CN113194807A

CN113194807A - Sampling device and digestive tract sampling capsule

Info

Publication number: CN113194807A
Application number: CN201880099641.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 魏婕; 秦彦哲
Original assignee: MGI Tech Co Ltd
Current assignee: MGI Tech Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-20
Filing date: 2018-11-20
Publication date: 2021-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-20
Also published as: WO2020102997A1; CN113194807B

Abstract

A sampling device (1) and a capsule for sampling the digestive tract, comprising: a housing (11, 11 a); sampling modules (122a, 12b) arranged in the casing (11, 1 la); for taking a target sample by extending outside the casing (11, 1 a); and an actuating module (13, 13a, 13b) arranged in the casing (11, 1a) and used for driving the sampling module (12, 12a, 12b) to extend or retract from the casing (11, 11 a). This sampling device (1) and alimentary canal sample capsule are stretched out in order to brush the target sample through drive sampling module (12, 12a, 12 b)/brush hair portion (121, 121a) in vivo, and the target sample that the brush was got is preserved in sampling device (1), has not only avoided traditional disease screening, exert the misery on the user's body when the sample is collected, and the cell quantity of collection compares and collects more can satisfy the demand in vitro, and is convenient and easy to carry out.

Description

Sampling device and digestive tract sampling capsule

Technical Field

The present invention relates to sampling devices, and more particularly to an in vivo sampling device and a capsule for sampling digestive tract.

Background

The traditional early screening for digestive tract cancer uses an endoscope, such as a gastroscope, an enteroscope and the like, which is sent into the body from the outside of the body through a natural cavity of the body to inspect internal diseases, can directly observe pathological changes of the internal cavity of the viscera, determine the position and the range of the pathological changes, and can take pictures, biopsies or brush films. However, gastroscopes and enteroscopes are not comfortable and have low user acceptance, and the gastroscopes and enteroscopes are usually willing to be examined until other symptoms are found in the later stage, and the middle and late stages of cancers are reached at the moment. In addition, the resolution of the gastrointestinal scope is limited and can only be found if the tumor tissue is larger than 5 mm.

Studies have shown that the DNA of cancer cells and normal cells differ greatly in some targets. Therefore, DNA sequencing of target samples is currently a more effective means of early cancer screening.

However, whether screening, diagnosis of early stage cancer or other diseases, or in other specific cases, such as cell and gene studies, etc., a certain number of target samples are obtained, and the most effective way to obtain a certain number of target samples is in vivo. Therefore, there is a need for a sampling device that is convenient and easy to implement without causing damage to the living body.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above and other potential problems of the prior art, it is necessary to provide a sampling device and a capsule for sampling digestive tract.

In one aspect, a sampling device is provided, comprising: a housing; the sampling module is arranged in the shell and used for extending out of the shell to obtain a target sample; and the actuating module is arranged in the shell and is used for driving the sampling module to extend out of or retract into the shell.

Further, a protective solution or a buffer solution is stored in the shell, and the target sample obtained by the sampling module is stored in the protective solution or the buffer solution.

Furthermore, the shell is provided with a hole part, and the sampling module extends out of the shell through the hole part to obtain a target sample.

Further, the whole or local area of the shell comprises at least one layer of hydrophobic porous material layer for isolating the protective solution or the buffer solution from the external liquid, or the whole or local area of the shell comprises at least one layer of hydrophobic porous film for isolating the protective solution or the buffer solution from the external liquid.

Further, a one-way valve is arranged at the position of the hole part to cover the hole part, the one-way valve is pushed by the sampling module to leave or partially leave the hole part so as to allow the sampling module to extend out of the shell, and after the sampling module retracts into the shell, the one-way valve covers the hole part again.

Furthermore, the whole or partial area of the shell also comprises at least one layer of self-sealing material layer, and the sampling module penetrates through a hole part formed in the self-sealing material layer of the shell and is automatically closed after the sampling module retracts into the shell.

Furthermore, the whole or local area of the shell is also provided with a dissolvable material layer which is dissolved after entering the human body.

