EXPOSURE SYSTEM

• US 20200132671A1
• Filed: 12/20/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inhalation Sciences Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Inhalation Sciences Sweden AB
• Inventors: GERDE, Per
• Granted Patent: US 11,054,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/06 Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/075 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0687 in solutions, e.g. non volatile residue
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2500/04 Screening involving studying the effect of compounds C directly on molecule A (e.g. C are potential ligands for a receptor A, or potential substrates for an enzyme A)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5026 on cell morphology
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5044 involving specific cell types

Abstract

The invention relates to methodologies of obtaining a controlled exposure of an aerosol to a model material. The invention also provides an exposure cap and a system for studying or predicting the interaction between a model material, e.g. a cell, and an aerosolized agent. The controlled exposure of the aerosol to the model material, makes is possible to accurately calculate the mass-balance of the aerosol exposure.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. An exposure cap device for establishing a controlled exposure of a model material to an aerosol following its insertion into a model material container, said exposure cap having:

an upper part adapted to receive an inlet flow of an aerosol; and

a lower part, adapted to be aligned to the model material, to collect an aerosol stream following its exposure of the model material and to shield the model material container from the aerosol, wherein the generally cylindrical exposure cap comprises;

(a) an inlet duct for receiving the aerosol in said upper part, wherein the inlet duct is provided with a tangentially located inlet orifice for generating a rotating flow around a central axis, from the upper part to the lower part; and

(b) a single outlet duct for transporting remaining aerosol from the model material from the lower part to an outlet in the upper part.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the outlet duct is located essentially along a central axis longitudinally extending between the upper and lower parts.

12. The device according to claim 10 comprising an inner central body providing an annular duct for transporting the received aerosol to said lower part, wherein the inner body has an extension providing an annular slit in the lower part for transportation of aerosol from the annular duct along the model material surface to the outlet duct.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein an outlet orifice of the outlet duct has a diameter less than the width of an annular duct diameter.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein a lower part of the inner body comprises a funnel-shaped cavity extending from a peripheral lower end of the inner body to the outlet orifice of the inner duct, thereby defining a cavity height.

15. The device according to claim 10, being essentially cylindrical and adapted to be attached to a container comprising the model material in order to obtain a substantially sealed environment during an aerosol exposure, and wherein a cross-sectional area of the annular duct is less than ¾

of the surface of the model material.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein the inner central body has a funnel-shaped extension towards an inner wall and so that that the annular duct has an essentially larger area than the annular slit

17. A system suitable for establishing a controlled exposure of a model material to an aerosol resembling the airway-blood-barrier in a respiratory tract, comprising an aerosol transporting arrangement for transporting the aerosol from an aerosol generating source to an exposure unit, wherein:

(i) the exposure unit comprises;

(a) the exposure cap device according to claim 10;

(b) a container comprising a model material on a permeable membrane;

(c) a perfusion tray for establishing an even perfusion fluid contact between a fluid inlet, and the underside of the permeable membrane of the container; and

(d) a perfusion fluid outlet adapted to counteract drop formation at the outlet, and

(ii) the aerosol transporting arrangement comprises an exposure flow line, comprising one or more branches connected to one or more inlet ducts of exposure caps transporting the aerosol from said exposure line past the aerosol inlets of the exposure caps and onto the end filter located downstream of the exposure branches.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the perfusion tray is connected to a control device for controlling a perfusion fluid pressure against the membrane.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control device monitors and adjusts the level of perfusion fluid in a perfusion fluid container connected to the inlet.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the perfusion tray is essentially circular in cross section and wherein the inlet and outlet are located in diametrically opposite positions in a peripheral region of the tray between at least two parallel ridges.