Device and method for handling biological tissues

Abstract

A tissue handling device is disclosed. A tissue collecting device is disclosed. A cassette for handling biological tissues is disclosed. A tissue dyeing device is disclosed. A method for handling biological tissues is disclosed. A method for dyeing biological tissues is disclosed.

1 . A device for collecting onto a sample holder a biological tissue carried on a shaft, the device comprising a base, a lever and a needle bed, wherein said needle bed is attached to one of said base and said lever and is configured to support, substantially in a pre-defined position, a shaft carrying a biological tissue, whereas the other one of said base and said lever is configured to support a sample holder attached thereto, and wherein said lever is movable between settings relative to said base, thereby a sample holder suitably attached to said device is movable relative to said needle bed, so that:
 in a first setting said sample holder and said needle bed are distant from one another, and   in a second setting said sample holder and said needle bed are situated proximal to one another having a predefined arrangement relative to one another.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is attached to said base and said lever is configured to be attached to a sample holder. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is attached to said lever and said base is configured to be attached to a sample holder. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said lever is detachable from said base. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said lever is not detachable from said base. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said lever is pivotally associated with said base thereby being movable between said settings relative to said base substantially along a curve. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said lever is mechanically associated with said base by a track, thereby being movable between said settings relative to said base substantially along said track. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein said track comprises one or more rails or one or more grooves. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is detachable from said device. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10  wherein said needle bed is a disposable part. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder and said needle bed face one another in said second setting. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder may contact a biological tissue carried by a shaft supported by said needle bed when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said shaft is a core biopsy needle. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14  wherein said shaft is a core biopsy needle having a notch. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15  wherein said notch of said core biopsy needle comprises a notch floor configured to carry a biological tissue. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16  wherein said needle bed is configured to support a core biopsy needle so that said notch floor is substantially parallel to said sample holder when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17  wherein a biological tissue carried on said notch is pressed between said sample holder and said notch floor when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 16  wherein said needle bed is configured to support a core biopsy needle so that said notch floor is not parallel to said sample holder when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19  wherein said needle bed is configured to support a core biopsy needle so that said notch floor is perpendicular to said sample holder when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 19  wherein a biological tissue carried on said notch is not pressed between said sample holder and said notch floor when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 14  further comprising a gun house configured to secure to said device a biopsy gun having a biopsy needle so that said biopsy needle is supported by said needle bed in said pre-defined position. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 22  wherein said gun house has an adjustable dimension and/or shape. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 22  wherein said gun house has fixed dimensions and shape. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder is capable of adhering to a biological tissue by contacting said biological tissue. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 25  wherein said sample holder is configured to contact, in said second setting, a biological tissue carried on said shaft, thereby adhering to said biological tissue and detaching said biological tissue from said shaft when said lever is moved to said first setting. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder is configured to hold a sample sheet capable of adhering to a biological tissue by contacting said biological tissue. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder comprises a sample sheet, capable of adhering to a biological tissue by contacting said biological tissue. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder comprises a cassette configured to hold a biological tissue collected from a shaft by said device. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 29  wherein said cassette is detachable from said device by hand. 
     
     
         31 . The device of  claim 29  wherein said cassette is configured to hold a sample sheet, capable of adhering to a biological tissue by contacting said biological tissue. 
     
     
         32 . The device of  claim 28  wherein said sample sheet is configured to contact, in said second setting, a biological tissue carried on said shaft, thereby adhering to said biological tissue and detaching said biological tissue from said shaft when said lever is moved to said first setting. 
     
     
         33 . The device of  claim 29  wherein said cassette has an unsymmetrical external outline precluding rotational symmetry of said cassette, except for the trivial rotational symmetry of 360 degrees. 
     
     
         34 . The device of  claim 33  wherein said cassette may be attached to said device only in a single orientation of said cassette relative to said base of said device. 
     
     
         35 . The device of  claim 34  wherein a biological tissue is attached to said sample holder so that an orientation of said biological tissue on said notch is substantially known and maintained as long as the biological tissue is on said sample holder. 
     
     
         36 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said sample holder is controllably displaceable relative to said device when attached to said device. 
     
     
         37 . The device of  claim 36  wherein said sample holder is controllably displaceable between several well-defined positions, thereby allowing collecting sequentially onto several locations on said sample holder, several biological tissues, respectively. 
     
     
         38 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is flexibly attached to said device thereby being able to tilt relative to said device and align substantially parallel to said sample holder when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         39 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is flexibly attached to said device thereby being able to yield relative to said device when said lever is in said second setting. 
     
     
         40 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising an imaging modality fixedly attached to said base and aimed and configured to obtain an image of said sample holder when said lever is in said first setting. 
     
     
         41 . The device of  claim 40  wherein said imaging modality is a CCD camera. 
     
     
         42 .- 74 . (canceled) 
     
     
         75 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said needle bed is attached to one of said lever and said base, and the device further comprises a sample holder attached to the other of said lever and said base, thereby having a predefined arrangement relative to said needle bed in said second setting. 
     
     
         76 . The device of  claim 75  wherein a shaft supported by said needle bed is positioned in a predefined position relative to said sample holder in said second setting. 
     
     
         77 . The device of  claim 76  wherein a notch of a core biopsy needle supported by said needle bad is positioned in a predefined position relative to said sample holder in said second setting. 
     
     
         78 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a magnet situated near said needle bed and configured to apply a magnetic force to stabilize in place a shaft supported by said needle bad. 
     
     
         79 . The device of  claim 78  wherein said shaft comprises a biopsy needle.