Further, the sampling module comprises a bristle part and an attachment part to which the bristle part is attached, and the actuating module drives the attachment part to swing up and down and/or left and right, rotate or move back and forth so that bristles of the bristle part are exposed from or retracted into the shell; or the actuating module drives the attachment to increase or decrease in volume, so that the bristles of the bristle part are exposed out of the shell when the attachment is increased in volume and retracted into the shell when the attachment is decreased in volume.

Furthermore, the actuating module comprises an actuating unit, a control unit for controlling the actuating unit and an energy unit for providing energy for the whole actuating module, wherein the actuating unit is electrically connected with the sampling module and drives the sampling module to extend out of or retract into the shell under the control of the control unit.

Further, the actuating module further comprises a wireless communication unit for establishing communication connection with an external controller, and the control unit receives an instruction of the external controller through the wireless communication unit to start or stop the actuating unit.

Further, the sampling device further comprises a positioning unit, and the positioning unit is used for providing positioning information for the external controller through the wireless communication unit so that the external controller can obtain the position of the sampling device.

Further, at least two chambers are arranged in the sampling device, the two chambers are sealed and separated, the actuating module is arranged in one chamber, and the sampling module is arranged in the other chamber.

Furthermore, the hole part is arranged on the shell corresponding to the cavity of the sampling module.

Further, the sampling device is an in vivo sampling device, or the sampling device is an alimentary canal sampling device, or the sampling device is in the shape of a capsule.

In another aspect, an alimentary canal sampling capsule is provided, the sampling capsule including an actuation module and a brush portion driven by the actuation module to extend and retract the sampling capsule to brush and retain a target specimen within the sampling capsule.

Further, a protective solution or a buffer solution is stored in the sampling capsule, and the brushed target sample is stored in the protective solution or the buffer solution.

Further, a device or material for isolating the protective liquid or the buffer liquid from the outside liquid is arranged on the sampling capsule.

Furthermore, the sampling capsule is provided with a hole part, the bristle part extends out of and retracts into the sampling capsule through the hole part, the device or material for isolating the protective liquid or the buffer liquid from the external liquid is a one-way valve for covering the hole part, the one-way valve is pushed by the bristle part to leave or partially leave the hole part so as to allow the bristle part to extend out of the shell, and after the bristle part retracts into the shell, the one-way valve covers the hole part again.

Further, the device or material for isolating the protective liquid or the buffer liquid from the outside liquid is a self-sealing material layer, the self-sealing material layer is used for the bristle part to penetrate through, and after the bristle part retracts into the sampling capsule, a hole part formed by the bristle part in a penetrating mode is automatically closed, so that the protective liquid or the buffer liquid is isolated from the outside liquid.

Further, the device or material for isolating the protective solution or the buffer solution from the external liquid is a hydrophobic porous material layer or a hydrophobic porous film.

Further, the sampling capsule is wrapped by a layer of dissolvable material, and the dissolvable material layer is dissolved after entering a human body.

According to the sampling device and the alimentary canal sampling capsule provided by the embodiment of the invention, the sampling module-the brush hair part is driven to extend out of the body to brush the target sample, and the brushed target sample is stored in the sampling device, so that the pain of a user during traditional disease screening and sample collection is avoided, and the collected cell number can meet the requirement compared with in-vitro collection, and the sampling device and the alimentary canal sampling capsule are convenient and easy to implement.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sampling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a micro check valve provided with a bore portion of the sampling device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one component of an actuation module of the sampling device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is another schematic diagram of the actuator module of the sampling device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the sampling device of FIG. 1 with bristles captured within the housing.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the sampling device of FIG. 1 with bristles extending outside the housing.

Fig. 7A and 7B are partial schematic views of a sampling device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 7A shows the bristles located inside the housing, and fig. 7B shows the bristles extending out of the housing.

Fig. 8A and 8B are partial schematic views of a sampling device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 8A shows the bristles positioned in the housing, and fig. 8B shows the bristles extending out of the housing.

Fig. 9A and 9B are partial schematic views of a sampling device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 9A shows the bristles positioned in the housing, and fig. 9B shows the bristles extending out of the housing.

