Gene analysis and generation of stem cell methods and apparatus
A surgical treatment apparatus comprises a waterjet configured to fragment tissue and provide intact cells such as stem cells with the fragmented tissue. The intact cells can be used in one or more of many ways such as for genetic or other testing, and the intact cells can be identified as stem cells. In many embodiments, the intact cells comprise stem cells. In many embodiments, a waterjet is configured to fragment tissue. The fragmented tissue can be collected with a filter having pores sized smaller than the tissue fragments. In many embodiments cavitation with a waterjet is used to fragment the tissue comprising the intact stem cells. The waterjet may comprise a waterjet immersed in a liquid comprising water so as to form a plurality of shedding pulses. The plurality of shedding pulses can be generated with a frequency sufficient to fragment the tissue. The shedding pulses can generate cavitations that fragment the tissue.
1. A method to harvest intact cells from a surgical site of a patient, the method comprising:
inserting a catheter with an evacuation tube into the patient;
fragmenting tissue from an organ using a water jet released from a nozzle, the water jet comprising a plurality of pulsatile cavitation clouds comprising a characteristic frequency, wherein the tissue fragmented by the plurality of pulsatile cavitation clouds comprises intact cells and flow through the nozzle is substantially continuous for the plurality of pulsatile cavitation clouds;
drawing the fragmented tissue through the evacuation tube; and
collecting a sample of the fragmented tissue in a collection apparatus comprising a filter element.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises analyzing the sample of fragmented tissue using one or more of tissue staining, cell staining, and cell sorting to detect markers comprising one or more of cell-surface antigens, intracellular proteins, or genes.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises pluripotent stem cell harvesting.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filter element comprises a plurality of pores having a plurality a pore sizes and wherein the plurality of pore sizes is dimensioned larger than dimensions of the intact cells in order to collect the plurality of fragments comprising the intact cells with the filter.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises an inner restricted diameter corresponding to a diameter of the water jet released from the nozzle and wherein the nozzle is configured to dissociate the tissue into a plurality of fragments having dimensions sized larger than the inner restricted diameter.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the nozzle and the evacuation tube are arranged to provide a slurry to the evacuation tube, the slurry comprising the plurality of fragments and fluid of the water jet.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water jet exits the nozzle arranged with the evacuation tube in order to immerse the water jet in a liquid in order to generate a plurality of shedding pulses with the water jet immersed in the liquid.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising advancing the catheter to a surgical site.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle generates the water jet with a first flow rate and the evacuation tube removes tissue fragments and fluid at a second flow rate and wherein a fluid reservoir is coupled to the surgical site with a channel to accommodate differences between the first flow rate and the second flow rate.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a flow rate of the water jet is within a range from about 10 ml/min to about 500 ml/min.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle has an internal nozzle diameter within a range from about 50 um to 250 um.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating the water jet around an elongate axis of the catheter wherein an angular velocity of the water jet is within a range from about 10 degrees per second to 2000 degrees per second.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the water jet in a longitudinal direction, wherein a longitudinal velocity of the water jet along an elongate axis of the catheter is within a range from about 0.01 mm/second to about 50 mm/second.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a longitudinal length of a treatment is within range from about 0.1 mm to about 300 mm.