Tissue cassette for digital slide scanner and scanning method using same

Abstract

The present invention provides a tissue cassette for a slide scanner that performs a scanning operation while moving the area being scanned in a slide (10), which has a thinly sliced section (S) attached thereto, wherein: the tissue cassette includes a body (100) which has a structure surrounded by a bottom surface and four side surfaces connected to the bottom surface and has an accommodation part (110) formed to accommodate an object to be scanned (A); the distance between opposing long sides (113) of the accommodation part (110) is shorter than the distance between opposing long sides (11) of the slide (10); and the section (S) is prepared so as to span across both the long sides (112) and short sides (113) of the accommodation part (110), and is attached to the slide (10) in such a way that the long sides of the section (S) are positioned between the long sides (11) of the slide (10).

Description

Tissue cassette for digital slide scanner and scanning method using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a tissue cassette, which is a consumable used in the slide production process, which can solve the problem of the edge area of ​​a tissue section not being scanned when diagnosing a scan image using a digital slide scanner.

[0002]

[0003] The scan target stored in a conventional tissue cassette goes through a tissue embedding process, which involves permeating the tissue with a processing solution such as paraffin while it is contained in the tissue cassette to create a paraffin block with a certain hardness. After that, a thin section (3 um) is cut in the direction including the long side and short side of the paraffin block and attached to a slide. After staining and embedding, the slide is scanned using a digital slide scanner to obtain a scanned image of the scan target. In other words, the size of the paraffin block and the size of the section are determined by the size of the tissue cassette receiving area in which it was contained. However, while the distance between the long sides of a conventional tissue cassette is 25 mm, the optimal scanning range of a typical digital slide scanner is 20 mm. Therefore, there is a problem that at least 1 to 2 mm of the edge area on the long side (both ends) of the slide is not reflected in the scanning range of the slide scanner and therefore cannot be scanned. In this case, since the edge area on the long side (both ends) of the slide is not scanned, a portion of the corresponding scan image area appears to be cut off, and since it is difficult to confirm the exact abnormality with the scan image, there is the inconvenience of having to perform additional diagnosis using a microscope. In addition, since the distance between the long sides of the section to be scanned is almost similar to the distance between the long sides of the slide, if the size of the section is large, there is a concern that a portion of the slide may be covered by the configuration in which the slide scanner fixes a portion of the slide for scanning. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a tissue cassette that can solve these problems.

[0004]

[0005] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems.

[0006] The present invention provides a tissue cassette configured to scan a slide using a digital slide scanner so that the scanned image includes the entire area of ​​the target for scanning. Specifically, the purpose of this invention is to provide a tissue cassette that can address the problem of some areas on the two long sides of the slide not being scanned when the target for scanning is large.

[0007] In addition, we aim to provide a tissue cassette that can solve the problem of a digital slide scanner fixing the end of a slide and obscuring a part of the object to be scanned.

[0008]

[0009] In order to solve the above-described problem, one embodiment of the present invention provides a tissue cassette for a slide scanner that performs a scanning operation by sliding a scan area of ​​a slide (10) to which a section (S) is attached by being sectioned, the tissue cassette including a body (100) having a structure surrounded by a bottom surface and four side surfaces connected to the bottom surface and having a receiving portion (110) formed therein for receiving a scan target (A), wherein a distance between facing long sides (113) of the receiving portion (110) is shorter than a distance between facing long sides (111) of the slide (10), and the section (S) is cut so as to include both the long side (112) and the short side (113) of the receiving portion (110), and the long sides of the section (S) are attached to the slide (10) so that they are positioned between the long sides (111) of the slide (10).

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that the distance between the facing long sides (112) of the four sides of the receiving portion (110) is 22 mm or less.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the distance between the facing long sides (112) of the four sides of the receiving portion (110) is 18 mm to 22 mm.

[0012] In addition, it is preferable that a cover (200) covering the upper part of the receiving portion (110) is further included, and that a plurality of ventilation holes (120) are formed spaced apart from each other in the body (100) and the cover (200).

