APPARATUS FOR ENSURING A STERILE ENVIRONMENT FOR INCUBATING CELL CULTURES

A device for providing a sterile environment for the incubation of cell cultures is proposed, comprising a warming chamber with heating elements, sensors for temperature, humidity and CO2, and a gas supply providing a gas connection in the interior. The device also has a cultivation tank located in the warming chamber. This has a sealable passage for each sensor, and also a sealable gas inlet and outlet that couples to the gas connection inside the warming chamber. The sensors of the warming chamber are arranged to fit into respective passages of the cultivation vessel. The device also has a water reservoir arranged in the cultivation tank. The three elements of the warming chamber, the cultivation container and the water reservoir can be sterilized separately using the optimal method for each. Since the sensors are not part of the cultivation container, the latter can also be decontaminated by high temperatures. The sterilized warming chamber ensures that the cell cultures in the cultivation container cannot be contaminated from the outside, nor can they cause contamination in the laboratory.