The following detailed description will further illustrate the invention in conjunction with the above-described figures.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS IN THE DRAWINGS

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "mounted to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When a component is referred to as being "disposed on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or intervening components may also be present. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes all and any combination of one or more of the associated listed items.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a sampling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sampling device 1 comprises a housing 11, a sampling module 12 arranged in the housing, and an actuating module 13 for driving the sampling module 12 to sample. In this embodiment, the sampling device is an alimentary canal sampling capsule, the housing 11 is in the shape of a capsule, the interior of the housing 11 is divided into two sealed chambers: a first chamber 111 and a second chamber 112. The first chamber 111 is used for accommodating the sampling module 12, and the second chamber 112 is used for accommodating the actuating module 13. A partition 113 is disposed between the first chamber 111 and the second chamber 112, and the sampling module 12 passes through the partition 113 to connect with the actuating module 13, so that the actuating module 13 actuates the sampling module 12.

It is appreciated that in another embodiment, the actuation module 13 is coupled to the sampling module 12 through the partition 113 to actuate the sampling module 12.

The sampling module 12 includes a bristle portion 121 and an attachment 122 to which the bristle portion 121 is attached, the attachment 122 is substantially rod-shaped, the bristle portion 121 is formed on an outer surface of the attachment 122, and bristles of the bristle portion 121 extend from the outer surface of the attachment 122 toward the housing 11. The housing 11 is provided with a plurality of hole portions 114, in this embodiment, the number of the hole portions 114 is plural, and the hole portions 114 are regularly or irregularly distributed on the housing 11 corresponding to the positions of the bristle portions 121. The hole portion 114 allows the bristles to extend or retract into the housing 11. The brush bristles extend out of the housing 11 through the hole portion 114 to brush a target sample, such as tissue cells, and after being retracted into the housing 11, the brushed target sample is stored in the first chamber 111, and further, a protective solution or a buffer solution 115 is stored in the first chamber 111 to maintain the activity of the target sample, prevent the target sample from being damaged, and/or clean the target sample.

It will be appreciated that the interior of housing 11 may not be divided into two or more chambers, or that both actuator module 13 and sampling module 12 may be placed in the same chamber, in which case actuator module 13 need only be sealed from protective or buffer fluid 115 in the same chamber.

In this embodiment, the outermost layer of the housing 11 is a hydrophobic porous material layer 116 to isolate the protective solution or buffer solution 115 inside the housing 11 from external liquid, such as the protective solution or buffer solution 115 from digestive juice in the digestive tract. The hydrophobic material used in the hydrophobic porous material layer 116 may be a material that has hydrophobic property, or may be a material obtained by subjecting other materials to hydrophobic treatment. Preferably, the hydrophobic porous material layer 116 may be a hydrophobic film or coating, such as a polytetrafluoroethylene film or coating.

It is understood that the hydrophobic porous material layer 116 is not required to be provided at all positions of the housing 11, and the hydrophobic porous material layer 116 is only required to be provided at the positions of the pore portions 114. It is also not necessary that the hydrophobic porous material layer 116 is disposed on the outermost layer of the shell 11, but may be disposed on the innermost layer of the shell 11 or one of the intermediate layers of the shell 11. Alternatively, two or more hydrophobic porous material layers 116 may be provided to further enhance the isolation effect.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the entire or a partial region of the housing 11 may be formed from the hydrophobic porous material from the inside to the outside, i.e. the hydrophobic porous material forms the only material layer of the entire or a partial region of the housing 11 from the inside to the outside. In the case where the housing 11 is made of a hydrophobic porous material in a local region from inside to outside, for example, only the housing portion corresponding to the first chamber 111 is made of a hydrophobic porous material from inside to outside as a whole, and the housing portion corresponding to the second chamber 112 is made of another material; alternatively, the hydrophobic porous material may be formed only in a plurality of local regions of the housing portion corresponding to the first chamber 111 from the inside to the outside.

In summary, in at least one embodiment of the present invention, the housing 11 includes at least one layer of hydrophobic material, which may form one of the layers of the housing 11 or may be the only layer of the housing 11 from the inside to the outside.