[0013] In addition, it is preferable that a scanning method using a tissue cassette according to the present invention comprises the steps of (a) accommodating a scan target (A) in the receiving portion (110) of the tissue cassette, (b) combining the cover (200) with the body (100), (c) injecting an embedding solution through the ventilation hole (120) of the tissue cassette and forming a tissue embedding block (20) by hardening the embedding solution, (d) slicing the tissue embedding block (20) so that the long side and the short side of the tissue embedding block (20) are included by a cutter, (e) attaching a sliced ​​section (S) to a slide (10), (f) staining the scan target included in the slice (S) with a dye, and (g) scanning the slide (10) by the slide scanner.

[0014]

[0015] By solving the above problems, the present invention obtains the following effects.

[0016] When observing a scanned image of a target object obtained using a digital slide scanner, even if the target object to be scanned is large, an image of the entire area of ​​the target object can be obtained. Specifically, by considering the appropriate scanning range of the slide scanner, the distance between the long sides of the space where the tissue is accommodated in the tissue cassette is made shorter than the length between the long sides of the slide (22 mm or less), so that the entire area of ​​the target object to be scanned can be scanned without any area being left unscanned.

[0017] In addition, since it is possible to obtain an image of the target to be scanned accurately, it is possible to efficiently check for abnormalities in the target to be scanned without additional microscopic diagnosis.

[0018] In addition, the problem of a part of the object to be scanned being obscured during the process of fixing the end of the slide to perform a scanning operation by a digital slide scanner can be solved.

[0019]

[0020] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a body (100) of a tissue cassette according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a cover (200) of a tissue cassette according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a tissue cassette (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 is a drawing showing an experimental process for verifying the effectiveness of the tissue cassette according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 is a drawing showing another experimental process for verifying the effectiveness of the tissue cassette according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 is a graph showing the scan efficiency according to the distance between the long sides of the receiving portion of the tissue cassette.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a scanning method using a tissue cassette for a digital slide scanner according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 is a drawing illustrating a conventional tissue cassette.

[0028]

[0029] The above-described purposes, features, and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this process, the thickness of lines and the sizes of components depicted in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined based on their functions in the present invention and may vary depending on the intentions or practices of the user or operator. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

[0030]

[0031] In addition, the described embodiments are provided as examples for the purpose of explaining the invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0032] 1. Description of the composition

[0033] Hereinafter, the configuration of the tissue cassette (1000) according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0034] A tissue cassette (1000) according to the present invention includes a body (100), a receiving portion (110), and a cover (200). A scan target (A) received in the receiving portion (110) is sectioned together with the tissue cassette (1000), and the section (S) is attached to a slide (10) and scanned by a digital slide scanner. The size of the section (S) is determined by the space size of the receiving portion (110). Here, the digital slide scanner refers to a device that can scan a section of tissue (a section of a scan target) attached to a slide (10) and output it in the form of a digital image, and may include a fixing portion that captures and fixes a portion of the slide (10) when scanning the slide (10), and specifically, it includes Pannoramic 250 Flash III&iPIMS of 3D HISTECH and Leica Aperio GT 450 of Leica. Here, the scan target (A) includes tissue (various organs, skin, tumor, etc.) whose section (S) can be scanned with a digital slide scanner.

[0035]

[0036] A receiving portion (110) is provided with an upper opening in a part of the body (100). In addition, a joining groove (101) is formed in the body (100) to facilitate joining with the cover (200).

[0037]

[0038] The receiving portion (110) is formed in a body (100) with a bottom surface and a structure surrounded by four side surfaces connected to the bottom surface, and the receiving portion (110) is configured to receive a scan target (A). The cross-section of the receiving portion (110) according to the present invention is formed in a rectangular shape, and the side surfaces connected to the bottom surface of the body (100) are composed of two long sides (112) and two short sides (113).

[0039] The receiving frame (111) is a structure formed on the bottom surface of the receiving portion (110) to support the scan target (A) so that it does not escape from the body (100) when it is contained therein.

