Exogenous Agent Mass Spectrometry for Tissue Region Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intraoperative pathology methods face challenges in accurately identifying disease regions, such as tumors, due to difficulties in distinguishing them from surrounding tissues, leading to potential unnecessary removal of healthy tissue and delays in surgery, especially when validated molecular markers are not available.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing exogenous agents that form by-products in tissues, analyzed using high sensitivity mass spectrometry platforms, to identify regions of interest by determining the distribution of these by-products and agents, allowing for precise mapping of disease regions without reliance on endogenous markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If intraoperative pathology methods are used to identify disease regions, then some disease regions can be revealed, but the identification is insufficiently robust and takes upwards of 30 minutes leading to surgical delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by administering exogenous agents to the patient before surgery, allowing the agents to accumulate in disease regions ahead of time. This pre-treatment enables rapid detection during surgery without requiring time-consuming intraoperative processing, thus resolving the contradiction between identification accuracy and surgical time loss
2Measurement precision
If conventional pathology methods are used to distinguish disease regions from surrounding tissues, then some identification is achieved, but the distinction is insufficient leading to unnecessary removal of healthy tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using exogenous agents that selectively accumulate in disease regions with specific physiological characteristics (such as enhanced permeability in tumors). This creates a localized concentration difference between diseased and healthy tissues, enabling precise boundary identification and preventing unnecessary removal of healthy tissue
3Measurement precision
If DESI-MS imaging is used to identify tumor regions based on endogenous lipid profiles, then tumor subclassification is achieved, but the method heavily relies on availability of validated molecular markers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by introducing exogenous agents as mediators between the detection system and the disease regions. These agents serve as universal markers that can be detected across different tumor types without requiring pre-validation of specific endogenous molecular markers, thereby increasing the method's adaptability and versatility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables more accurate and rapid identification of disease regions, including tumors, even without known endogenous markers, reducing the need for excessive tissue removal and surgical delays, and allowing for safer, lower-dose use of contrast agents.
Implementation Method 1
analyzing a sample based on the tissue using a high sensitivity platform comprising a mass spectrometer; determining a distribution, optionally quantitative, of the by-product of the exogenous agent within the tissue based on the analysis of the sample
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments are described herein for a system and a method for identifying a region of interest in tissue using mass spectrometry. An agent administration component can be provided to administer an exogenous agent to the tissue. A sampling unit can also be provided to acquire a sample from the tissue. The sample can then be provided to a high sensitivity analysis platform, such as a mass analyzer, to analyze the sample and determine a distribution of the exogenous agent or a by-product of the exogenous agent within the tissue based on the analysis. The analysis platform can then identify the region of interest based on the distribution of the exogenous agent or the distribution of the by-product.