It is understood that in other embodiments, the housing 11 is made entirely or partially of a self-sealing material, and in the case that the housing 11 is made partially of a self-sealing material, the self-sealing material may be applied to a partial area of the housing 11 or one of the layers of the housing 11, or the self-sealing material may constitute one of the layers of the partial area of the housing 11. The self-sealing material includes but is not limited to silica gel, gel-like materials such as agarose, etc. The bristles may be used to brush a sample through the housing 11, and after the bristles are retracted into the housing 11, the apertures 114 in the housing 11 through which the bristles pass are automatically retracted and closed, thereby ensuring that no fluid is exchanged between the interior and exterior of the housing 11.

When the housing 11 is made of a self-sealing material only from the inside to the outside in the whole or a partial region, the bristles can penetrate through the housing 11, and therefore, the housing 11 does not need to be provided with the hole 114. The aperture 114 is formed only after the bristles have penetrated. When the self-sealing material is only one layer of the whole or partial area of the shell 11 from inside to outside, and other layers of the shell 11 from inside to outside are not self-sealing materials, the other layers can be correspondingly provided with the hole parts 114.

It is understood that in other embodiments, in the case where neither the hydrophobic porous material nor the self-sealing material is provided, as shown in fig. 2, a micro check valve 117 may be further provided at the position of the hole portion 114 to isolate the liquid inside and outside the housing 11, and the check valve 117 is provided with an elastic structure, and when the bristle thrust is not applied, the micro check valve 117 covers the hole portion 114 to isolate the liquid inside and outside the housing 11. When subjected to the thrust of the bristles, said elastic structure deforms, moving the micro non-return valve 117 away or partially away from the aperture portion 114, to allow the bristles to project from the aperture portion 114, whereas when the bristles are retracted inside the housing 11, the elastic structure of the micro non-return valve 117 is deformed back and the micro non-return valve 117 covers the aperture portion 114 again.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, at least a partial region of the housing 11 may be provided with a dissolvable material that dissolves under the influence of bodily fluids after entering the body, thereby exposing an underlying layer (e.g., a hydrophobic porous material layer, a self-sealing material layer, or other material) or forming the aperture 114.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, two or more of the above approaches may be used simultaneously to isolate the fluid from the interior and exterior of the housing 11. For example, the housing 11 may be provided with a hydrophobic porous material layer, or may be provided with a self-sealing material, and the hydrophobic porous material layer and the self-sealing material may be stacked on each other.

The actuating module 13 includes an actuating unit 131, a control unit 132 and an energy unit 133, where the actuating unit 131 may be a motor, such as a micro motor, or a transmission component driven by the motor. The control unit 132 may be a micro control chip, and the energy unit 133 may be a battery, such as a micro battery. The actuating unit 131, the control unit 132 and the energy unit 133 are integrated on a circuit board 134 and electrically connected to each other through the circuit board 134. For example, the power unit 133 supplies power to the actuating unit 131 and the control unit 132 through the circuit board 134, and the control unit 132 controls the power unit 133 to supply power to the actuating unit 131 through the circuit board 134, such as turning on or off the power supply of the actuating unit 131, so as to start or stop the actuating unit 131. Of course, other components may be disposed on the circuit board 134 according to specific requirements.

The control unit 132 runs a control program, in this embodiment, the control unit 132 runs the control program to control the activation unit 131 to start intermittently, for example, after the user swallows the sampling device 1, the control unit 132 starts the activation unit 131 at intervals, for example, one hour, and controls the activation unit 131 to run for a duration, for example, 5 minutes. Of course, the actuating module 13 may further include a sensing unit (not shown), such as a temperature sensing unit, for sensing whether the sampling device 1 is swallowed by a user by using the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the body, and a ph value detecting unit for determining whether the sampling device 1 has reached a specific location, such as the stomach, by using the detected ph value.

