Remote controlled in vivo reaction method

• US 20070106268A1
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Langer, Robert, Jung, Edward, Hood, Leroy, Tegreene, Clarence, Wood, Lowell, Ishikawa, Muriel, Wood, Victoria
• Granted Patent: US 9,254,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/890.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/00 Medicinal preparations obtained by treating materials with wave energy or particle radiation ; Therapies using these preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0024 Solid, semi-solid or solidifying implants, which are implanted or injected in body tissue compositions for intravenous administration, normal injectable solutions or dispersions for, e.g. subcutaneous administration A61K9/0019; brain implants A61K9/0085; (coated) prostheses, catheters or stents A61L
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14513 with secondary fluid driving or regulating the infusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0288 Electro-rheological or magneto-rheological materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/36 related to heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/145 using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0006 Controlling or regulating processes controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00049 Controlling or regulating processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 : Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/363 : PCB's; PCP's
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0004 : Oxidoreductases (1.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0006 : acting on CH-OH groups as donors (1.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/10 : Transferases (2.) ribonucleases C12N9/22
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/12 : transferring phosphorus containing groups, e.g. kinases (2.7)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/14 : Hydrolases (3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/88 : Lyases (4.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/90 : Isomerases (5.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/93 : Ligases (6)
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link

Abstract

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled reaction device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to various embodiments, a reaction device is placed in an environment in order to perform a chemical reaction in an environment. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. In selected embodiments, a magnetic field, an electric field, or electromagnetic control signal may be used.

Claims

1. A reaction method, comprising:

receiving an electromagnetic control signal from a remote control signal source with a magnetically or electrically responsive control element;

in response to the received electromagnetic control signal, modifying a reaction condition at a reaction region of a reaction device located in a body of an organism; and

releasing a product of the reaction into the body of the organism.

4. The method of claim 1, including receiving a reactant capable of taking part in the reaction from the environment.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying a reaction condition at the reaction region includes modifying a parameter of a reaction space within the reaction device, the reaction space containing the reaction region.

45. The reaction method of claim 1, including receiving an electromagnetic control signal generated under software control by the remote control signal source.

107. The method of claim 1, wherein the organism is an animal, a human, or a plant.

108. The method of claim 4, wherein the reactant is a biomolecule, a synthetic compound, or a pro-drug.

109. The method of claim 1, including modifying a reaction condition at the reaction region by at least one of heating, cooling, modifying the osmolality, modifying the pH, modifying the surface charge, or modifying the surface energy of at least a portion of the reaction region.

110. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying a reaction condition at the reaction region includes modifying the volume of the reaction space, heating or cooling at least a portion of the reaction space, modifying the osmolality of at least a portion of the reaction space, or modifying the pH of at least a portion of the reaction space.

111. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetically or electrically responsive control element includes a magnetically or electrically active material selected from a permanently magnetizable material, ferromagnetic material, ferrimagnetic material, ferrous material, ferric material, dielectric material, ferroelectric material, piezoelectric material, diamagnetic material, paramagnetic material, antiferromagnetic material, polymer or biomolecule.

112. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the electromagnetic control signal with the magnetically or electrically responsive control element results in heating, cooling, vibration, acceleration, change in orientation, change in position, or change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically active material.

113. The method of claim 1, including receiving the electromagnetic control signal with an antenna, a resonant element, or at least one chemical bond.

114. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the electromagnetic control signal includes receiving at least one of a static or quasi-static magnetic field, static or quasi-static electrical field, radio-frequency electromagnetic signal, microwave electromagnetic signal, infrared wavelength electromagnetic signal, optical wavelength electromagnetic signal, or ultraviolet wavelength electromagnetic signal.

115. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the product of the reaction includes releasing at least one of a nutrient, hormone, growth factor, medication, therapeutic compound, enzyme, genetic material, vaccine, vitamin, imaging agent, cell signaling material, pro- or anti-apoptotic agent, neurotransmitter, material produced by conversion of a pro-drug to a drug, or material produced by an enzymatic reaction.

