Apparatus for gene therapy

• US 5,702,384 A
• Filed: 06/02/1995
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Koda, Koji, Ogasawara, Tadahiko, Watanabe, Katsushi, Yoshino, Kenji, Umeyama, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael Powell
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH TUAN TUONG
• Application Number:
  US08/458,910
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 604/20, 604/96, 604/101, 604/265, 604/892.1, 604/305-308, 604/272, 604/173, 604/21, 604/51, 604/191, 604/239, 623/15, 424/DIG. 13, 435/91, 435/172.1, 435/240.21, 435/240.23, 435/240.31, 435/172.2, 222/108, 222/54, 222/504, 222/399
• US Class Current: 604/892.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1477 Needle-like probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/22 the beam being directed along or through a flexible conduit, e.g. an optical fibre; Couplings or hand-pieces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00247 Making holes in the wall of the heart, e.g. laser Myocardial revascularization
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00392 Transmyocardial revascularisation
• 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: A61N 1/306 Arrangements where at least part of the apparatus is introduced into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/325 for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body electrodes for external use A61N1/0428
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/89 using microinjection

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus for gene therapy to transfer or introduce, in vivo, a gene for treatment into a cell located at a target portion of a patient, so that the gene can be transferred with a high probability within a short period of time. The apparatus is applicable to all cell species. In addition to simple supply of a gene to the cell of the patient, the gene is forcibly transferred to the cell without depending on natural cellular physiology. For example, catheters are mounted on a probe inserted into a body cavity, and the gene is supplied from a reservoir which stores the gene to the surface of a human living cell of the target portion in the body cavity through needle cannulas attached to the distal ends of the catheters. A pulse voltage is applied to the needle cannulas to form a pore in the surface of the human living cell upon application of the pulse voltage. The gene is transferred into the human living cell through the pore.

Claims

1. An apparatus for gene therapy, comprising:

a probe which is insertable into a body cavity;

supply means provided in said probe for supplying a gene or a gene-packaging particle onto a surface of a human living cell located at a target portion in the body cavity; and

a plurality of small needles in said probe and capable of protruding from a distal end of said probe for mechanically forming a plurality of pores in a cell membrane of the human living cell in order to transfer the gene or gene-packaging particle into the cell through the plurality of pores.

2. An apparatus for gene therapy comprising:

a tube having at least a first lumen and a second lumen each of which extends in a direction of an axis of the tube;

a needle member having a plurality of fine needles, sized to form pores in a living cell, which is received in said first lumen and which is located at a distal end of said tube;

driving means for moving the needle member to be protruded out of and returned back into the first lumen;

reservoir means for storing a fluid which contains a suitable gene for the gene therapy, the reservoir means being in fluid communication with said second lumen at a proximal end of said tube; and

fluid supply means for supplying the fluid stored in the reservoir means through the second lumen to deliver the fluid from the distal end of the tube.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said driving means comprises a piezoelectric element.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said driving means comprises a piezoelectric element which deforms when an electric voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said fluid supply means comprises a pump.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said needle member is positioned such that the member can protrude forward from the distal end of the tube and draw back behind the distal end.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said fluid supply means supplies a liquid which contains the gene.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said fluid supply means supplies a liquid including fine particles containing the gene.