 3 in which a plurality of cells C are present on the planar bottom surface 31, the probability of sucking only the target cells C (t) into the tip 10 can be increased by setting the suction-series operation in which the height positions of the suction holes t are set in consideration of the distance B between the target cells C (t) and the adjacent cells C (n).

(third example of suction series action)

Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams schematically showing a third example of the pumping sequence operation. This third example shows an example in which the suction-series operation is changed according to the difference in the viscosity of the medium L. Generally, the higher the viscosity of the medium L, the narrower the suction range E of the tip 10, that is, the range in which the suction force is generated toward the suction hole t to generate suction flow of the medium L in the periphery. Further, as the viscosity of the culture medium L is higher, the cells C aspirated into the tip 10 are difficult to be discharged from the aspiration hole t unless the amount of the culture medium L aspirated into the tip 10 is reduced. In view of this, the third example shows an example in which, when there are a plurality of media having different viscosities as the media to be stored in the container, the suction-series operation is set so that the suction hole t approaches the cell C as the viscosity of the medium becomes higher.

It is assumed that the second vessel 3 shown in FIG. 8A contains the first medium L1 having a predetermined first viscosity and the cells C. On the other hand, it is assumed that the second vessel 3 shown in FIG. 8B contains the second medium L2 having the second viscosity higher than the first viscosity and the cells C. For example, the first medium L1 is a liquid medium, and the second medium L2 is a semi-solid medium such as matrigel (trade name of corning corporation). As shown in FIG. 8(A), when the cells C in the first medium L1 were aspirated, the height of the aspiration hole t with respect to the bottom surface 31 was set to a predetermined height a 31. In this case, a suction range E3 corresponding to the height a31 and the suction amount is formed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(B), when the aspiration operation was performed in the second medium L2 having a higher viscosity than the first medium L1, the aspiration range E4 was narrower than the aspiration range E3. For this reason, when the suction hole t is set to the same height a31 as in the case of the first medium L1 to perform the suction action, the cells C attached to the bottom surface 31 cannot be sucked into the tip 10. Therefore, in performing the suction action on the cells C in the second medium L2, the height position of the suction hole t is set to a height a32 lower by Δ a than the height a31 in the case of the first medium L1. That is, the suction hole t is set at a position closer to the cell C by Δ a to perform the suction operation. Thus, the cells C are contained in the suction range E4, and the cells C can be suctioned into the tip 10. According to the third example described above, even when the culture media L1 and L2 having different viscosities are used, the occurrence of aspiration errors of the cells C can be suppressed.

(fourth example of suction series action)

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a fourth example of the pumping sequence operation. The fourth example shows an example in which the suction-series operation is changed according to the difference in the adhesion force of the cells C to the bottom surfaces 21, 31 of the first container 2 and the second container 3. The adhesion of the cell C to the bottom surfaces 21 and 31 may vary depending on the properties of the cell C. If the same pumping sequence is applied to the cells C having different adhesive forces, the probability of the occurrence of a pumping error of the cells C becomes high. The fourth example shows an example in which the suction-series operation is set so that the suction holes t are closer to the cells C or the suction amount is increased when the suction operation is performed on the cells C having stronger adhesion.

Fig. 9 shows an example in which the first cell C1 (first biological subject) adhering to the bottom surface 21 with the first adhesion force and the second cell C2 (second biological subject) adhering to the bottom surface 21 with the second adhesion force stronger than the first adhesion force are present in the two holes 22 of the first container 2, respectively. Here, an example is shown in which the height position of the suction hole t during the suction operation is changed according to the adhesion force of the cell C to the bottom surface 21. When the tip 10 is caused to aspirate the first cell C1, the height of the aspiration hole t with respect to the bottom surface 21 is set to a predetermined height h 1. In this case, a suction range E5 corresponding to the height h1 and the suction amount is formed.

On the other hand, when the tip 10 is caused to perform the suction action on the second cell C2 having a higher adhesive force than the first cell C1, the position of the suction hole t is set at a position closer to the height h2 of the second cell C2 than the height h1 when the suction action is performed on the first cell C1. Accordingly, the suction range E6 appears narrower than the suction range E5, and when the suction amount to the tip 10 is the same, that is, when the retraction amount of the piston tip portion 123 is the same, the suction force acting on the second cell C2 can be made larger than the suction force acting on the first cell C1. Therefore, even in the case where the second cell C2 is more firmly attached to the bottom surface 21 than the first cell C1, the second cell C2 can be suctioned to the tip 10. According to the fourth example, even in the case of sucking the cells C having different adhesion to the bottom surface 21, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the suction error.

