Granted Patent B2

US 12,635,992 · App. 18/109,630 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventor: Neal Marc Lonky (Yorba Linda, CA)

Assignee: HISTOLOGICS LLC

A61B10/02A61B2010/0216

Abstract

Claims (21)

1 . A method of collecting a tissue sample from a dry skin using a Frictional Tissue Sampling and Collection (FTSC) device comprising:

(a) receiving a FTSC device comprising:

(i) a platform associated with a palmar aspect of a finger region comprising a proximal region, a gap and a distal region, where the proximal region and the distal region are adjacent, where the proximal region is proximal to a middle phalanx, where the distal region is distal to the middle phalanx;

(ii) an abrasive material comprising a plurality of fibers associated with the platform, where the abrasive material is associated with the distal region, where the abrasive material is adapted to abrade an epithelial layer to dislodge the tissue sample from the dry skin; and

(iii) a collector material comprising a plurality of loops associated with the platform, where the collector material is not a fenestrated loop, where the collector material is associated with the proximal region, where contacting the dry skin with the platform and rotation of the platform moves initially the abrasive material and subsequently the collector material over the dry skin, where the collector material is adapted to collect the tissue sample from the dry skin that is dislodged by the abrasive material and that falls between the plurality of fibers of the abrasive material or are otherwise not collected by the abrasive material;

(b) contacting the FTSC device to the dry skin;

(c) rotating the FTSC device, where the abrasive material is adapted to dislodge the tissue sample from the dry skin; and

(d) collecting the tissue sample in at least the collector material.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising placing one or more of the tissue sample, the abrasive material and the collector material in a preservative solution.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , where the abrasive material does not contact the collector material.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , where the tissue sample comprises exfoliated cells and diseased tissue.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , where the platform is a finger cot adapted to be supported on a gloved finger.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , where the abrasive material is selected from the group consisting of a fine steel wool pad gauze, hooks from a hook and loop fastener, steel wool, glass fiber, cat tongue, rayon fenestrated hooks, nylon fenestrated hooks, wire fenestrated loops, a plastic helix, a radial brush, a bristle brush, loofah, a sterile pad, cotton swab with salt, and a shark skin.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , where the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of fenestrated loops.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , where a plurality of dry skin cells are dislodged from a site, where the plurality of dislodged dry skin cells are collected in a sweep action of a loop array adjacent to a hook array.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , where the gap allowing collection of the plurality of dislodged dry skin cells is between:

a lower limit of approximately 10 −5 meter; and

an upper limit of approximately 10 −2 meter.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , where the gap allowing collection of the plurality of dislodged dry skin cells is between:

a lower limit of approximately 10 −5 meter; and

an upper limit of approximately 3×10 −3 meter.

Continuity (5)

References Cited (276)