MONITOR FOR PARTICLE INJECTOR

• US 20150285622A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kiesel, Peter, Martini, Joerg, Chow, Eugene M., Uhland, Scott, Johnson, Noble M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,400,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/04 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/2053 Media being expelled from injector by pressurised fluid or vacuum for infusion A61M5/145, A61M5/155
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3015 for injecting a dose of particles in form of powdered drug, e.g. mounted on a rupturable membrane and accelerated by a gaseous shock wave or supersonic gas flow cell injection devices C12M3/006
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/00 Investigating characteristics of particles; Investigating permeability, pore-volume or surface-area of porous materials identification of microorganisms C12Q
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1434 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0003 Determining electric mobility, velocity profile, average speed or velocity of a plurality of particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0046 in gas, e.g. smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1027 Determining speed or velocity of a particle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1029 Particle size
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/103 Particle shape

Abstract

Approaches for determining the delivery success of a particle, such as a drug particle, are disclosed. A system for monitoring delivery of particles to biological tissue includes a volume, an optical component, a detector, and an analyzer. The volume comprises a space through which a particle can pass in a desired direction. The optical component is configured to provide a measurement light. The detector is positioned to detect light emanating from the particle in response to the measurement light. The detected light is modulated as the particle moves along a detection axis. The detector is configured to generate a time-varying signal in response to the detected light. The analyzer is configured to receive the time-varying signal and determine a delivery success of the particle into a biological tissue based upon characteristics of the time-varying signal.

Claims

1. An assembly for delivering and monitoring delivery of particles to a material, comprising:

a delivery device configured to contain a particle and accelerate the particle in a desired direction;

a volume through which the particle can pass;

a spatial filter having mask features;

a detector positioned to detect light emanating from the particle along a detection region within the volume, the detected light is modulated according to the mask features as the particle moves along the detection region, the detector configured to generate a time-varying signal in response to the detected light; and

an analyzer configured to receive the time-varying signal and determine a delivery success of the particle into the material based upon characteristics of the time-varying signal.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the volume has the material disposed adjacent thereto, and wherein the delivery success is measured by distinguishing between one or more of a delivery path and a reflected path of the particle through the material.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the analyzer is configured to analyze one or more properties of the material.

4. The assembly of claim 3, further comprising control circuitry configured to vary one or more characteristics of delivery of the particle based upon one or more of analyzed properties of the material and one or more characteristics of the reflected path.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more characteristics of the delivery of the particle comprise a speed of the particle during the delivery path, a size of the particle in one or more of three dimensions, and a three dimensional position of the particle within the volume during the delivery path.

6. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more characteristics of the reflected path comprise a speed of the particle during the reflected path and three dimensional position of the particle within the volume during the reflected path.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the volume is housed within a disposable intermediate portion that reversibly engages with the delivery device.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the material comprises a biological tissue, and wherein the intermediate portion is adapted to contact the biological tissue.

9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the intermediate portion includes at least one transparent wall that allows for passage of one or more of a measurement light and the light emanating from the particle to pass therethrough.

10. The assembly of claim 9, further comprising at least one optical component configured to provide the measurement light, wherein the optical component includes one or more light directing components that can direct the measurement light.

11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein one or more of the spatial filter and the one or more light directing components are formed in the intermediate portion.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the delivery device includes an injector is configured to entrain the particle with a pressurized gas, and direct a collimated stream comprised of the particle and the pressurized gas in the desired direction.

13. A system for monitoring delivery of particles to biological tissue, comprising:

a volume through which a particle can pass in a desired direction;

an optical component configured to provide a measurement light;

a detector positioned to detect light emanating from the particle in response to the measurement light, the detected light being modulated as the particle moves along a detection region within the volume, the detector configured to generate a time-varying signal in response to the detected light; and

an analyzer configured to receive the time-varying signal and determine a delivery success of the particle into the biological tissue based upon characteristics of the time-varying signal.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a delivery device including a hand held housing, wherein the delivery device is adapted to accelerate the particle toward the biological tissue; and

an intermediate portion removably coupled to the hand held housing, wherein at least the volume is disposed in the intermediate portion.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the intermediate portion is adapted to be applied to a surface of the biological tissue.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a delivery device configured to entrain the particle with a pressurized gas, and direct a collimated stream comprised of the particle and the pressurized gas in the desired direction through the volume.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a spatial filter having mask features, wherein the detected light is modulated according to the mask features as the particle moves along the detection axis.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the optical component is configured to create a patterned excitation in the particle along the detection region.

19. A method of monitoring delivery particles to biological tissue, comprising:

passing a particle through a volume that includes the biological tissue disposed adjacent thereto;

detecting a light from the particle moving through the volume relative to a spatial filter;

generating a time-varying signal in response to the detected light; and

analyzing the time-varying signal to determine a delivery success of the particle into the biological tissue based upon characteristics of the time-varying signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the detected light is modulated according to mask features of the spatial filter.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of analyzing determines properties of the biological tissue.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising varying one or more characteristics of particle delivery based upon analyzed properties of one or more of the biological tissue and delivery characteristics of a reflected path.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising distinguishing between one or more of a delivery path, and a reflected path of the particle through the volume to determine the delivery success of the particle into the biological tissue.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising illuminating the particle with a patterned excitation light.

25. A method of transcutaneous delivery of a drug, comprising:

propelling particles individually or a few at a time from a delivery device;

passing the particles through a volume;

detecting a light from the particles moving through the volume;

generating a time-varying signal in response to the detected light;

analyzing the time-varying signal to determine a delivery success of the particles at penetration into a biological tissue;

iteratively adjusting delivery characteristics of the particles based on analysis until a predetermined success rate is achieved; and

delivering the drug in a bolus of many particles using adjusted delivery characteristics.

26. A system for determining one or more properties of a material, comprising:

a volume through which a particle can pass in a desired direction;

an optical component configured to provide a measurement light;

a detector positioned to detect light emanating from the particle in response to the measurement light, the detected light being modulated as the particle moves along a detection region within the volume, the detector configured to generate a time-varying signal in response to the detected light; and

an analyzer configured to receive the time-varying signal and determine one or more properties of the material based upon characteristics of the time-varying signal.