In the fourth example, various suction-series operations can be employed as long as the suction force acting on the second cell C2 having a higher adhesive force is larger than that of the first cell C1 when the suction operation is performed by the tip 10. For example, a manner may be adopted in which the amount of suction of the medium L to the tip 10 is made larger when the second cell C2 is sucked than when the first cell C1 is sucked. In this case, the retraction amount of the piston tip portion 123 is larger when the second cell C2 is suctioned than when the first cell C1 is suctioned.

Alternatively, the suction force may be increased by increasing the speed of the piston 12 to increase the speed of the medium L sucked from the suction hole t. Also, in the case where the suction action by the tip 10 is divided into a plurality of executions, the suction force as a whole can also be increased by increasing the number of times of suction. Further, the method of increasing the suction force and the operation of bringing the suction hole t closer to the second cell C2 in the fourth example described above may be used in combination.

In the fourth example, the adhesion of the cell C to the bottom surface 21 is focused, but the suction-series operation may be changed according to other elements of the cell C. For example, the suction-series operation may be changed according to the size and shape of the cells C, the posture of the cells C stored in the first container 2 and the second container 3, and the like. For example, a cell C that is approximately spherical may be aspirated into the tip 10 with a weaker aspiration force than a cell C that is in an aberrated shape. In addition, in the case of the oval spherical cells C attached to the bottom surface 21 in a nearly upright state, the cells C can be suctioned into the tip 10 with a relatively weaker suction force than in the case of being attached to the bottom surface 21 in a lying state. Further, the aspiration-series operation may be changed according to the degree of easiness of collapse of the cells C, the number of cells to be aspirated, and the like.

(Electrical Structure of cell moving device)

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the cell transfer device S. The cell moving device S includes a camera unit 5 that picks up an image of an object on an imaging optical axis, a lens driving motor 53 that moves a lens unit 51 up and down, a head motor 63 in the head unit 6 that performs a picking-up operation of the cell C in the first container 2 or the second container 3, a shaft motor 64 that moves the head unit 6 in the XY direction, and a control unit 7. The control unit 7 controls the lens driving motor 53 to control the operation of the lens unit 51, performs predetermined processing on the image information acquired by the camera body 52, and controls the pickup operation and the movement operation of the cells C by controlling the head motor 63 and the shaft motor 64.

The lens driving motor 53 moves the lens unit 51 in the vertical direction with a predetermined resolution by a power transmission mechanism not shown in the figure by normal rotation or reverse rotation. By this movement, the focal position of the lens unit 51 is aligned with the cells C attached to the first and second containers 2 and 3. In fig. 10, as shown by the broken line, the lens unit 51 may not be moved, and the first container 2 and the second container 3 themselves or the base 1 serving as a platform on which the first container 2 and the second container 3 are placed may be moved up and down by another motor instead of the lens driving motor 53.

The head motor 63 is a motor as a driving source for moving the head 61 up and down with respect to the head main body 62 and generating a suction force and a discharge force in the suction hole t attached to the tip 10 of the head 61. The spindle motor 64 is a motor as a driving source for moving the head unit 6 (head main body 62) along the guide rail 6G (fig. 1).

The control unit 7 is configured by, for example, a personal computer or the like, and operates to functionally include the drive control unit 71, the image processing unit 72, and the arithmetic unit 73 by executing a predetermined program.

The drive control unit 71 controls the operations of the lens drive motor 53, the head motor 63, and the spindle motor 64. Specifically, the drive control unit 71 supplies a control pulse for moving the lens unit 51 in the vertical direction at a predetermined pitch, for example, a pitch of several tens μm, to the lens drive motor 53 for the focusing operation. Although not shown in fig. 10, the drive control unit 71 also controls the operation of a camera axis drive motor that moves the camera unit 5 along the guide rail 5G. The drive control unit 71 also controls the mechanical operation of the head unit 6. The drive control unit 71 controls the head motor 63 to control the raising and lowering operation of the head 61 and the operation of generating the suction force or the discharge force in the suction hole t of the tip 10.

