Histological facilitation systems and methods

• US 20100081916A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deep Science LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Rivet, Dennis J., Hyde, Roderick A., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Leuthardt, Eric C., Olson, Jonathan E.
• Application Number:
  US12/286,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081916A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0096 Casings for storing test samples A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; preservation of living parts of the human or animal body A01N1/02; containers for retaining a material to be analysed B01L3/50; containers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/16; swab-sampler being part of enzymology or microbiology container C12M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/02 Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/06 Biopsy forceps , e.g. with cup-shaped jaws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/02 by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques devices for cooling specific reflex points of the body within cell-life limits A61H39/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0225 for taking multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0212 using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/395 with marking agent for marking skin or other tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0062 Arrangements for scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0068 Confocal scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other modalities are described for generating or otherwise handling images or other data indicating (a) an extraction of chemically treated tissue frozen in vivo, (b) a treatment of a tissue sample in a chamber extended into tissue of an organism, and/or (c) cells to which an optical enhancement material was applied in vivo. Several contexts in which such indications facilitate histological evaluation are likewise described.

Claims

1. A medical or veterinary system comprising:

first means for extracting a tissue sample into a surgical probe;

second means for applying a first treatment to the tissue sample in the surgical probe; and

third means for transmitting a result of the first treatment from the surgical probe.

2. A medical or veterinary system comprising:

a surgical probe having a first separable extraction module;

a treatment module configured to apply a first treatment to a tissue sample in the first separable extraction module of the surgical probe; and

an output module configured to transmit a result of the first treatment from the surgical probe.

3. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the treatment module comprises:

circuitry for causing an application of the first treatment in response to contemporaneous user input.

4. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for positioning at least the first separable extraction module.

5. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for positioning at least a distal end of the surgical probe.

6. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for processing data from one or more assay protocols performed upon the tissue sample.

7. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for processing data from one or more biomarker detection protocols performed upon the tissue sample.

8. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one medium bearing an operational setting value usable in laser scanning equipment for analyzing the tissue sample.

9. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one medium bearing an operational setting value usable in a mass spectroscope for analyzing the tissue sample.

10. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one medium bearing an operational setting value usable in a microscope for analyzing the tissue sample.

11. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

laser scanning equipment operable for receiving the first separable extraction module.

12. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

imaging equipment operable for receiving the first separable extraction module.

13. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the output module comprises:

one or more conduits operably coupling the first separable extraction module to imaging equipment operable to detect the result of the first treatment.

14. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for configuring the result to include one or more quantifications derived from an optical field of the surgical probe.

17. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the first treatment comprises:

a permeabilizing agent.

18. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the first treatment comprises:

one or more of a microinjection or an electropermeabilization.

19. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

an ultramicrotome configured to section the tissue sample.

20. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a device configured to extract the tissue sample by severing a larger tissue sample.

21. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, in which the output module comprises:

a device configured to observe the tissue sample in a first chamber of the first separable extraction module and to transmit the result via one or more conduits.

23. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a device configured to monitor the tissue sample in the first separable extraction module and to cause a presentation of at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

24. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

an electron microscope configured to observe the tissue sample and to provide at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

25. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a fluorescence microscope configured to observe the tissue sample and to provide at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

26. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a confocal microscope configured to observe the tissue sample and to provide at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

27. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a spectrometer configured to observe the tissue sample and to provide at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

28. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

an imaging system configured to observe the tissue sample and to provide at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

29. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging system configured to observe the tissue sample and to transmit at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

30. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for transmitting energy into the tissue sample; and

circuitry for capturing an image of the tissue sample.

31. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the surgical probe comprises:

one or more handling control surfaces configured to permit a user to extend an entirety of the first separable extraction module into an organism.

32. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the surgical probe comprises:

the first separable extraction module containing a chamber and supportable by and separable from a remainder of the surgical probe.

33. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the surgical probe comprises:

a second extraction module.

34. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more physical media bearing a descriptor of a device that includes at least the first separable extraction module.

35. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more media bearing an attribute of a macromolecule of the tissue sample.

36. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more media bearing a shape-indicative category relating to a portion of the tissue sample.

37. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for selecting a stain effective for indicating whether the tissue sample includes a chromosomal abnormality.

38. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for causing the tissue sample to come into contact with a stain effective for indicating whether the tissue sample apparently exhibits an attribute of interest.

39. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more media bearing an indication of whether the tissue sample apparently exhibits a chromosomal attribute of interest.

40. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, in which the first dispenser comprises:

one or more media bearing an indication of how much of the tissue sample apparently exhibits a pathology.

41. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, in which the first dispenser comprises:

one or more media bearing a go/no-go result.

42. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a dispenser operable to mark a portion of the tissue sample with a luminescent material.

43. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

a dispenser operable to mark a portion of the tissue sample with a stain.

44. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for configuring the result to include one or more size-descriptive quantities relating to the tissue sample.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

22. (canceled)