SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUES

• US 20120156712A1
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micromass UK Ltd (Waters Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MediMass Kutat Fejleszt S Szolgltat KFT
• Inventors: Takats, Zoltan
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,448 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/29
• 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: G01N 1/02 Devices for withdrawing samples sampling of foundation soil E02D1/04; collecting or conveying radioactive samples G01T7/00, e.g. G01T7/02, G01T7/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/028 Sampling from a surface, swabbing, vaporising
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/045 Laser ablation; Microwave vaporisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2886 Laser cutting, e.g. tissue catapult
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/62 by investigating the ionisation of gases, e.g. aerosols; by investigating electric discharges, e.g. emission of cathode
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/04 Arrangements for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed, e.g. vacuum locks; Arrangements for external adjustment of electron- or ion-optical components
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/165 Electrospray ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/168 field ionisation, e.g. corona discharge atmospheric pressure corona discharge per se H01T19/00

Abstract

The present invention provides for a system, method, and device for analyzing, localizing and/or identifying tissue types. The method includes analyzing, localizing and/or identifying one or more tissue samples, characterized in that the method comprises: (a) generating gaseous tissue particles from a site in the one or more tissue samples, (b) transporting the gaseous tissue particles from the site to an analyser, (c) using the analyser for generating tissue-related data based on the gaseous tissue particles, and (d) analyzing, localizing and/or identifying the one or more tissue samples based on the tissue-related data. The invention can either be used in close conjunction with a surgical procedure, when one or more surgical tools are an integrated part of ionization, or as a separate mass spectrometric probe for the analysis of one or more tissue parts.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A method for analyzing animal tissue, the method comprising:

disintegrating a portion of the animal tissue in situ to generate gaseous tissue particles;

transporting the gaseous tissue particles to an analyzer; and

using the analyzer to generate tissue-related data based on the gaseous tissue particles.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said gaseous tissue particles comprise at least one of:

individual molecules in gas phase, and clusters of molecules.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein disintegrating the portion of animal tissue is performed in vivo.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the gaseous tissue particles are generated by contacting the portion of the animal tissue with a disintegrating device.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the disintegrating device operates by one of:

ultrasonication, Joule-heating, or contact heating.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the disintegrating device comprises one of:

a water jet and a device capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein the analyzer comprises one of:

a mass spectrometer and an ion mobility spectrometer.

46. The method of claim 39, further comprising ionizing at least some of the gaseous tissue particles.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein said ionizing comprises one of:

corona discharge ionization and secondary electrospray ionization.

48. The method of claim 39, further comprising signaling the results of the analysis to a user within an effective time frame.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein said signaling is continuously displayed to the user.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein said effective time frame is real time.

51. The method of claim 39, further comprising comparing said tissue-related data with a library of data corresponding to a plurality of known tissue types.

52. A system for analyzing animal tissue, the system comprising:

a disintegrating device configured to generate gaseous tissue particles from a portion of animal tissue in situ;

an analyzer for generating tissue-related data based on the gaseous tissue particles; and

a transporter configured to transport the gaseous tissue particles to the analyzer.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the gaseous tissue particles comprise at least one of:

individual molecules in gas phase, and clusters of molecules.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein the disintegrating device is capable of generating gaseous tissue particles from a portion of animal tissue in vivo.

55. The system of claim 52, wherein the disintegrating device is configured to operate by one of:

ultrasonication, Joule heating, or contact heating.

56. The system of claim 52, wherein the disintegrating device comprises one of:

a water jet and a device capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation.

57. The system of claim 52, wherein the analyzer comprises one of:

a mass spectrometer and an ion mobility spectrometer.

58. A method of analyzing a condensed-phase sample, the method comprising:

disintegrating a portion of the condensed-phase sample to generate gaseous particles with a disintegrating device; and

transporting at least some of the gaseous particles to an analyzer,

wherein the disintegrating device operates by one of;

ultrasonication, Joule heating, or contact heating.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the condensed-phase sample comprises in situ and in vivo animal tissue.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the gaseous particles comprise at least one of:

individual molecules in gas phase, and clusters of molecules.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein the gaseous particles are generated by contacting the portion of the condensed-phase sample with the disintegrating device.

62. The method of claim 58, wherein the analyzer comprises one of:

a mass spectrometer and an ion mobility spectrometer.

63. The method of claim 58, further comprising ionizing at least some of the gaseous particles.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein said ionizing comprises one of:

corona discharge ionization and secondary electrospray ionization.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising using the analyzer to generate data based on the gaseous particles, and comparing the data to a library of results corresponding to a plurality of known sample types.

66. The method of claim 65, further comprising signaling the results of the analysis to a user within an effective time frame.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein said signaling is continuously displayed to the user.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein said effective time frame is real time.

69. A system for analyzing a condensed-phase sample, the system comprising:

a disintegrating device for generating gaseous particles from a condensed-phase sample;

an analyzer configured to generate data based on the gaseous particles; and

a transporter configured to transport at least some of the gaseous particles to the analyzer,

wherein the disintegrating device operates by one of;

ultrasonication, Joule heating, or contact heating.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein the condensed-phase sample comprises in situ and in vivo animal tissue.

71. The system of claim 69, wherein the gaseous particles comprise at least one of:

individual molecules in gas phase, and clusters of molecules.

72. The system of claim 69, wherein the analyzer comprises one of:

a mass spectrometer and an ion mobility spectrometer.