Device and method for in vivo cytology acquisition

1. A swallowable capsule for in-vivo cytology acquisition comprising:

a capsule housing;

at least one rotatable drum having a body and being rotatably mounted about a spindle within said capsule housing so as to be rotatable relative thereto, said rotatable drum comprising a sampling cavity defined by the body of the rotatable drum and having an opening in the body and into said sampling cavity;

a brush attached onto said drum within said sampling cavity for brushing against a tissue and acquiring cytology; and

a porthole in said housing through which the brush may make contact with the tissue;

wherein rotating said rotatable drum relative to said housing either aligns said opening with said porthole to acquire cytology using the brush or aligns a portion of said body with said porthole to seal said sampling cavity from an environment external to said housing.

2. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule further comprises a magnet attached to said drum.

3. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule is operated remotely without requiring wires or attachments passing through the mouth or anus.

4. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule is attached to a thread or wire to operate the brush or to provide power and commands to the capsule.

5. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the drum comprises a fixative or preservative substance to prevent the cytology from degrading or decaying.

6. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the brush includes bristles modified to scrape off and to retain cells.

7. The capsule according to claim 1 , wherein the capsule comprises:

a plurality of rotatable drums, brushes and portholes, wherein each rotatable drum has attached thereto a respective brush for sampling any of tissue cells and body fluids through a respective porthole.

8. The capsule as in claim 1 , wherein the capsule comprises a sampling wheel, wherein said sampling wheel comprises the at least one rotatable drum mounted thereto and is either of a static sampling wheel and a dynamic sampling wheel.

9. The capsule as in claim 8 , wherein the static sampling wheel comprises on-board portholes.

10. The capsule as in claim 1 , wherein the drum is rotatable using any of: a spring, a motor, a magnet, and an external electromagnetic field.

11. The capsule as in claim 1 , further comprising permanent magnets to facilitate electromagnetic maneuvering of the capsule by an external electromagnetic field.

12. The capsule as in claim 7 , wherein the drum comprises a locking/unlocking recess adapted to accept a locking cam or locking pin.

13. The capsule as in claim 7 , wherein the external surface of the drum comprises a bacteriostatic layer.

14. A system for in-vivo cytology acquisition comprising:

a swallowable capsule comprising:

a capsule housing;

at least one rotatable drum having a body and being rotatably mounted about a spindle within said capsule housing so as to be rotatable relative thereto, said rotatable drum having attached thereon an internal magnet and comprising a sampling cavity defined by the body of the rotatable drum and having an opening in the body and into said sampling cavity;

a brush attached to said drum within said sampling cavity for brushing against a tissue and acquiring cytology; and

a porthole in said housing through which the brush may be in contact with the tissue; and

a rotatable external magnet for rotating the internal magnet and thereby rotating the drum and brush;

wherein rotating said rotatable drum relative to said housing either aligns said opening with said porthole to acquire cytology using the brush or aligns a portion of said body with said porthole to seal said sampling cavity from an environment external to said housing.

15. A method for in-vivo cytology acquisition comprising:

inserting into a patient a swallowable cytology capsule, said capsule comprising a capsule housing having at least one rotatable drum rotatably having a body and being mounted about a spindle within said capsule housing so as to be rotatable relative thereto and having an opening in the body and into said sampling cavity, said rotatable drum having attached thereon an internal magnet and comprising a sampling cavity defined by the body of the rotatable drum, a brush attached onto said rotatable drum within said sampling cavity for brushing against a tissue and acquiring cytology, and a porthole in said housing through which the brush may be in contact with the tissue, wherein rotating said rotatable drum relative to said housing either aligns said opening with said porthole to acquire cytology using the brush or aligns a portion of said body with said porthole to seal said sampling cavity from an environment external to said housing;

rotating an external magnet in close proximity to the patient, thereby rotating said brush against a tissue; and

acquiring cytology from said tissue using the brush.