Smart contact lenses and smart glasses

• US 10,399,291 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHI Biomed Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PHI Biomed Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hahn, Sei Kwang, Sung, Young Chul, Mun, Beom Ho, Lee, Keon Jae, Keum, Dohee, Kim, Su Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkney, Dawayne
• Application Number:
  US15/522,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20180036974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 35115933, 351 41, 35115902, 35115903, 35115939, 3511594, 35115978, 351178, 351160 R, 424427-429
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 39/395 Antibodies agglutinins A61K38/36 ; as drug carriers A61K47/50; Immunoglobulins; Immune serum, e.g. antilymphocytic serum
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0048 Eye, e.g. artificial tears
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/00 Other apparatus for introducing media into the body for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin salt baths A61H33/04
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00096 for delivering compositions, e.g. drugs to the eye
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2800/164 Retinal disorders, e.g. retinopathy
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/528 Atypical element structures, e.g. gloves, rods, tampons, toilet paper
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5438 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/66 involving blood sugars, e.g. galactose
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/085 Fluid-filled lenses, e.g. electro-wetting lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/086 Auxiliary lenses located directly on a main spectacle lens or in the immediate vicinity of main spectacles

Abstract

The present invention provides a smart contact lens including a sensor capable of non-invasively sensing an eye disease in real time and a drug reservoir, and smart glasses for controlling the smart contact lens.

Claims

1. A contact lens for the treatment intraocular angiogenesis, comprising:

a sensor to which a probe capable of sensing a disease marker is fixed; and

a drug reservoir formed in a form of a drug well, which is formed at the inner side of the contact lens in contact with an eye to be indented toward the outer side thereof and sealed by an electrode pattern containing gold,

wherein, when the disease marker is sensed by the sensor, the gold of the electrode pattern of the drug reservoir is dissolved in chlorine of the body, resulting in AuCl4-, and the drug reservoir is opened,

the disease marker is one or more selected from the group consisting of nitrogen monoxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and glucose,

the drug reservoir includes a drug or a drug carrier capable of releasing a drug, and a drug releasing control substance,

the drug is genistein or a protein drug, and the drug carrier is a viral vector expressing the protein drug,

the viral vector is a recombinant virus produced by a recombinant vector including a DNA cassette including one or more nucleic acid sequences which encode protein drugs,

in the DNA cassette, expression of the inserted gene is controlled by tetracycline or doxycycline.

2. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the contact lens is based on a silicone hydrogel, poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or polyvinylacetate (PVA).

3. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the probe is one or more selected from the group consisting of hemin and an aptamer.

4. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the sensor senses an occurrence of a current change when the disease marker binds to the probe.

5. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the viral vector is one or more selected from the group consisting of a retrovirus vector, a baculovirus vector, a parvovirus vector, a Semliki Forest virus vector, a canarypox virus vector, a vaccinia virus vector, a fowlpox virus vector, a sindbis virus vector, an adenovirus vector, a piconavirus vector and an alphavirus vector.

6. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the viral vector is a lentivirus vector.

7. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the protein drugs are VEGFR and PDGFR.

8. The contact lens of claim 7, wherein the protein drug is an Fc-binding fusion protein.

9. The contact lens of claim 8, wherein the DNA cassette includes a nucleic acid sequence which encodes VEGFR-Fc and a nucleic acid sequence which encodes PDGFR-Fc, which are linked to transcription/translation initiation nucleic acid sequences.

10. The contact lens of claim 9, wherein the transcription/translation initiation nucleic acid sequences are internal ribosome entry site (IRES) nucleic acid sequences.

11. A method for producing a contact lens according to claim 1, including a sensor to which a probe capable of sensing a disease marker is fixed, and a drug reservoir, the method comprising:

producing the drug reservoir by

(a) forming a buffer layer on an amorphous silicon layer which is formed on one surface of a transparent substrate, and forming an electrode pattern containing gold on a partial surface of the buffer layer;

(b) forming a drug well layer including a drug well for accommodating a drug on the buffer layer on which the electrode pattern is not formed and the electrode pattern;

(c) stacking a plastic substrate on the drug well layer; and

(d) separating the amorphous silicon layer by applying a laser beam to the surface of the transparent substrate on which the amorphous silicon layer is not formed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the step (b), after SU8 is formed on the buffer layer not having an electrode pattern and the electrode pattern, the SU8 is patterned to form a drug well having an opening, and the opening of the drug well is formed on the electrode pattern.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after step (d), patterning the buffer layer to expose the electrode pattern in contact with the drug well.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

after step (d), depositing an SU8 layer on the drug well layer, and patterning the SU8 layer and the buffer layer to expose the electrode pattern in contact with the drug well.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, when the electrode pattern is exposed by patterning the buffer layer, the electrode pattern is partially exposed.

16. A system, comprising:

a smart contact lens according to claim 1, including a sensor to which a probe capable of sensing a disease marker is fixed and a drug reservoir formed in a form of a drug well, which is formed at the inner side of the contact lens in contact with an eye to be indented toward the outer side thereof and sealed by an electrode pattern containing gold; and

smart glasses which transmit electrical signals wirelessly to control operation of the sensor and the drug reservoir of the smart contact lens.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor of the smart contact lens is operated by electrical signals transmitted from the smart glasses, and the sensor receiving the signals senses the variations in current occurring when the disease marker binds to the probe, and sends the result to the smart glasses via RF wireless communication.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the drug reservoir of the smart contact lens is operated by electrical signals transmitted from the smart glasses, and in the drug reservoir receiving the signals, the gold of the electrode pattern sealing the drug reservoir is dissolved in chlorine, resulting in AuCl4-, and the electrode pattern is opened.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein power generated in a WiTricity coil of the smart glasses is received by a WiTricity antenna of the smart contact lens, and power received through control of an IC chip is used to operate the sensor and the drug reservoir.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the smart contact lens further includes a photodetector which senses external light and converts the light into electricity.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the smart contact lens further includes a photocell for auto powering.