Referring to fig. 3, the actuating module 13a in another embodiment further includes a wireless communication unit 135, and the wireless communication unit 135 is disposed on the circuit board 134 and communicates with an external controller 2 through bluetooth, WIFI, and other technical means. For example, the wireless communication unit 135 may receive an instruction transmitted from the external controller 2, transmit the instruction to the control unit 132, and the control unit 132 interprets and executes the instruction. In a specific case, the external controller 2 may send a "start" and "stop" control command to the actuating module 13, the wireless communication unit 135 receives the "start" control command sent by the external controller 2 and then transmits the control command to the control unit 132, the control unit 132 starts the operation of the actuating unit 131 according to the control command, the wireless communication unit 135 receives the "stop" control command sent by the external controller 2 and then transmits the control command to the control unit 132, and the control unit 132 stops the operation of the actuating unit 131 according to the control command. In another embodiment, the external controller 2 may also transmit other control parameters to the actuation module 13, such as a parameter indicating how long the actuation unit 131 is activated, and/or a parameter indicating how long the actuation unit 131 is activated each time, etc.

Referring to fig. 4, the actuating module 13b in one embodiment further includes a positioning unit 136, wherein the positioning unit 136 is configured to obtain the positioning information of the sampling device 1, send the positioning information to the external controller 2 via the wireless communication unit 135, and the external controller 2 analyzes the positioning information of the sampling device 1 and obtains the position information of the sampling device 1. Further, the external controller 2 may generate corresponding control commands and/or control parameters according to the position information of the sampling device 1. For example, the external controller 2 activates the activation unit 131 through the control unit 132 only when the sampling device 1 is located at a site where a target sample is to be brushed, such as the stomach, and the external controller 2 stops the operation of the activation unit 131 through the control unit when the sampling device 1 is located at another site. For another example, when the sampling device 1 is located in some important part, such as the stomach, the external controller 2 can send corresponding control parameters to the control unit 132, so that the control unit 132 controls the actuation unit 131 to be activated more frequently or to operate more permanently each time. When the patient is located in a non-important part, such as the intestinal tract, the external controller 2 may enable the control unit 132 to control the actuating unit 131 to reduce the number of times of starting or reduce the duration of each operation.

The positioning unit 136 may obtain positioning information of the sampling device 1 using a magnetic field, for example, using a magnetic target real-time positioning and tracking system based on a three-axis magnetic sensor array. Alternatively, the positioning unit 136 may also use an optical sensor, such as a camera, to transmit the image of the surrounding environment of the sampling device 1 to generate the positioning information of the sampling device 1, and furthermore, the positioning unit 136 may also use the rf positioning technology to obtain the positioning information of the sampling device 1.

Referring to fig. 1, 5 and 6, in the present embodiment, the housing 11 is in the shape of a capsule, and the housing 11 is provided with a plurality of hole portions 114 corresponding to the positions of the bristles, wherein the hole portions 114 may be arranged regularly or irregularly. The hole part diameter is approximately 10um-3mm, and the diameter of the brush hair is 5um-1 mm. The attachment 122 is disposed at the central axis of the housing 11, the bristles extend from the periphery of the attachment 122 toward the housing 11, the length of the bristles is greater than the length of the attachment 122 reaching the housing 11, and further, the length of the bristles is preferably such that the bristles can protrude from the hole portion 114. When the attachment 122 is rotated by the actuation of the actuation module 13, the bristles follow the rotation of the attachment 122, and when the end of the bristle reaches the position of the aperture 114, the end of the bristle protrudes from the aperture 114, so as to brush the sample to be sampled. After the depending member 122 has positioned the bristle strip out of aperture 114, the bristle tips are forced to retract into housing 11.

It will be appreciated that the bristles need not extend all the way around the periphery of the attachment 122, and in other embodiments, the bristles may be located only in a portion of the periphery of the attachment 122. The hole portion 114 does not cover all the area of the housing 11 corresponding to the first chamber 111, and the hole portion 114 may be located only in a small area. In short, the distribution area of the bristles and the hole portion 114, the size of the distribution area and the distribution rule can be set according to specific needs, and the bristles can extend from the hole portion 114 under the actuation of the actuation module 13 to brush a target sample, and then retract into the housing 11 under the actuation of the actuation module 13.

It is understood that the diameter of the bristles and the holes 114 is not limited to the above-mentioned values, and the diameter of the bristles and the holes 114 can be changed according to actual needs, so long as the bristles can extend out of the holes 114 under the actuation of the actuation module 13. Further, the hole portion 114 is not necessarily a circular hole, and may be an elongated hole or a hole of another shape. For example, in one embodiment, the aperture 114 may be an elongated aperture extending in the direction of rotation of the bristles.

