Nanoparticle Phoresis

• US 20150065821A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Conrad, Andrew Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/018,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20150065821A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/309
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0071 by measuring fluorescence emission
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0275 using tracers, e.g. dye dilution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• 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 47/6921 the form being a particulate, a powder, an adsorbate, a bead or a sphere
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6923 the form being an inorganic particle, e.g. ceramic particles, silica particles, ferrite or synsorb
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/40 Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling microwave apparatus A61N5/00; Applying radio-frequency signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/004 specially adapted for a specific therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0645 Applicators worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0624 for eliminating microbes, germs, bacteria on or in the body

Abstract

Functionalized particles in the blood are able to selectively bind to targets in the blood that have adverse health effects. The binding of the particles to the targets allows the targets to be selectively modified or destroyed by energy from outside the body such that the adverse health effects are reduced or eliminated. The energy is generated by a wearable device which is able to direct the energy into the subsurface vasculature of the wearer of the wearable device. Further, one or more of the functionalized particles may be magnetic, allowing a magnetic field generated by the wearable device and directed into the subsurface vasculature to concentrate the bound targets in a lumen of the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising:

a mount configured to mount the wearable device to an external body surface proximate to a portion of subsurface vasculature;

a magnet configured to direct a magnetic field into the portion of subsurface vasculature, wherein the magnetic field is sufficient to cause functionalized magnetic particles to collect in a lumen of the portion of the subsurface vasculature, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with a target, and wherein the target has an ability to cause an adverse health effect;

a signal source configured to transmit a signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature sufficient to cause a physical or chemical change in the target complexed with the functionalized magnetic particles, wherein the physical or chemical change reduces or eliminates the target'"'"'s ability to cause the adverse health effect.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with the target by binding to the target.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with the target by binding to other functionalized particles that are bound to the target.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises an electromagnetic pulse, an acoustic pulse, or a time-varying magnetic field.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises an infrared pulse.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a radio frequency pulse.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising:

a detector configured to detect a response signal transmitted from the portion of subsurface vasculature, wherein the response signal is related to complexing of the target to the functionalized magnetic particles.

8. The wearable device of claim 7, further comprising:

a signal source configured to transmit an interrogating signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature, wherein the response signal is generated in response to the interrogating signal.

9. A method, comprising:

introducing functionalized magnetic particles into a lumen of subsurface vasculature, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with a target in blood circulating in the subsurface vasculature, wherein the target has an ability to cause an adverse health effect;

directing, from a magnet in the wearable device, a magnetic field into the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device, wherein the magnetic field is sufficient to cause the functionalized magnetic particles complexed with the target to collect in a lumen of the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device;

directing, from a signal source in the wearable device, a signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature sufficient to cause a physical or chemical change in the target complexed with the functionalized magnetic particles, wherein the physical or chemical change reduces or eliminates the target'"'"'s ability to cause the adverse health effect.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal comprises an electromagnetic pulse, an acoustic pulse, or a time-varying magnetic field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal comprises a radio frequency pulse.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal comprises an infrared light pulse.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the target comprises a protein, a hormone, or a cell.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with the target by binding to the target.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with the target by binding to other functionalized particles that are bound to the target.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically measuring, by the wearable device, one or more physiological parameters during each of a plurality of measurement periods, wherein at least one of the physiological parameters is measured by non-invasively detecting one or more analytes in blood circulating in subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device.

17. A method, comprising:

introducing a first type of functionalized particles into a lumen of subsurface vasculature, wherein the functionalized particles of the first type are magnetic;

introducing a second type of functionalized particles into a lumen of subsurface vasculature, wherein the functionalized particles of the second type are configured to bind to a target in blood circulating in the subsurface vasculature, wherein the target has an ability to cause an adverse health effect;

wherein the functionalized particles of the first type are configured to bind to functionalized particles of the second type that are bound to the target;

directing, from a magnet in the wearable device, a magnetic field into the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device, wherein the magnetic field is sufficient to cause functionalized particles of the first type bound to functionalized particles of the second type to collect in a lumen of the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device;

directing, from a signal source in the wearable device, a signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature sufficient to cause a physical or chemical change in the target bound to functionalized particles of the second type, wherein the physical or chemical change reduces or eliminates the target'"'"'s ability to cause the adverse health effect.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the functionalized particles of the second set undergo a conformational change exposing a binding site when bound to the target and wherein the functionalized particles of the first set are configured to bind to the binding site.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal comprises an electromagnetic pulse.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the electromagnetic pulse is a radio frequency pulse.