The image processing unit 72 performs image processing such as pattern recognition processing involving edge detection processing and feature amount extraction on image data acquired by the camera body 52. The image processing unit 72 acquires image data of the first container 2 or the second container 3 carrying the cells C, and recognizes the cells C existing in the first container 2 or the second container 3 by the image processing. Based on the recognition result, the cell C as the moving object is determined.

The arithmetic unit 73 controls the suction operation of the tip 10 to suck the cells C mainly by controlling the operation of the head 61. The calculation unit 73 functionally includes a setting unit 731 for setting the pumping operation and a storage unit 732 for storing various data and setting values. The display unit 74 is a display that displays an image of the cell C captured by the camera unit 5, and displays a suction-related operation. The input unit 75 is a terminal configured by a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and receives various kinds of input information from the operator to the control unit 7.

The input unit 75 receives at least one of first information on a container in which the cells C are accommodated, second information on the medium L, and third information on the cells C as the pumping control information D1. The setting unit 731 of the calculation unit 73 sets the amount of movement of the tip 10 in the vertical direction and/or the amount of suction of the cells C and the medium L from the suction hole t into the tip 10, based on the suction control information D1 received by the input unit 75, when the head 61 (tip 10) performs the suction operation of the cells C.

A specific example of the first information is information on the first container 2, which is a container having the plurality of holes 22 shown in the first example of the suction-series operation, and the second container 3, which is a container having the bottom surface 31 as the flat surface portion shown in the second example. The first information may be, for example, shape data itself such as the size, volume, grid width, and height of the container to be used, or data such as the type and specification of the container. In the latter case, shape data associated with the type and specification of the container to be used is stored in the storage unit 732 in advance. The setting unit 731 sets the amount of movement of the tip 10 in the vertical direction during the suction operation, that is, the height position of the suction hole t, and the amount of suction of the medium L containing the cells C into the tip 10, based on the first information. The drive control unit 71 controls the head motor 63 (the head elevating motor 631 and the piston elevating motor 632) based on the setting, and causes the head 61 to perform the operation shown in the setting.

For example, in the first example described above, as shown in fig. 5, the setting unit 731 sets the amount of lowering movement of the tip 10 so that the suction hole T is located at a position lower than the upper end opening edge 23T of the hole 22. In the second example, as shown in fig. 7, the setting unit 731 sets the amount of lowering movement of the tip 10 so that the suction hole t is located at a height position satisfying the relationship "0 < distance a < 0.5 × distance B".

Specific examples of the second information are information on the amount of the culture medium L shown in the first example of the suction-series operation, that is, the amount located at a position higher than the upper-end opening edge 23T, or on the viscosity of the culture medium L shown in the third example. The second information may be, for example, the state of the medium, for example, the type, viscosity, amount, and the like of a liquid, semisolid, solid, or material, or the like, or the management number of the medium. In the latter case, various data associated with the management number of the medium to be used is stored in the storage unit 732 in advance. The setting part 731 sets the amount of lowering movement or the amount of suction of the tip 10 based on the second information. For example, in the third example described above, as shown in fig. 8, when the suction operation is performed on the cells C of the second medium L2 having a high viscosity, the setting unit 731 sets the amount of downward movement of the tip 10 so that the suction holes t are positioned closer to the cells C than in the case of the first medium L1 having a low viscosity.

Specific examples of the third information include data on the cell C obtained experimentally or empirically by the adhesion of the cell C to the bottom surface 21 as in the fourth example of the suction-series operation, and data on the type, shape, size, color tone, and storage posture of the cell C stored in the container. The setting part 731 sets the amount of lowering movement and the amount of suction of the tip 10 based on the third information. For example, in the fourth example described above, the setting unit 731 sets the amount of downward movement of the tip 10 so that the suction hole t is closer to the cell when the second cell C2 with high adhesion is sucked than when the first cell C1 with low adhesion is sucked. In addition to this, or alternatively, the setting part 731 may set the suction amount of the medium L to be sucked to the tip 10 so that the suction amount is larger when the second cell C2 is sucked than when the first cell C1 is sucked.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the display section 74. Here, setting examples of the tip 10, the vessels 2 and 3, the medium L, and the cells C are shown, which are inputted from the input unit 75 to the setting unit 731. Further, it is shown that the suction-series operation selected according to these settings is "series operation a", and the contents of this "series operation a" are the suction height (height position of the suction hole t) and the suction amount. After confirming the display, the operator gives an instruction to the control unit 7 to perform the suction operation.

