Development of a Static Tissue Sampling Probe

在皮肤癌和非皮肤癌的积极化疗期间，许多患者表现出来源不明的皮肤病变。同样，在硬皮病和银屑病等疾病中，“发作”期间发生的体内事件也是未知的。我们与美国国家癌症研究所皮肤科分支的研究人员合作，设计并制造了一种基于32号针灸针的微创样本采集针。这种“静态”取样针能够从诸如皮肤和肌肉的限定解剖部位获得组织液样本，同时不会引起比与针灸相关的不适更进一步的不适。该针基于标准的日式针灸针，具有距离尖端约0.2 mm的50微米直径的激光钻孔。该孔填充有冻干水凝胶。一旦针被放置在组织中，凝胶再水合，将局部组织液吸入凝胶中。取出针头，取出凝胶，放入免疫亲和毛细管电泳毛细管中进行进一步分析。该设备的主要优点是可以在对患者的不适最小的情况下获得多个样本。此外，使用深度计的修改可以将针尖准确地放置到期望的目标组织中，从而确保在限定的解剖区域内进行采样。

During active chemotherapy for dermal and non-dermal cancer, many patients exhibit sclerotic lesions of unknown origin. Likewise, in diseases such as scleroderma and psoriasis, in vivo events occurring during "flares" are unknown. In collaboration with investigators within the Dermatology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, we have designed and fabricated a minimally invasive sample procurement needle based on a 32-gauge acupuncture needle. This "static" sampling needle is capable of obtaining tissue fluid samples from a defined anatomical site such as skin and muscle while causing no further discomfort than that associated with acupuncture. The needle, based on a standard Japanese-style acupuncture needle, has a 50-micron diameter laser-drilled hole approximately 0.2 mm from the tip. This hole is filled with lyophilized hydrogel. Once the needle is placed in the tissue, the gel rehydrates, drawing local tissue fluid into the gel. The needle is extracted and the gel is removed and placed into immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis capillaries for further analysis. The major advantage of this apparatus is that multiple samples can be obtained with minimal discomfort to the patient. Additionally, modification with a depth gauge can accurately place the needle tip into the desired target tissue thus ensuring that sampling occurs within a defined anatomical region.