116. The method of claim 1, wherein releasing the product of the reaction includes releasing a deleterious material deactivated by degrading, chemically modifying, detoxifying, adsorbing, absorbing, enveloping, or killing the substance by chemical reaction.

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46. A reaction method, comprising:

receiving a material from a body of an organism at a reaction region of a reaction device located in the body of the organism;

receiving an electromagnetic control signal from a remote control signal source with a magnetically or electrically responsive control element; and

in response to the received electromagnetic control signal, modifying the rate of reaction of the material at the reaction region.

117. The method of claim 46, wherein the organism is an animal, a human, or a plant.

118. The method of claim 46, including modifying a reaction condition at the reaction region by heating, cooling, modifying the osmolality, modifying the pH, modifying the surface charge or modifying the surface energy of at least a portion of the reaction region.

119. The method of claim 46, wherein modifying a reaction condition at the reaction region includes modifying a parameter of a reaction space within the reaction device, the reaction space containing the reaction region, by at least one of modifying the volume of the reaction space, heating at least a portion of the reaction space, cooling at least a portion of the reaction space, modifying the osmolality of at least a portion of the reaction space, or modifying the pH of at least a portion of the reaction space.

120. The method of claim 46, wherein the magnetically or electrically responsive control element includes a magnetically or electrically active material selected from a permanently magnetizable material, ferromagnetic material, ferrimagnetic material, ferrous material, ferric material, dielectric material, ferroelectric material, piezoelectric material, diamagnetic material, paramagnetic material, antiferromagnetic material, polymer or biomolecule.

121. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving the electromagnetic control signal with the magnetically or electrically responsive control element results in at least one of heating, cooling, vibration, acceleration, change in orientation, change in position, or change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically active material.

122. The method of claim 46, including receiving the electromagnetic control signal with an antenna, a resonant element, or a chemical bond.

123. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving the electromagnetic control signal includes receiving at least one of a static or quasi-static magnetic field, static or quasi-static electrical field, radio-frequency electromagnetic signal, microwave electromagnetic signal, infrared wavelength electromagnetic signal, optical wavelength electromagnetic signal, or ultraviolet wavelength electromagnetic signal.

124. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving the material from the body of the organism includes receiving a component or precursor of a beneficial material, the beneficial material selected from at least one of a nutrient, hormone, growth factor, medication, drug, therapeutic compound, enzyme, genetic material, vaccine, vitamin, imaging agent, cell signaling material, pro- or anti-apoptotic agent, or neurotransmitter.

125. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving a material from the body of the organism includes receiving a deleterious material from the body of the organism, and wherein the reaction produces deactivation, degradation or sequestration of the deleterious material by degrading, chemically modifying, detoxifying, adsorbing, absorbing, enveloping, or killing the material.

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87. A method of controlling a reaction device, comprising:

generating an electromagnetic control signal including frequency components absorbable by a magnetically or electrically responsive control element of the reaction device in a body of an organism; and

remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the reaction device in the body of the organism with a signal characteristics sufficient to activate the magnetically or electrically responsive control element in the reaction device to control a chemical reaction occurring at a reaction region of the reaction device.

91. The method of claim 87, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the body of the organism; and

based at least in part upon the feedback signal, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

96. The method of claim 87, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the reaction device; and

based at least in part upon the feedback signal, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

98. The method of claim 87, including:

receiving user input of one or more control parameters; and

based upon the one or more control parameters, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired rate of reaction in the reaction device.

126. The method of claim 87, including generating and transmitting the electromagnetic control signal with a remote control signal source, including generating the electromagnetic control signal from a model-based calculation or based on a stored pattern.

127. The method of claim 91, wherein receiving a feedback signal from the body of the organism includes receiving a measure of osmolality, pH, temperature, pressure, or concentration or activity of a chemical within at least a portion of the body of the organism.

128. The method of claim 87, including activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce at least one of heating, cooling, or a change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element.

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