Systems, devices, and methods for inducing ultraviolet energy generation via hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue

• US 20100222774A1
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokitae LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. JR., Kare, Jordin T., Wilson, Benjamin K., Hegg, Michael C., Horning, Matthew P.
• Application Number:
  US12/658,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222774A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/33
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0238 Optical sensor arrangements for performing transmission measurements on body tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1233 for measuring blood flow, e.g. at the retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0062 Arrangements for scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/48 Other medical applications
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/004 specially adapted for a specific therapy
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/00 Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light G01N3/00 - G01N19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/49 within a body or fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2333/445 Plasmodium
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/10 affording dark-field illumination G02B21/14 and G02B21/125 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1313 specially adapted for a particular application
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/30 Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are described for providing a monitor/treatment device configured to, for example, detect hemozoin, as well as to monitor or treat a malarial infection.

Claims

1. An anti-malarial therapeutic device, comprising:

a sensor component including at least one sensor configured to detect nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy associated with hemozoin nanoparticles within at least one focal volume of a biological tissue interrogated by an electromagnetic energy stimulus; and

an energy-emitting component configured to deliver an effective amount of a electromagnetic energy stimulus to elicit a nonlinear optical response from hemozoin nanoparticles within the biological tissue, the elicited nonlinear response of a character and for a duration sufficient to modulate a biological activity of a malarial infectious agent within the biological tissue.

2. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller operably coupled to at least one sensor of the sensor component and the energy-emitting component, the controller configured to provide a control signal to the energy-emitting component.

3. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the elicited nonlinear response includes one or more peak emission wavelengths ranging from about 175 nanometers to about 650 nanometers.

6. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the elicited nonlinear response is of a character and for a duration sufficient to induce programmed cell death of a plasmodium parasite including the hemozoin nanoparticles.

7. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the elicited nonlinear response is of a character and for a duration sufficient to generate antimicrobial energy.

8. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the elicited nonlinear response is of a character and for a duration sufficient to generate a sterilizing energy stimulus having one or more peak emission wavelengths in the ultraviolet range.

9. The anti-malarial therapeutic device of claim 1, wherein the elicited nonlinear response is of a character and for a duration sufficient to induce apoptosis of a host cell carrying the malarial infectious agent.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

10. A system, comprising:

circuitry configured to detect a nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy associated with hemozoin nanoparticles within at least one focal volume of a biological tissue interrogated by an electromagnetic energy stimulus; and

circuitry configured to generate an effective amount of a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus to elicit a nonlinear response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue within the at least one focal volume of the biological tissue, the elicited nonlinear response of a character and for a duration sufficient to modulate a biological activity of a malarial infectious agent.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to detect the nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy includes circuitry configured to detect a transcutaneously emitted multi-harmonic photonic response.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to detect the nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy includes one or more sensors for detecting a nonlinear response profile of one or more hemozoin nanoparticles within the at least one focal volume.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to detect the nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy includes an optical waveguide assembly and at least one sensor for collecting and detecting via an epi-collection mode at least one of a second harmonic response, a third harmonic response, and a fourth harmonic response elicited by the spatially patterned pulsed multiplexed electromagnetic energy stimulus.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to detect the nonlinear multi-harmonic response energy includes an optical waveguide assembly and at least one sensor for collecting and detecting via a Rheinberg detection configuration at least one of a second harmonic response, a third harmonic response, and a fourth harmonic response elicited by the spatially patterned pulsed multiplexed electromagnetic energy stimulus.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to generate the effective amount of a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus includes at least one of a first energy emitter having a peak emission wavelength ranging from about 690 nanometers to about 2100 nanometers and at least one of a second energy emitter having a peak emission wavelength ranging from about 1000 nanometers to about 2000 nanometers for multiplex nonlinear response assaying.

20. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to generate the effective amount of a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus includes an energy-emitting component configured to interrogate at least one focal volume with a spatially patterned pulsed multiplexed electromagnetic energy stimulus.

24. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to generate the effective amount of a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus includes a patterned energy-emitting source.

25. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry configured to generate the effective amount of a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus includes a lens array configured to deliver a spaced-apart energy stimuli having at least a first region and a second region, the second region having a focal depth different from the first region.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

21-23. -23. (canceled)

26. A method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity, comprising:

eliciting a nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue by interrogating a plurality of focal volumes with a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus having a peak irradiance of less than about 200 gigawatts/cm̂

2 and having at least one peak emission wavelength ranging from about 690 nanometers to about 2100 nanometers, the pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus of a character and for a duration sufficient to modulate a biological activity of a malarial infectious agent.

27. The method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity of claim 26, wherein eliciting the nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue includes irradiating hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue within one or more of the plurality of focal volumes with electromagnetic energy having a peak emission wavelength ranging from about 1000 nanometers to about 1300 nanometers.

35. The method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity of claim 26, wherein eliciting the nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue includes irradiating the hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue within one or more of the plurality of focal volumes with electromagnetic energy of a character and for a duration to cause a portion of the hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue to generate a nonlinear multi-harmonic response having a wavelength ranging from about 233 nanometers to about 434 nanometers.

38. The method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity of claim 26, wherein eliciting the nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue includes eliciting one or more of a second harmonic response, a third harmonic response, and a forth harmonic response by interrogating the hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue with a pulsed electromagnetic energy stimulus, the elicited one or more of the second harmonic response, the third harmonic response, and the forth harmonic response of a character and for a duration sufficient to induce programmed cell death of an infectious agent.

40. The method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity of claim 26, wherein eliciting the nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue includes applying an electromagnetic energy stimulus of a sufficient strength and duration to elicit the hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue within a biological sample to generate antimicrobial energy.

42. The method for modulating plasmodium parasitic activity of claim 26, wherein eliciting the nonlinear multi-harmonic response from hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue includes irradiating hemozoin nanoparticles in a biological tissue within one or more of the plurality of focal volumes with electromagnetic energy having a resolution [0.61*(peak emission wavelength/numerical aperture)] ranging from about 300 nanometers to about 10 micrometers.

28-34. -34. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

39. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

43. An anti-malarial therapeutic method, comprising applying an electromagnetic energy stimulus of a sufficient strength and duration to elicit hemozoin nanoparticles within a biological sample to generate an in vivo antimicrobial energy stimulus in response to a determination that hemozoin nanoparticles are present within the biological sample

44. The anti-malarial therapeutic method of claim 43, wherein applying the electromagnetic energy stimulus includes delivery an electromagnetic energy stimulus having a peak irradiance of less than about 200 gigawatts/cm̂

2.

45. The anti-malarial therapeutic method of claim 43, wherein applying the electromagnetic energy stimulus includes delivery a femtoseconds pulse frequency of about 8 megahertz, a peak emission wavelength ranging from about 690 nanometers to about 2100 nanometers, and a resolution [0.61*(peak emission wavelength/numerical aperture)] ranging from about 300 nanometers to about 10 micrometers.

46. The anti-malarial therapeutic method of claim 43, wherein applying the electromagnetic energy stimulus includes generating electromagnetic energy stimulus having a peak emission wavelength ranging from 1200 nanometers to about 1300 nanometers. The anti-malarial therapeutic method of claim 43, wherein applying the electromagnetic energy stimulus includes generating electromagnetic energy stimulus having a peak emission wavelength ranging from 700 nanometers to about 1000 nanometers.