How iKnife Technology will Revolutionize the Way We Collect Cancer Tissue

The name iKnife may sound like the name a certain technology company would give its products if it ever branched into the kitchen cutlery business, but you can rest assured that intelligent knife (iKnife) technology is revolutionizing the way we excise cancer tissue.

What is iKnife technology?
Normal electrosurgical knives removes tissue using a sharp edge and a rapid heating element to vaporize the tissue that it directly contacts; this creates clean cuts that allow for the quick and easy excision of cancer tissues. The iKnife technology takes this action a step farther. When an electrosurgical knife vaporizes tissue, it creates a tissue fragment containing aerosol that is usually disposed of by vacuum extraction tools; instead of allowing this vapor to go to waste, an iKnife immediately collects and analyzes this aerosol vapor, and determines whether or not it includes cancerous tissue within seconds. This vastly improves the accuracy of surgical cutting.

How will iKnife technology aid in the collection of cancer tissue?
First and foremost, improving the speed of surgical cuts increases patient safety during excision procedures. Current excision procedures require the separate collection and rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REMS) testing of excised tissue to determine whether or not it is cancerous. The separate (REMS) process can take up to 30 minutes and the patient remains under anesthesia during this time; finding ways to reduce patient anesthesia time has always been a key element in improving patient safety during surgical procedures.

iKnife excision is also improving the precision of cancer excision procedures. This precision further improves the safety of the patient during an excision procedure by instantaneously confirming that the tissue being excised is indeed cancer tissue. In addition, a large percentage of cancer patients have to undergo multiple surgeries to remove cancer tissue that was missed during the initial excision procedure--this number is 20% for breast cancer lumpectomies--the increased precision of iKnife technology will greatly reduce the number of occurrences of multiple excision treatments AND cancer relapses. This precision also enhances the ability for scientists to collect cancer tissues in the largest possible volumes for biological research; this will be a huge boon for biological research involving especially rare cancer tissues such as most sarcomas and endocrine organ cancers.

In the world of biological science, where a single experiment can take months, or even years, efficiency is everything. By improving the accuracy and volume of cancer tissue excisions, iKnife technology is inherently improving the speed of the excision of cancer tissues.

Where can iKnife surgical technology be acquired?
The iKnife technology is still undergoing development to maximize the potential of iKnives in practical settings. Clinical testing thus far has yielded excellent results and researchers are working to maximize the cost effectiveness of the tool.

Importance of Correct Extraction and Storage of Biological Samples

Blood is one of the most sensitive biological samples in existence. Collecting blood samples is a more involved process than sticking a subject and sucking fluid into a vial. Improperly collecting blood samples exponentially increases the likelihood of hemolysis. To avoid this, you should utilize the correct equipment and employ a trained phlebotomist who can properly extract the sample.

Why Use a Phelbotomist Instead of a Regular Staff Member?

The process of extracting blood samples is exposed to many variables, including the extraction and collection/storage equipment available, the subject's vein size and the laws of physics.

Vein selection

Many who are untrained to extract blood samples will use a syringe to probe for the vein. This causes vein trauma, will destroy red blood cells and is likely to cause immediate hemolysis. Although vein trauma can occur regardless of the extractor's skill level, trained phelbotomists know how to recognize it; when this happens, they know that the first sample is likely hemolyzed, but subsequent extractions are unlikely to be damaged.

Phelbotomists will also choose the correct sized vein. Blood extracted from veins too small for the extraction equipment available is likely to hemolyze.

Collection/storage

Improper collection procedures are just as likely to damage a biological samples as poor extraction. As experts, phelbotomists are sure to collect the right amount of blood for storage (underfilled tubes alter the additive ratio; poor additive ratios lead to hemolysis). They also make recommendations for the best storage methods.

Tool selection

Regardless of the tools available, phelbotomists choose or request the best tools for the extraction and collection/storage process. This prevents your lab from processing a large collection of samples, only to realize that the entire procedure has been ruined by hemolysis.

Other procedures

Properly executing other seemingly minor procedures can be the difference between having a good sample and one destroyed by hemolysis. For example, a phelbotomist knows that you must allow alcohol to completely dry before attempting blood sample extraction, because the chemical might invade the sample and cause hemolysis.

Why Blood Sample Extraction and Collection/Storage Equipment Should be Chosen Carefully

Extraction equipment

If a needle is too large, it will force blood into the tube violently, causing the red blood cells to rupture; if a needle is too small, it will draw the blood through the syringe with excessive force, shearing the red blood cells. Both of these eventualities is likely to cause hemolysis. You should take the utmost care with your extraction equipment selection.

Collection/storage equipment

If at all possible, you should choose evacuated tube collection over syringe collection; syringe collection has proven to be over six times more likely to result in hemolysis than evacuated tube collection.

For storage of biological samples, you should use modern evacuated tubes, which make rim clots unnecessary. You should only mix the tube through gentle inversions. NEVER shake the sample. Storage temperatures should be regulated. Finally, always be cautious when transporting the specimen, as rough handling can lead to hemolysis-causing trauma; hand deliver blood samples whenever possible.