Histological facilitation systems and methods

• US 20100081924A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Olson, Jonathan E., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Rivet, Dennis J., Hyde, Roderick A., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Leuthardt, Eric C.
• Application Number:
  US12/286,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081924A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/043 for fluorescence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/306 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3614 using optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3937 Visible markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0068 Confocal scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0071 by measuring fluorescence emission
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

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 bearing (a) an earlier image depicting at least some of a cell to which an optical enhancement material was applied in vivo and (b) a later image depicting at least some of the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo; and

second means for indicating the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

2. An apparatus comprising:

one or more physical media bearing (a) an earlier image depicting at least some of a cell to which an optical enhancement material was applied in vivo and (b) a later image depicting at least some of the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

some of the one or more physical media bearing other data relating to the cell.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

one or more identifiers of a protocol by which the optical enhancement material was applied to the cell in vivo.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

one or more identifiers of a protocol by which the cell was frozen.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

one or more identifiers of the optical enhancement material to which the cell was exposed in vivo.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

one or more identifiers of a luminescent component of the optical enhancement material.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

a go/no-go indication relating to the cell.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the earlier image:

comprises;

a laser-scanned image of at least some of the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

11. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the later image comprises:

the later image depicting the cell frozen.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media further comprises:

some of the one or more physical media indicating an extraction of the cell from an organism.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for causing the optical enhancement material to be applied to the cell in vivo in response to contemporaneous user input.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

circuitry for causing at least some of the optical enhancement material to be applied to the cell in vivo within five seconds after a user'"'"'s signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for positioning a dispenser adjacent the cell in vivo.

16. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for processing device-detectable data obtained from one or more biomarker detection protocols performed upon the cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for processing device-detectable data obtained from one or more laser scanning protocols performed upon the cell.

19. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

one or more other physical media bearing an operational setting value usable in laser scanning equipment for analyzing the cell.

20. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprises:

some of the one or more physical media bearing an operational setting value usable for analyzing the cell.

21. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprises:

a conduit configured to bear a result of an irradiation in vivo of the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

22. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more conduits coupling imaging equipment with a module configured to contain the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

23. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more conduits coupling imaging equipment with an instrument configured to perform an extraction of the cell to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

29. The apparatus of claim 2 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

one or more size-descriptive quantities relating to the cell.

33. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprise:

at least one of the one or more physical media bearing device-detectable data that was generated while a treatment was applied to the cell.

34. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprise:

at least one of the one or more physical media bearing device-detectable data that was generated after a chamber was withdrawn from an organism to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

35. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprise:

at least one of the one or more physical media bearing a result that was generated from raw sensor data.

36. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprise:

at least one of the one or more physical media bearing device-detectable data that was generated while a chamber extended into an organism to which the optical enhancement material was applied in vivo.

37. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an extraction module containing a chamber, in which a treatment commenced upon a portion of an organism'"'"'s tissue in the chamber and continued upon the cell in the chamber.

38. The apparatus of claim 2, farther comprising:

an extraction module containing a chamber, in which the chamber contained a reagent to begin a treatment upon tissue entering the chamber.

39. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a laser microtome configured to extract a portion of the cell by severing a portion of tissue in a chamber from a remainder of the tissue in the chamber.

40. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an instrument configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to transmit at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

41. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an instrument configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to store at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

42. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an instrument configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to present at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

43. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an electron microscope configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

44. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a fluorescence microscope configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

45. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a confocal microscope configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

46. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a spectrometer configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

47. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

an imaging system configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

48. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging system configured to observe the cell in a chamber and to provide at least some device-detectable data on the one or more physical media.

49. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

circuitry for transmitting energy into the cell in a chamber; and

circuitry for capturing an image of the cell.

51. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a handling control surface configured to permit a user to extend an entirety of a chamber into an organism.

52. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

at least one of the one or more physical media bearing a descriptor of an instrument that contains at least one chamber configured to contain at least the cell.

53. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

at least some device-detectable data indicating a therapeutic agent administered to an organism to which the optical enhancement material was later applied in vivo.

54. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

at least some device-detectable data indicating a therapeutic agent administered to the cell in vivo.

55. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the one or more physical media comprise:

a portable module including at least an auditory interface configured to be;

operated while the portable module is held or worn.

70. The apparatus of claim 2 in which a portion of the one or more physical media comprises:

a magnetoresistive random access memory configured to receive the earlier image.

9. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

24-28. -28. (canceled)

30-32. -32. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

56-69. -69. (canceled)

71. (canceled)