Referring to fig. 7A and 7B, in the embodiment shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the attachment 122 drives the bristles to swing in at least one direction under the actuation of the actuation module 13, for example, the central axis of the housing 11 is taken as a reference, the extending direction of the central axis of the housing 11 is taken as a front-back direction, and the peripheries of the central axis of the housing 11 are respectively in the up-down and left-right directions, and the attachment 122 can drive the bristles to swing only up, only down, only left, and only right, or drive the bristles to swing up and down, left and right, or up and down, left and right in a certain sequence under the actuation of the actuation module 13, so that the bristles extend out from the hole portions 114 in the corresponding directions.

When the bristles are driven by the attachment 122 to swing only in one direction, or when the bristles are driven to swing in two directions but not in opposite directions, the attachment 122 need not be disposed along the central axis of the housing 11.

Referring to fig. 8A and 8B, in the embodiment shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the end of the housing 11a corresponding to the sampling module 12a is substantially tapered, the length of the bristles of the bristle portion 121a also tends to become shorter, the actuating module 13 is actuated to move back and forth along the attachment 122, and during the movement, the longer bristles extend from the hole portion 114 at the smaller diameter of the housing 11a to brush the target sample, and then retract into the housing 11 a.

Referring to fig. 9A and 9B, in the embodiment shown in fig. 9A and 9B, the sampling module 12B includes a bristle portion 121 and an attachment 122a, the attachment 122a is made of a stretchable material, and the actuating module 13 drives the attachment 122a to increase or decrease in volume, for example, the actuating module 13 may include a gas source (not shown), which increases or decreases the volume of the attachment 122a by increasing or decreasing gas inside the attachment 122a, drives the bristles to extend from the hole portions 114 when the volume of the attachment 122a increases, and drives the bristles to retract into the housing 11 when the volume of the attachment 122a decreases.

It is understood that, instead of being made of elastic material, the attachment 122a may be designed to change the size and volume of the attachment 122a, so as to change the distance from the bristles to the corresponding holes 114.

The present invention will be further described below by exemplifying the application of the sampling device 1 to the sampling of cells in the digestive tract.

After the user swallows the sampling device 1, the sampling device 1 automatically starts the control unit 132 to run the control program according to the sensed temperature change or other parameters, or the sampling device 1 starts the control unit 132 to run the control program according to the control command sent by the external controller 2 to intermittently start-stop the actuation unit 131. The actuating unit 131 actuates the sampling module 12 to extend the bristles of the sampling module 12 out of the housing 11 (or 11a) to brush the target sample, the actuating unit 131 then drives the sampling module 12 to retract the bristles into the housing 11 (or 11a), the target sample brushed by the bristles is stored in the housing 11 (or 11a), and the protective liquid or buffer 115 in the housing 11 (or 11a) maintains the activity of the target sample or prevents the target sample from being damaged. Finally, the sampling device 1 is discharged with feces, the sampling device 1 is recovered, and the target sample in the sampling device 1 is subjected to DNA sequencing, so that diseases such as early cancer can be screened and detected, and samples for other purposes can be collected.

According to the sampling device and the alimentary canal sampling capsule provided by the embodiment of the invention, the sampling module is driven to extend out of the body to brush the target sample, and the brushed target sample is stored in the sampling device, so that the pain of a user during traditional disease screening and sample collection is avoided, and the number of collected cells can meet the requirement compared with that of in vitro collection, and the sampling device and the alimentary canal sampling capsule are convenient and easy to implement.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solutions of the present invention and not for limiting, and although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications or equivalent substitutions may be made on the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

