WSU
inventors have designed devices that enable small pieces of human tissue or
stool to be rapidly immersed and preserved at room temperature in toxic
preservatives without exposing the end user to the toxicants. Samples contained
in the device can be safely stored or used for biochemical, molecular, and
structural analysis. The device design makes them very easy and safe to operate.
They can be used at home, hospital, or out in the field for forensic sample
collection without the need for refrigeration. Furthermore, the
provider/manufacture of the device has the flexibility of using any preservative
of choice thereby greatly expanding the types of tissue to be preserved and the
tests that can be performed. Several working prototypes of the device have been
built in the inventor’s laboratory and we are seeking industrial partners to
further refine the designs into marketable devices.
Commercial
Applications
·
Use
in clinical and hospital settings
·
Collection
of tissue or stool samples at remote locations
·
For
collection and preservation of tissues during surgery by nurse or
physicians
·
Ease
of use allows for self-collection and preservation of stool samples by
non-scientists
Competitive
Advantages
·
Current
collection/preservation devices that immerse samples without exposure to toxic
preservatives are designed for liquid and do not allow for solid samples to be
stored without removing the seal, thereby exposing the user to the preservative
and defeating the design.
·
Our
novel devices are designed to accommodate larger volumes and totally immerse
samples in the preservative fluid.
Patent
Status
A
provisional patent application and PCT is on file.
Tech
ID
07-828