[0040] The long sides (112) of the receiving portion are two relatively long, facing sides of the receiving portion (110), and the short sides (113) of the receiving portion are two relatively short, facing sides of the receiving portion (110). The distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion is shorter than the distance between the long sides (11) of the slide. A detailed description thereof will be provided later.

[0041]

[0042] A plurality of ventilation holes (120) are formed spaced apart from each other in the body (100) and the cover (200). The ventilation holes (120) are formed to allow a solution (e.g., an embedding solution) for treating the scan target (A) to permeate between the ventilation holes (120) when the scan target (A) is accommodated in the receiving portion (110) and the receiving portion (110) is closed by the cover (200).

[0043] The cover (200) is configured to cover the upper portion of the receiving portion (110). The coupling housing (201) formed on the cover (200) is mounted in the coupling groove (101) of the body (100), and the coupling mounting portion (202) of the cover (200) is fixed to the outer surface of the body (100), thereby allowing the cover (200) to be mounted on the upper portion of the body (100).

[0044] The cover frame (203) is a structure formed on the front of the cover (200).

[0045]

[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, the configuration of a slide (10) and a tissue embedding block (20) used to produce a tissue specimen so that a scan target (A) can be observed using a digital slide scanner is described.

[0047] A tissue cassette (100) containing a scan target (A) is sectioned, and the slice (S) is attached to a slide (10).

[0048] When the cover (200) is combined with the receiving portion (110), a certain space in which the scanning target (A) can be contained is secured in the receiving portion (110), and then the scanning target (A) is solidified by infiltrating the embedding solution between the ventilation holes (120) to form the tissue embedding block (20). The long sides of the section (S) are positioned between the long sides (11) of the slide. Here, the section (S) is cut so as to include the long sides and short sides of the tissue embedding block (20). That is, the tissue embedding block (20) is cut so that the result of the cutting becomes a cross-section.

[0049]

[0050] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion will be described in detail.

[0051]

[0052] In one embodiment according to the present invention, the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion is configured to be shorter than the distance between the long sides (11) of the slide. When a conventional tissue cassette is used, since the size of the scan target (A) is large, the non-scanned areas on both sides between the long sides (11) of the slide can also be scanned. Specifically, the inner space capable of accommodating the scan target (A) of a conventionally used tissue cassette (see (a) of FIGS. 4 to 5 and FIG. 8) is secured as 25 X 30 X 4 mm (distance between long sides 25 mm, distance between short sides 30 mm, height 4 mm). Accordingly, the scan target (A) can also be accommodated in the receiving portion in a volume of 25 X 30 X 4 mm, but this exceeds the appropriate scanning range of 20 mm of the digital slide scanner, so that at least 1 to 2 mm on both sides of the scan target (A) are not included in the scan area and cannot be observed. Accordingly, the tissue cassette (1000) according to the present invention makes the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion shorter than the distance between the long sides (11) of the slide, so that the distance between the long sides of the tissue embedding block (20) and the section (S) produced by thinly slicing the same is formed shorter than the distance between the long sides (11) of the slide, thereby enabling scanning of the entire area of ​​the section (S) when scanning with a digital slide scanner. In addition, this can prevent a situation in which a portion of the section (S) is covered during the process in which the fixing part of the digital slide scanner fixes the end of the slide (10) in order for the digital slide scanner to scan the slide (10).

[0053] FIGS. 4 and 5 are drawings comparing a slide (10) manufactured using a tissue cassette (see (b)) with a conventional tissue cassette (see (a)) having a reduced distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), when scanning with a digital slide scanner using a conventional tissue cassette, the long side of the section (S) is not scanned, so that the image appears to be cut off (broken) at both ends. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), in the case of a tissue cassette with a reduced distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion, the long side of the section (S) is scanned entirely, so that a scanned image of the entire area can be secured without missing any portion of the section (S).

[0054] In another embodiment according to the present invention, the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion is configured to be 22 mm or less. Referring to Fig. 6, another embodiment according to the present invention and the change in scan efficiency (%) according to the distance (mm) between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion are described. It can be confirmed that when the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion is reduced from 23 mm to 22 mm or less, the scan efficiency increases and converges to almost 100%. This means that when the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion is equal to or shorter than 22 mm, the entire area of ​​the section (S) can be scanned.

