The tissue diagnostic instrument

Paul K. Hansma(University of California, Santa Barbara), Hongmei Yu(University of California, San Francisco), David S. Schultz(University of California, San Francisco), Azucena G. Rodriguez(University of California, San Francisco), Eugene Yurtsev(University of California, Santa Barbara), Jessica Orr(University of California, San Francisco), Simon Y. Tang(University of California, San Francisco), Miller Jm(University of Michigan), Joseph M. Wallace(University of Michigan), Frank W. Zok(University of California, Santa Barbara), Cheng Li(Graduate Theological Union), Richard B. Souza, Alexander Proctor, Davis Brimer, Xavier Nogues-Solan(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Leonardo Mellbovsky(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), María J. Peña(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Oriol Diez-Ferrer(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Phillip Mathews(University of California, Santa Barbara), Connor Randall(University of California, Santa Barbara), Alfred C. Kuo(University of California, San Francisco), Carol Chen(University of California, San Francisco), Mathilde C. Peters(University of Michigan), David H. Kohn(University of Michigan), Jenni M. Buckley(University of California, San Francisco), Xiaojuan Li, Lisa A. Pruitt(Graduate Theological Union), Adolfo Díez‐Pérez(Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Tamara Alliston(University of California, San Francisco), Valerie M. Weaver(University of California, San Francisco), Jeffrey C. Lotz(University of California, San Francisco)
Review of Scientific Instruments
May 1, 2009
10.1063/1.3127602
Cited by 74Open Access
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Abstract

Tissue mechanical properties reflect extracellular matrix composition and organization, and as such, their changes can be a signature of disease. Examples of such diseases include intervertebral disk degeneration, cancer, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and tooth decay. Here we introduce the tissue diagnostic instrument (TDI), a device designed to probe the mechanical properties of normal and diseased soft and hard tissues not only in the laboratory but also in patients. The TDI can distinguish between the nucleus and the annulus of spinal disks, between young and degenerated cartilage, and between normal and cancerous mammary glands. It can quantify the elastic modulus and hardness of the wet dentin left in a cavity after excavation. It can perform an indentation test of bone tissue, quantifying the indentation depth increase and other mechanical parameters. With local anesthesia and disposable, sterile, probe assemblies, there has been neither pain nor complications in tests on patients. We anticipate that this unique device will facilitate research on many tissue systems in living organisms, including plants, leading to new insights into disease mechanisms and methods for their early detection.

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