Intraocular shunt manufacture

• US 10,314,743 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Romoda, Laszlo O., Hamstrom, Brian, Chandrakant, Partha, Horvath, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Sellman, Cachet I
• Application Number:
  US15/454,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/001 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 3/12 for treating work of indefinite length

Abstract

An intraocular shunt can be manufactured using a system that includes a liquid bath and a wire, which is moved through the bath. The wire can be moved through a first liquid bath to produce a first tubular layer of drug-infused gelatin. Further, the wire can be moved through a second liquid bath to produce a second tubular layer of drug-free gelatin. The first and second tubular layers can be dried on the wire in a humidity-controlled space, thereby manufacturing a drug-loaded gelatin shunt.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a gelatin shunt, the method comprising:

moving a wire through a first liquid bath to produce a first tubular layer of drug-infused gelatin;

moving the wire through a second liquid bath to produce a second tubular layer of drug-free gelatin; and

while exposing the gelatin coating to an ultrasonic water fog, drying the first and second tubular layers on the wire in a humidity-controlled space, thereby manufacturing a drug-loaded gelatin shunt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tubular layer ranges between 3 μ

m and 20 μ

m in thickness.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving the wire through the first liquid bath is performed after moving the wire through the second liquid bath.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wire comprises a drug-free gelatin layer, and moving the wire through the first liquid bath comprises soaking the drug into the drug-free gelatin layer to produce the first tubular layer of drug-infused gelatin.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising cross-linking the first tubular layer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the cross-linking the first tubular layer occurs before the moving the wire through the second liquid bath.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising cross-linking the second tubular layer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the cross-linking the second tubular layer occurs before the moving the wire through the first liquid bath.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first liquid bath is infused with a drug.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving the wire through the first liquid bath comprises moving the wire through a drug-free liquid bath to produce a preformed layer and thereafter soaking the preformed layer in a drug to produce the first tubular layer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug is selected from the group consisting of an anti-mitotic pharmaceutical, an anti-VEGF agent, a steroid, an antifibrotic agent, an antimicrobial agent, an antiseptic, and a time-release pharmaceutical or biological agent.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the drying the first and second tubular layers comprises drying the first tubular layer before the moving the wire through the second liquid bath.

13. A method for manufacturing a gelatin shunt, the method comprising:

moving a wire through a liquid bath to coat the wire with gelatin, thereby producing a gelatin-coated wire comprising a gelatin coating;

while exposing the gelatin coating to an ultrasonic water fog, drying the gelatin coating on the wire in a humidity-controlled space, thereby manufacturing a gelatin shunt; and

coating the gelatin shunt with a drug.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

drawing the gelatin-coated wire through an aperture before drying the gelatin coating, thereby controlling a cross-sectional thickness of the gelatin coating.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

cross-linking the gelatin coating after coating the gelatin shunt with the drug.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the drug is selected from the group consisting of an anti-mitotic pharmaceutical, an anti-VEGF agent, a steroid, an antifibrotic agent, an antimicrobial agent, an antiseptic, and a time-release pharmaceutical or biological agent.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein coating the gelatin shunt comprises coating an exterior surface of the gelatin shunt with the drug.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid bath comprises a top layer and a bottom layer, the top layer comprising water and the bottom layer comprising gelatin.