[0055] As another embodiment according to the present invention, the distance between the long sides (112) of the receiving portion may be 18 mm to 22 mm.

[0056]

[0057] 2. Scanning method using a tissue cassette for a digital slide scanner

[0058]

[0059] Hereinafter, a scanning method using a tissue cassette according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0060] The scan target (A) is accommodated in the receiving portion (110) of the tissue cassette (1000) (S701).

[0061] A cover (200) is attached to the body (100) (S702). Since the upper part of the receiving portion (110) is closed by the cover (200), the scan target (A) is positioned in the space provided in the receiving portion (110).

[0062] An embedding solution is injected through the ventilation hole (120) of the tissue cassette, and the embedding solution hardens to form a tissue embedding block (20) (S703). This step relates to tissue embedding, and as an embodiment of the present invention, paraffin, celloidin, etc. may be used as the embedding solution.

[0063] The tissue embedding block (20) is cut into pieces so that the long side and short side of the tissue embedding block (20) are included by the cutting machine (S704).

[0064] A thin section (S) is attached to a slide (10) (S705). This process may further include a step of smoothing out wrinkles in the section (S) or placing the slide (10) on a slide warmer to melt paraffin, thereby adhering the section (S) to the slide (10).

[0065] The scanned object included in the section (S) is stained with a dye (S706). Typically, the section (S) is cut so thinly that light is transparent (e.g., 3 μm), which results in a very low color contrast of the tissue in the section (S). Therefore, when observing an image scanned by a digital slide scanner, part or all of the tissue in the section (S) is stained to enhance the color contrast of the tissue in the section (S). This can be accomplished by a staining device.

[0066] A slide (10) is scanned by a slide scanner (S707). Using the tissue cassette (1000) according to the present invention, an image of the entire area of ​​the stained section (S), including the long side (11) of the slide, can be obtained.

[0067]

[0068] While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings to facilitate understanding and reproduction by those skilled in the art, these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible based on the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A tissue cassette for a slide scanner that performs scanning while moving the scan area of ​​a slide (10) to which a section is attached, It is a structure surrounded by a bottom surface and four sides connected to the bottom surface, and includes a body (100) in which a receiving portion (110) for receiving a scan target (A) is formed. The distance between the facing long sides (113) of the above-mentioned receiving portion (110) is shorter than the distance between the facing long sides (11) of the above-mentioned slide (10), The above section (S) is cut so as to include both the long side (112) and the short side (113) of the receiving portion (110), and is attached to the slide (10) so that the long sides of the section (S) are positioned between the long sides (11) of the slide (10). Tissue cassette.

2. In paragraph 1, The distance between the facing long sides (112) of the four sides of the above-mentioned receiving portion (110) is 22 mm or less. Tissue cassette.

3. In paragraph 2, The distance between the facing long sides (112) of the four sides of the above-mentioned receiving portion (110) is 18 mm to 22 mm. Tissue cassette.

4. In paragraph 3, It further includes a cover (200) covering the upper part of the above-mentioned receiving portion (110), A plurality of ventilation holes (120) are formed spaced apart from each other in the above body (100) and the above cover (200). Tissue cassette.

5. A scanning method using a tissue cassette according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, (a) a step in which a scan target (A) is accommodated in the accommodation portion (110) of the above tissue cassette; (b) a step of combining the cover (200) to the body (100); (c) a step in which a tissue embedding block (20) is formed by injecting a tissue embedding solution through the ventilation hole (120) of the tissue cassette and hardening the tissue embedding solution; (d) a step of cutting the tissue embedding block (20) so that the long side and the short side of the tissue embedding block (20) are included by the cutting machine; (e) a step in which a thin section (S) is attached to a slide (10); (f) a step in which the scan target included in the above section (S) is stained with a dye; and (g) a step of scanning the slide (10) by the slide scanner; How to scan.

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