DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DESTRUCTION OF CANCER CELLS

• US 20110015630A1
• Filed: 04/13/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LaZure Scientific Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lazure Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Azure, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 8,915,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1407 Loop
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1425 Needle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/143 multiple needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/06 for high-frequency therapy

Abstract

The present invention provides devices and systems, as well as methods, of electric field delivery and non-thermal or selective ablation of target tissue regions, including selective ablation of cancerous cells and solid tumors. A method of the present invention includes delivering an electric field to a tissue, including positioning an electrode within a target tissue region comprising cancerous cells, and applying an alternating electrical current to the target tissue so as to non-thermally ablate cancerous cells of the target tissue region around the electrodes.

Claims

1. -27. (canceled)

28. A device for delivering an electric field to a tissue and destroying cancerous cells, the device comprising:

a probe comprising a plurality of electrodes positionable within a target tissue region comprising cancerous cells, the plurality comprising a first electrode and a plurality of secondary electrodes;

an ablation volume at least partially defined by the secondary electrodes, the first electrode positionable within the ablation volume and spaced from the secondary electrodes so as to provide one or more electric fields extending radially outward from the first electrode and through the volume in a plurality of different directions.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein an electrode comprises an insulated portion and/or non-insulated portion.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the non-insulated portion of the electrode comprises an electric current delivery surface.

31. The device of claim 28, wherein the electrodes are positionable such that the applied electric field is substantially aligned with a division axis of dividing cancerous cell in the ablation volume.

32. The device of claim 28, wherein the secondary electrodes comprise a plurality of electrically connected electrode elements.

33. The device of claim 28, wherein the first electrode is positioned substantially within the center of the ablation volume.

34. The device of claim 28, wherein the device comprises an electrically floating system.

35. The device of claim 28, wherein an electrode comprises a shape memory metal.

36. The device of claim 28, a delivery member having a distal portion with a lumen, and the plurality of electrodes positionable within the lumen of the delivery member.

37. The device of claim 36, the plurality of electrodes comprising a non-deployed state with electrodes positioned within the lumen of the delivery member, and a deployed state with electrodes advanced from the distal portion of the delivery member.

38. The device of claim 37, the ablation volume defined by electrodes in the deployed state.

39. The device of claim 28, the probe comprising a tissue piercing distal portion for percutaneous access to the target tissue.

40. The device of claim 28, wherein the secondary electrodes comprise a plurality of straight needle electrodes equally spaced from a central first needle electrode, the secondary electrodes defining a cylindrical ablation volume.

41. The device of claim 28, wherein the secondary electrodes are curved so as to define a substantially spherical ablation volume.

42. A system for non-thermal tissue ablation, comprising:

a tissue ablation probe having one or more electrodes positionable within a target tissue region comprising cancerous cells; and

an energy source coupled to the device to provide alternating electrical current to non-thermally ablate cancerous cells of the target tissue region.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the energy source is powered by a battery.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein an electric field applied by the electrodes is substantially aligned with a division axis of a dividing cancerous cell of the target tissue.

45. The system of claim 42, further comprising a feedback unit for detecting a characteristic of tissue of the target tissue region.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the characteristic comprises impedance or temperature.

47. The system of claim 42, further comprising an imaging system.

48. The system of claim 42, further comprising a computer configured to output a signal to the energy source for providing a low voltage, intermediate frequency current to a target tissue.

49. The system of claim 42, a positioning system for holding the probe in a treatment position during energy delivery to the target tissue.

50. A system for selectively destroying cancerous cells, comprising:

a probe comprising a plurality of electrodes positionable within a target tissue, the plurality comprising a first electrode and one or more secondary electrodes, an ablation volume at least partially definable by the secondary electrodes, with the first electrode positionable within the ablation volume;

an energy source coupled to the device to provide an alternating electrical current and one or more electric fields extending radially from the first electrode and through the volume so as to selectively destroy cancerous cells in the target tissue.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the energy source is powered by a battery.

52. The system of claim 50, wherein the applied field provides a low-power, non-thermal ablation of tissue.

53. The system of claim 50, wherein the applied field is substantially aligned with division axes of dividing cancerous cells of the target tissue region.

54. The system of claim 50, further comprising a computer coupled to the energy source to output a signal for a selected treatment current for application to the target tissue.

55. The system of claim 54, a user interface coupled to the computer.

56. The system of claim 50, wherein the system comprises an ambulatory system.