Remote control of osmotic pump device

• US 20070135798A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Langer, Robert, Jung, Edward, Hood, Leroy, Tegreene, Clarence, Wood, Lowell, Ishikawa, Muriel, Wood, Victoria
• Granted Patent: US 8,998,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/892.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0004 Osmotic delivery systems; Sustained release driven by osmosis, thermal energy or gas
• 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: 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 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

Abstract

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled osmotic pump device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to some embodiments, an osmotic pump device is placed in an environment in order to pump a material into the environment or into an additional fluid handling structure within the osmotic pump device. 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 method of controlling an osmotic pump device, comprising:

generating an electromagnetic control signal including frequency components absorbable by a magnetically or electrically responsive control element of the osmotic pump device in an environment;

remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device with signal characteristics sufficient to activate the magnetically or electrically responsive control element in the osmotic pump device to control the concentration of an osmotic-pressure generating material in the osmotic pump device.

2. The method of claim 1, including generating and transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device with a remote control signal source.

5. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the environment; and

based upon the feedback signal, generating the electromagnetic control signal with signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

9. The method of claim 1, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump device; and

based upon the feedback signal, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics that are expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

14. The method of claim 1, 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 concentration of osmotic pressure-generating material in the osmotic pump device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the desired concentration of osmotic pressure generating material in the osmotic pump device is a concentration sufficient to produce a desired pumping rate by the osmotic pump device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating an electromagnetic control signal and remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device are performed according to instructions provided in the form of software, hardware or firmware.

26. The method of claim 1, including generating the electromagnetic control signal under software control.

27. The method of claim 1, including modifying the concentration of the osmotic pressure-generating material within an osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump device by modifying the area of an interaction region within the osmotic chamber.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the concentration of the osmotic pressure-generating material within an osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump device includes modifying a condition at an interaction region within the osmotic chamber.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein modifying a condition at the interaction region includes modifying a condition within the osmotic chamber.

69. The method of claim 1, including generating the electromagnetic control signal from a model-based calculation or generating the electromagnetic control signal based on a stored pattern.

70. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving a feedback signal from the environment includes receiving a measure of osmolality, pH, temperature, pressure, concentration of a chemical, or chemical activity of a chemical within at least a portion of the environment.

71. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump device includes at least one of receiving a signal representing a concentration of osmotic pressure-generating material within the osmotic pump device, receiving a signal representing a concentration or chemical activity of a chemical within or around the osmotic pump device, receiving a signal representing an osmolality within or around the osmotic pump device, receiving a signal representing a pH within or around the osmotic pump device, receiving a signal representing the temperature within or around the osmotic pump device, or receiving a signal representing the pressure within or around the osmotic pump device.

72. The method of claim 1, including activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce at least one of heating, cooling, or change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element.

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

74. The method of claim 34, wherein modifying a condition at the interaction region includes 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 interaction region.

75. The method of claim 39, wherein modifying a condition within the osmotic chamber includes at least one of modifying the volume of the osmotic chamber, heating at least a portion of the osmotic chamber, cooling at least a portion of the osmotic chamber, modifying the osmolality within at least a portion of the osmotic chamber, or modifying the pH within at least a portion of the osmotic chamber.

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43. A method of controlling an osmotic pump device, comprising:

generating an electromagnetic control signal including frequency components absorbable by a magnetically or electrically responsive control element of the osmotic pump device in an environment; and

remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device in the environment with signal characteristics sufficient to produce mechanical, thermal or chemical activation of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element in the osmotic pump device to control the pumping rate of the osmotic pump device.

44. The method of claim 43, including generating and transmitting the electromagnetic control signal with a remote control signal source.

47. The method of claim 43, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the environment; 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.

51. The method of claim 43, including:

receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump 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.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump device includes receiving a signal representing a concentration or a chemical activity of a material at an interaction region within an osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump device.

54. The method of claim 43, including:

receiving user input of one or more control parameters; and

based at least in part upon the one or more control parameters, generating an electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired pumping rate of the osmotic pump device.

62. The method of claim 43, wherein the steps of generating an electromagnetic control signal and of remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device are performed according to instructions provided in the form of software, hardware or firmware.

76. The method of claim 43, including at least one of generating the electromagnetic control signal from a model-based calculation or generating the electromagnetic control signal from a stored pattern.

77. The method of claim 47, wherein receiving a feedback signal from the environment includes receiving a measure of at least one of osmolality, pH, temperature, pressure, concentration of a chemical, or chemical activity of a chemical within at least a portion of the environment.

78. The method of claim 43, including at least one of activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce heating or cooling, wherein the heating or cooling modifies an interaction at an interaction region of the osmotic pump device and wherein the interaction modifies the osmotic pressure in the osmotic pump device, or activating the magnetically or electrically responsive control element to produce a change in configuration of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element, wherein the change in configuration modifies an interaction at an interaction region of the osmotic pump device and wherein the interaction modifies the osmotic pressure in the osmotic pump device.

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63. Software for controlling an osmotic pump device, comprising:

instructions for generating an electromagnetic control signal including frequency components absorbable by a magnetically or electrically responsive control element of the osmotic pump device in an environment; and

instructions for remotely transmitting the electromagnetic control signal to the osmotic pump device in the environment with signal characteristics sufficient to produce at least one of mechanical, thermal or chemical activation of the magnetically or electrically responsive control element in the osmotic pump device to control the pumping rate of osmotic pump device.

79. The software of claim 63, wherein the instructions for generating the electromagnetic control signal include at least one of instructions for calculating the electromagnetic control signal based on a model, instructions for generating the electromagnetic control signal based on a pattern stored in a data storage location, or instructions for receiving a feedback signal from the environment and generating the electromagnetic control signal based at least in part upon the received feedback signal, the electromagnetic control signal having signal characteristics expected to produce a desired feedback signal.

80. The software of claim 63, including at least one of instructions for receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump device and generating the electromagnetic control signal based at least in part on the received feedback signal, the electromagnetic control signal having frequency composition and amplitude expected to produce a desired feedback signal, or instructions for receiving user input of one or more control parameters, and generating the electromagnetic control signal based at least in part upon the one or more control parameters.

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