(operation flow of cell moving apparatus)

Fig. 12 is a flowchart of the cell pumping operation performed by the cell moving device S. Referring also to fig. 10, if the process is started, the input unit 75 receives the pumping control information D1 including at least one of the first to third information described above (step S1). The setting unit 731 of the calculation unit 73 sets the suction-series operation based on the suction control information D1. That is, a pumping sequence operation most suitable for the container, the culture medium, the type and properties of the cells, and the like is selected (step S2).

Next, the drive controller 71 causes the camera unit 5 to capture an image of the cell C carried in the first container 2 or the second container 3, which is the container placed at the first placement position P1 (fig. 1) (step S3). Specifically, the drive control unit 71 drives the lens unit 51 by the lens drive motor 53, and performs an imaging operation while focusing the lens unit 51 on the cells C in the container. Next, the image processing unit 72 performs predetermined image processing on the image acquired by the camera body 52. By this image processing, the cells C mapped in the acquired image are recognized, and the computing unit 73 derives a feature amount obtained by digitizing the size, shape, color tone, and the like of the outline, area, volume, and the like of each cell C (step S4).

Based on these feature amounts, the calculation unit 73 selects cells C to be moved to the microplate 4, that is, cells C to be suctioned by the tip 10 attached to the head 61, from among the cells C included in the image. The selected cell C is assigned the number n (step S5). Then, the drive control unit 71 sets n to 1 and starts the suction operation (step S6).

The drive control unit 71 operates the spindle motor 64 to move the head 61 (tip 10) in the XY direction to the space above the nth cell C (step S7). After or during the movement in the XY direction, the drive control unit 71 starts the suction operation corresponding to the suction series operation set in step S2. That is, the drive control unit 71 drives the head elevating motor 631 (fig. 2) of the head motor 63 to start the lowering of the head 61 and stop the suction hole t at the height position indicated by the set value of the suction series operation (step S8). After the head 61 is completely lowered or in the middle of the lowering, the drive control unit 71 drives the piston raising and lowering motor 632 (suction mechanism) to raise the piston 12 so that the suction amount becomes equal to the suction amount set to the set value of the suction-series operation. Thereby, the nth cell C is aspirated into the tip 10 (step S9). After or during the suction, the drive control section 71 raises the head 61 (step S10).

Then, the drive control unit 71 determines whether or not the suction of all the numbered cells C is completed (step S11). If the processing is not completed (no in step S11), the drive control unit 71 increments n by 1 (step S12), returns to step S7, and repeats the processing. On the other hand, when the suction is completed (yes in step S11), the processing is ended.

As described above, according to the cell moving device S of the present embodiment, the amount of movement and/or the amount of suction of the tip 10 in the vertical direction in the suction operation of the cell C is controlled by the suction control information D1 received by the input unit 75. That is, the manner of the suction operation is changed in accordance with information on the first container 2 or the second container 3, the culture medium L, and the cells C (biological object). Therefore, instead of the uniform suction-series operation of the cells C, a preferable suction-series operation can be set based on the suction control information D1, and as a result, the occurrence of suction errors of the cells C can be suppressed.

(inventions covered by the above embodiments)

The above embodiments mainly include the invention having the following configurations.

An apparatus for picking up a biological object according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a base on which a container having an upper surface opened for accommodating a biological object and a culture medium is placed; a head disposed above the base and movable in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, a tip having a suction hole for sucking the biological object from the container being attached to a lower end of the head, the head including a suction mechanism for generating a suction force in the suction hole; a control unit for controlling the operation of the head to cause the tip to perform a suction operation for sucking the biological object; and an input unit capable of inputting information to the control unit, wherein the input unit receives, as suction control information, at least one of first information on the container, second information on the culture medium, and third information on the biological object, and the control unit controls, when the suction operation is performed, a moving amount of the tip attached to the head in a vertical direction and/or a suction amount of the biological object and the culture medium from the suction hole into the tip, based on the suction control information.

