Description of Invention:
This new tissue microosmometer allows for the quantification of minor changes in the swelling properties of different tissues (e.g. cartilage) using very small amounts of tissue, and can be used as a potential diagnostic technique to detect early stages of cell or tissue injury such as cartilage degeneration or disorder. Varying the vapor pressure in the environment of the device induces controlled changes in the osmotic pressure of a tissue layer attached to the surface of a flat quartz crystal. Variation in the swelling degree is measured with high sensitivity and reliability by monitoring the change in resonance frequency of the quartz crystal. The device requires less than one microgram of sample, and the small tissue sample allows for an extremely fast response time. The device is well suited to the study of expensive or limited availability biological or macromolecular samples.
Inventors:
Ferenc Horkay (NICHD) Peter J. Basser (NICHD) Adam Berman (NICHD)
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-280-2002/0 filed 07 Aug 2002
For Additional Information Please Contact: Michael Shmilovich J.D.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301) 435-5019
Email: shmilovm@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
