Investigating tissue samples, especially for cancer diagnosis, comprises assigning fluorescence-labeled samples to positional coordinates, irradiating the samples and determining the fluorescence intensity

摘要

Investigating tissue samples starting with a set of tissue samples treated with a systemically applicable fluorescent marker comprising assigning the samples to the xy coordinates of a particular sampling point, irradiating the samples with electromagnetic radiation and determining the intensity of the resulting fluorescence, is new. Independent claims are included for: (1) apparatus for determining three-dimensional data from tissue samples, comprising a sampling device with a hollow needle that can take a cylindrical sample at a sampling point within a biological tissue, can then rotate through a predetermined angle, can advance along a spiral path in the tissue and can provide tissue samples with two-dimensional position assignments in a quasicontinuous manner; a radiation source that can excite a given fluorescent marker within a tissue sample; a detector for determining the intensity of the fluorescence emitted by the marker; and a central processing unit that links the position assignment of the tissue samples to the fluorescence intensity and provides a three-dimensional data set with the fluorescence intensity distribution at the sampling point; (2) use of a gadolinium chelate complex to produce a systemic agent for fluorecence marking of tumors and for detection by means of fluorescence in tissue samples; (3) use of metalloporphyrins to produce a systemic agent for enrichment in tumors and for detection by means of fluorescence in tissue samples; (4) use of fluorescence-labeled bacteria, viruses or proteins to produce a systemic agent for enrichment in tumors and for detection by means of fluorescence in tissue samples.