The present invention relates to a method and a device (10) for obtaining a tissue sample (12) from a tissue of an animal, human, plant or marine organism or from a tissue culture (14) and for characterizing the tissue sample (12) by determining at least one electrical property of the tissue sample (12). The method is characterized by the steps of puncturing the tissue or tissue culture (14) with a hollow probe (16) having an open end, extracting the tissue sample (12) from the tissue or tissue culture (14) within the end (18) of the hollow probe (16), and determining the at least one electrical property of the extracted tissue sample (12) while the tissue sample (12) remains within the end (18) of the hollow probe (16). The device (10) comprises at least one hollow probe (16) having at least one open end (18) for puncturing the tissue or tissue culture (14) and for extracting the tissue sample (12) from the tissue or tissue culture (14) within the at least one end (18), at least one electrode (20) disposed within the hollow probe (16), and means (20, 22, 24) for determining the at least one electrical property of the extracted tissue sample (12) within the end (18) of the hollow probe (16), the means (20, 22, 24) comprising the at least one electrode (20).