According to this pickup device, the amount of movement of the tip in the vertical direction and/or the amount of suction during the suction operation are controlled in accordance with the suction control information received by the input unit. In other words, the manner of the suction operation can be changed based on information on the container, the culture medium, and the biological object. Therefore, the suction-series operation can be set to a preferable one based on the suction control information, instead of the uniform suction-series operation of the biological object, and as a result, the occurrence of suction errors can be suppressed.

In the above-described apparatus for picking up a biological object, it is preferable that the control unit controls the movement amount of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is located above the biological object accommodated in the hole and below the upper end opening edge of the hole when the first information is information indicating that a container having a plurality of holes for accommodating the biological object is present in the container and the second information is information indicating that a culture medium in an amount that the upper surface of the culture medium is located higher than the upper end opening edge of the hole is held in the container.

In the above container, it is intended to store the biological object in each hole. According to the above-described pickup device, the suction operation is performed in a state where the suction hole enters a hole for accommodating a biological object as a suction target. Therefore, the flow accompanying the suction operation can be made difficult to occur in the hole adjacent to the periphery of the hole. Therefore, when the suction operation is performed on the biological object as the suction target, the biological object accommodated in the hole in the periphery can be prevented from being sucked incidentally. That is, only the biological object of the suction target may be suctioned into the tip.

In the above-described biological object pickup apparatus, it is preferable that, when the first information is information indicating a container having a flat surface portion on which a plurality of biological objects can be attached to a bottom surface of the container, the control unit controls the amount of movement of the tip so that the suction hole is positioned at a position satisfying a relationship of 0 < distance a < 0.5 × distance B, assuming that a distance between the suction hole and the certain biological object is a and a distance between the certain biological object and another biological object closest to the certain biological object is B, when the suction operation is performed on the certain biological object attached to the bottom surface.

In the above-described container, there is also a container in which a plurality of biological objects are present on a flat surface portion of a bottom surface of the container without interposing a partition wall or the like. In this case, the adjacent biological objects are also easily sucked at the same time by the suction flow generated when the suction operation is performed on a certain biological object. However, by satisfying the above relational expression and bringing the suction hole close to the biological object to be suctioned so that the distance a becomes 1/2 or less of the distance B, the probability of suctioning only the biological object into the tip can be increased.

In the above-described apparatus for picking up a biological object, it is preferable that the control unit controls the movement amount of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is closer to the biological object than in a case where the suction operation is performed on the biological object in the first medium, when the second information is information on the viscosity of the medium and the first medium having a predetermined first viscosity and the second medium having a second viscosity higher than the first viscosity are present in the medium to be accommodated in the container.

In general, when the suction hole generates a constant suction force, the range in which the flow accompanying suction can be generated tends to be narrower as the viscosity of the culture medium is higher. That is, the higher the viscosity of the medium, the narrower the pumping range tends to be. According to the above-described pickup device, when the suction operation is performed on the biological object in the second medium having a high viscosity, the suction hole is closer to the biological object than when the suction operation is performed on the biological object in the first medium. Therefore, even in the case of using culture media of different viscosities, the occurrence of aspiration errors can be suppressed.

In the above-described apparatus for picking up a biological object, it is preferable that the control unit controls the first adhesion force of the biological object to the bottom surface of the container and the second adhesion force of the biological object to the bottom surface of the container, when the third information is information on the adhesion force of the biological object to the bottom surface of the container, and the biological object to be accommodated in the container includes a first biological object adhering to the bottom surface with the first adhesion force and a second biological object adhering to the bottom surface with the second adhesion force stronger than the first adhesion force, controlling a moving amount of the tip so that the position of the suction hole is closer to the biological object than when the suction action is performed on the first biological object, when the suction action is performed on the second biological object, and/or controlling the amount of suction of the tip in a manner that is greater than when the first biological subject performs the suction action.

The adhesion force of the biological object to the bottom surface of the container may vary depending on the property of the biological object. According to the above-described pickup device, when the suction operation is performed on the second biological object having high adhesion, the suction hole can be brought closer to the biological object or the suction amount can be increased as compared with when the suction operation is performed on the first biological object. That is, the suction force acting on the second biological subject is larger than the suction force acting on the first biological subject when the suction operation is performed. Therefore, even if suction is performed on a biological object having a different adhesive force with respect to the bottom surface of the container, occurrence of suction error can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, when a biological object accommodated in a container is suctioned by a tip, a pickup device capable of suppressing a suction error of the biological object can be provided.