Patent ID: 8118754

Claim:
A magnetic biopsy apparatus assembly for obtaining a biopsy sample enriched for diseased cells comprising: a cannulae for penetrating a body of a subject having openings at the distal end and proximal end with the cross-sectional area in between the distal end and the proximal end substantially hollow for injecting superparamagnetic nanoparticles into a biopsy site through the cannulae wherein the superparamagnetic nanoparticles are labeled with a receptor for a specific target of interest of a diseased cell and wherein the superparamagnetic nanoparticles do not attract each other in the absence of a magnetic field; a rod having a distal end and a proximal end with one or more rare-earth magnets located at the distal end of the rod, the rod capable of being inserted into and retracted from the cannulae with the rare-earth magnet portion of the rod positionable partially outside of the distal end of the cannulae and into the biopsy site; and a sheath that is removably attached to the rod and covers at least a portion of the rod that extends into the biopsy site.