Pollen inspired microscrapers for minimally invasive statistical tissue sampling

Inspired by pollen grain microstructures, we have microfabricated disc shaped microscrapers capable of collecting tissue samples as they pass through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These tissue samples possess a sufficient cell count to perform molecular pathology tests, which screen for potential tumorigenic mutations. The devices are coated in sharp tapered microbristles and are small enough so that tens of thousands can be potentially added to an orally ingestible capsule; additionally, they are magnetic to allow for easy retrieval. Using cell nuclei staining, we observe that optimized microscrapers collect over four times as many cells when compared to devices without microbristles.