Histological facilitation systems and methods

• US 20100081925A1
• 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: 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:
  US12/286,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/043 for fluorescence imaging
• 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 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

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 extending a portion of a device into a living organism;

second means for applying a treatment material to tissue adjacent the device; and

third means for transmitting a result of the treatment material.

2. A medical or veterinary system comprising:

a device having at least (a) a handling control surface, (b) a distal portion narrow enough to extend into a living organism, (c) a first dispenser configured to apply a first treatment material to tissue adjacent the device, and (d) a first output module configured to transmit a result of the first treatment material.

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

circuitry for actuating the first dispenser in response to contemporaneous user input.

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

circuitry for positioning at least the distal portion of the device.

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

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

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

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

7. 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 a sample of the tissue.

8. 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 a sample of the tissue.

9. 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 a sample of the tissue.

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

laser scanning equipment operable for receiving at least the distal portion of the device.

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

a separable extraction module of the device; and

imaging equipment operable for receiving the separable extraction module of the device.

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

a recessed portion of the device containing a sample of the tissue adjacent the device.

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

a recessed portion of the device containing a sample of the tissue adjacent the device; and

one or more conduits operably coupling the first output module with 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 tissue adjacent the device.

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

a permeabilizing agent.

18. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the device further comprises:

an electropermeabilization module configured to permeabilize at least some of the tissue.

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

a device configured to extract a sample of the tissue adjacent the distal portion.

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

a component configured to observe the tissue and to transmit the result via one or more conduits.

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

a component configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device and to cause at least some of the result of the first treatment material to be stored.

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

a sensor configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device and to transmit at least some of the result on one or more physical media.

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

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

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

a fluorescence microscope configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device 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 confocal microscope configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device 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 spectrometer configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device 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:

an imaging system configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device 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:

a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging system configured to observe the tissue adjacent the device 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:

circuitry for transmitting energy into a sample of the tissue adjacent the device; and

circuitry for capturing an image of the sample of the tissue.

30. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the device further comprises:

the handling control surface configured to permit a user to extend an entirety of a first tissue extraction cavity into the living organism.

31. The medical or veterinary system of claim 2 in which the device further comprises:

a first separable extraction module containing a cavity and supportable by and separable from a remainder of the device.

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

one or more media bearing an attribute of a macromolecule relating to the tissue adjacent the device.

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

one or more media bearing a morphological category relating to a portion of the tissue adjacent the device.

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

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

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

a fluorescent marking agent of the first treatment material.

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

a stain of the first treatment material.

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

a second dispenser operable to administer a stain.

38. 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 adjacent the device.

15-16. -16. (canceled)