Cell collection apparatus, cell collecting system, and cell collecting method

Abstract

In order to pick up a sufficient amount of cells for a genetic test from a section of a biological tissue with a simple structure and a simple operation, provided is a cell collection apparatus comprising: a substrate which is provided to be dividable into a plurality of small pieces along a predetermined dividing line, and which has a flat surface to which a section of a biological tissue can be pasted; a sheet-shaped expandable member to which the substrate can be adhered in a detachable manner, and which is expandable in a direction along the surface; a expansion unit for expanding the expandable member in at least a region adhered with the substrate, in a direction along the surface; and a pickup unit for detaching and picking up the divided small pieces from the expandable member.

1 . A cell collection apparatus comprising:
 a substrate which is provided to be dividable into a plurality of pieces, and which has a surface to which a section of a biological tissue can be pasted; and   a dividing device configured to divide the section that has been pasted to the surface by dividing the substrate into the plurality of pieces.   
     
     
         2 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the dividing device configured to divide the substrate into the plurality of pieces by applying the substrate with a force to relatively move the pieces from each other. 
     
     
         3 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the substrate is provided to be dividable into the plurality of pieces along a dividing line provided in the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the substrate is segmented into a plurality of regions along the dividing line, and each of the regions includes each of the respective piece. 
     
     
         5 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the dividing line is composed of a groove formed in the surface of the substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of separated pieces which are mutually adjacently aligned. 
     
     
         7 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the piece is in a cuboid-shape having a thickness of 0.05 to 0.5 mm and side lengths of 0.05 to 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the piece is a magnetic particle having a diameter of 0.001 to 0.5 mm. 
     
     
         9 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the dividing device applies the substrate with a force to relatively move the pieces from each other in a direction along the surface. 
     
     
         10 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the cell collection apparatus comprises an expandable member to which the back face of the substrate can be adhered, and which is stretchable in a direction along the surface; and   the dividing device comprises an expansion unit for stretching the expandable member in a direction along the surface, at least in a region adhered with the substrate.   
     
     
         11 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the expandable member has stickiness on the surface of the expandable member. 
     
     
         12 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the expandable member comprises an optically transparent or semi-transparent material. 
     
     
         13 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the expansion unit comprises:
 a fixing member for fixing a periphery of the region of the expandable member being adhered with the substrate, in a predetermined shape; and   a pressing member for pressing the region of the expandable member being fixed by the fixing member, from a side of the surface opposite to the surface adhered with the substrate.   
     
     
         14 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the cell collection apparatus further comprises: a holding member for holding the region of the expandable member in a stretched state. 
     
     
         15 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the holding member is capable of holding the surface of the expandable member on the side adhered with the substrate to be faced downward. 
     
     
         16 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 14 , comprising a suction member which adheres by suction to and picks up the piece from the surface of the expandable member where the substrate is adhered, and the interior of which can be sucked to a negative pressure. 
     
     
         17 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 , comprising a pickup unit for picking up the section that has been divided by the dividing device. 
     
     
         18 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the pickup unit comprises: a needle member for pushing a position of the expandable member being adhered with the piece, from the surface on the opposite side to the surface adhered with the piece. 
     
     
         19 . The cell collection apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the piece is a magnetic particle and the pickup unit has a magnet which generates a magnetic force to attract the magnetic particle, in a space of an approximately same size as that of the dimension of the piece. 
     
     
         20 . A cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the dividing device configured to divide the substrate and the section that has been pasted to the substrate along the dividing line. 
     
     
         21 . A cell collecting system comprising:
 a cell collection apparatus according to  claim 1 ; and   an observation device for observing the section on the substrate.   
     
     
         22 . The cell collecting system according to  claim 21 , comprising a display device for displaying the section observed by the observation device. 
     
     
         23 . A substrate which is provided to be dividable into a plurality of pieces, which has a surface to which a section of a biological tissue can be pasted, and which divides the section pasted to the surface by being divided into the plurality of pieces. 
     
     
         24 . An expandable member:
 which is to be adhered to a back face of a substrate that is provided to be dividable into a plurality of pieces and has a surface to which a section of a biological tissue can be pasted;   which is stretchable in a direction of the surface of the substrate; and   which divides the adhered substrate into the plurality of pieces, by being stretched in the direction of the surface.   
     
     
         25 . A cell collecting method comprising:
 pasting a section of a biological tissue on a surface of a substrate that can be divided into a plurality of pieces; and   dividing the substrate and the section that has been pasted to the substrate into the plurality of small pieces.   
     
     
         26 . The cell collecting method according to  claim 25 , comprising picking up the piece and the section that has been divided in the dividing step.