GEL ASSEMBLY

• US 20130110040A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Original Assignee: The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Inventors: Serpe, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,694,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/93.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0028 Disruption, e.g. by heat or ultrasounds, sonophysical or sonochemical activation, e.g. thermosensitive or heat-sensitive liposomes, disruption of calculi with a medicinal preparation and ultrasounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/7007 Drug-containing films, membranes or sheets A61K9/0041, A61K9/0043, A61K9/006, A61K9/0063 take precedence
• 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: B32B 15/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/254 Polymeric or resinous material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31692 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

A gel assembly comprising a polymeric gel layer between metal layers. A gel assembly process comprising providing a colloidal polymer in solution, drying the solution to form a polymeric gel layer and forming metal layers on either side of the polymeric gel layer. A method of drug delivery comprising loading a polymeric gel layer with drug, forming metal layers on either side of the polymeric gel layer, wherein the polymeric gel layer comprises a material that is sensitive to a stimulus, and subjecting the polymeric gel layer to the stimulus to release the drug from between or through the metal layers.

Claims

1. A gel assembly comprising a polymeric gel layer between metal layers.

2. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer comprises at least a monomer having at least an atom with a free electron pair per monomer unit.

3. The gel assembly of claim 2 in which the atom with a free electron pair comprises one or more of nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, or phosphorus atoms.

4. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the metal layers are reflective.

5. The gel assembly of claim 4 in which the metal layers are parallel to each other.

6. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the metal layers are sufficiently thin to be transparent.

7. The gel assembly of claim 1 formed as an etalon in which the metal layers have a different refractive index from the polymeric gel layer.

8. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer comprises a stimulus responsive material that changes volume in response to a stimulus.

9. The gel assembly of claim 7 in which the stimulus responsive material comprises one or more of thermoresponsive polymers, pH responsive polymers, electroresponsive polymers, hydrophilic polymers, magnetoresponsive polymers, chemical responsive polymers, ionic strength responsive polymers and photoresponsive polymers.

10. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer is formed as a colloidal gel.

11. The gel assembly of claim 10 in which the colloidal gel comprises packed particles, the particles having an unstressed diameter and as packed particles having a center to center particle distance that is smaller than the unstressed diameter.

12. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer comprises a co-polymer formed of one or more co-monomers in addition to the monomer.

13. The gel assembly of claim 12 in which a monomer with at least one nitrogen, fluorine, chlorine, or phosphorus per monomer unit is the main monomer in the co-polymer.

14. The gel assembly of claim 12 in which some monomers in the co-polymer are individually non-responsive to a stimulus or one or more of the co-monomers are responsive to more than one stimulus or the co-polymer comprises monomers that are responsive to different stimuli.

15. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer comprises colloidal particles having an effective diameter between 0.05 micron and 250 microns.

16. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the metal layers are formed as coatings on the polymeric gel layer.

17. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer is loaded with drug.

18. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the metal layers are less than 10 nm thick.

19. The gel assembly of claim 1 incorporated into a microbalance.

20. The gel assembly of claim 1 in which the polymeric gel layer comprises a glucose sensitive polymer.

21-43. -43. (canceled)