A sampling device, comprising:

a housing;

the sampling module is arranged in the shell and used for extending out of the shell to obtain a target sample; and

and the actuating module is arranged in the shell and used for driving the sampling module to extend out of or retract into the shell.
The sampling device of claim 1, wherein a protective solution or buffer is stored in the housing, and the target sample obtained by the sampling module is stored in the protective solution or buffer.
The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the housing defines an aperture through which the sampling module extends outside the housing to obtain a target sample.
A sampling device according to claim 3 wherein the whole or part of the housing comprises at least one layer of hydrophobic porous material separating the protective liquid or buffer from external liquids or at least one hydrophobic porous membrane separating the protective liquid or buffer from external liquids.
A sampling device according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the aperture portion is located such that a one-way valve covers the aperture portion, the one-way valve being urged away or partially away from the aperture portion by the sampling module to allow the sampling module to extend out of the housing, the one-way valve re-covering the aperture portion after the sampling module has been retracted into the housing.
A sampling device according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the housing wholly or partially further comprises at least one layer of self-sealing material, the sampling block passing through the aperture formed in the housing in the layer of self-sealing material and automatically closing after retraction of the sampling block into the housing.
The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the whole or partial area of the shell is further provided with a dissolvable material layer, and the dissolvable material layer is dissolved after entering a human body.
The sampling device of claim 1, wherein the sampling module comprises a bristle portion and a depending member to which the bristle portion depends, and the actuating module drives the depending member to swing up and down and/or side to side, rotate or move back and forth to expose or retract bristles of the bristle portion from or into the housing; or the actuating module drives the attachment to increase or decrease in volume, so that the bristles of the bristle part are exposed out of the shell when the attachment is increased in volume and retracted into the shell when the attachment is decreased in volume.
The sampling device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating module comprises an actuating unit, a control unit for controlling the actuating unit, and an energy unit for supplying energy to the actuating module as a whole, and the actuating unit is electrically connected to the sampling module and drives the sampling module to extend out of or retract into the housing under the control of the control unit.
The sampling device of claim 9, wherein the actuating module further comprises a wireless communication unit for establishing communication with an external controller, and the control unit receives a command from the external controller via the wireless communication unit to start or stop the actuating unit.
The sampling device of claim 10, further comprising a positioning unit for providing positioning information to the external controller via the wireless communication unit for the external controller to obtain a location of the sampling device.
A sampling device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein at least two chambers are provided within the sampling device, the two chambers being sealed apart, the actuation module being provided in one of the chambers and the sampling module being provided in the other chamber.
A sampling device according to claim 3 wherein at least two chambers are provided within the sampling device, the two chambers being sealed apart, the actuation module being provided in one of the chambers and the sampling module being provided in the other chamber, the aperture being provided in the housing corresponding to the chamber in which the sampling module is located.
A sampling device according to claim 1 wherein the sampling device is an in vivo sampling device, or wherein the sampling device is an alimentary tract sampling device, or wherein the sampling device is in the form of a capsule.
An alimentary sampling capsule comprising an actuation module and a brush portion driven by the actuation module to extend and retract the sampling capsule to brush and retain a target specimen within the sampling capsule.
A sampling capsule according to claim 15, wherein a protective liquid or buffer is stored within the sampling capsule, and the brushed target sample is stored in the protective liquid or buffer.
A sampling capsule according to claim 16, wherein means or materials are provided on the sampling capsule to isolate the protective or buffer liquid from external liquids.
A sampling capsule according to claim 17, wherein said sampling capsule is formed with an aperture through which said bristle portion extends and retracts into said sampling capsule, said means or material for isolating said protective or damping fluid from external fluids being a one-way valve covering said aperture, said one-way valve being urged away or partially away from said aperture by said bristle portion to allow said bristle portion to extend out of said housing, said one-way valve re-covering said aperture after said bristle portion has retracted into said housing.
The sampling capsule of claim 17, wherein the means or material for isolating the protective or buffer fluid from external fluids is a self-sealing material layer, the self-sealing material layer is penetrated by the bristle portion, and after the bristle portion is retracted into the sampling capsule, the hole portion formed by the penetration of the bristle portion is automatically closed to isolate the protective or buffer fluid from external fluids.
A sampling capsule according to claim 17, wherein the means or material for isolating the protective or buffer liquid from external liquids is a layer of hydrophobic porous material or a hydrophobic porous membrane.
A sampling capsule according to claim 16, wherein said sampling capsule is overwrapped with a layer of dissolvable material which dissolves upon entry into the human body.