Apparatus and method for electroporation of tissue
First Claim
1. An apparatus for electroporating a tissue, comprising:
- a) a perforate electrically insulating layer;
b) at least one first external electrode contacting a first side of said perforate electrically insulating layer;
c) a second electrode having a first surface and an opposite second surface, said second surface being located at a second side of said perforate electrically insulating layer, whereby an electric field extending between said first and second electrodes will preferentially extend through perforations of said electrically insulating layer, said electric field thereby causing electroporation of a tissue that is proximate to said first electrode and is partitioned from said electrically insulating layer and said second electrode by the first electrode; and
d) means for conducting a fluid from the first surface of the second electrode to the second surface of said second electrode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for localized electroporation of tissue. An apparatus includes a perforate electrically insulating layer, a first electrode at a first side of the perforate electrically insulating layer and a second electrode at a second side of the perforate electrically insulating layer. An electric field extending between the first and second electrodes will preferentially extend through perforations of the electrically insulating layer. The electric field thereby causes electroporation of tissue that is proximate to the first electrode and is partitioned from the electrically insulating layer and the second electrode by the first electrode. The apparatus controllably limits the depth of the electric field within a tissue, such as skin, thereby electroporating a surface layer, such as a stratum corneum layer of the skin, without stimulating submerged nerve endings within the skin. Sensation of the applied voltage and especially pain sensation can thereby be controlled by the invention.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for electroporating a tissue, comprising:
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a) a perforate electrically insulating layer; b) at least one first external electrode contacting a first side of said perforate electrically insulating layer; c) a second electrode having a first surface and an opposite second surface, said second surface being located at a second side of said perforate electrically insulating layer, whereby an electric field extending between said first and second electrodes will preferentially extend through perforations of said electrically insulating layer, said electric field thereby causing electroporation of a tissue that is proximate to said first electrode and is partitioned from said electrically insulating layer and said second electrode by the first electrode; and d) means for conducting a fluid from the first surface of the second electrode to the second surface of said second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for electroporating a tissue, comprising the steps of:
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a) contacting at least one first electrode to the tissue; b) forming an electric field between said first electrode and a second electrode that is partitioned from said first electrode by a nonconductive layer that contacts the first electrode, whereby said electric field preferentially extends around at least a portion of said insulating layer, the electric field thereby causing electroporation of tissue that is proximate to the first electrode; and c) forming a plurality of electric fields, each electric field being formed between a first electrode and the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method for causing iontophoresis in a tissue, comprising the steps of:
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a) contacting a least one first electrode to the tissue; b) forming an electric field between said first electrode and a second electrode that is partitioned from said first electrode by a nonconductive layer that contacts the first electrode, whereby said electric field preferentially extends around at least a portion of said insulating layer, the electric field thereby causing iontophoresis of tissue that is proximate to the first electrode; and c) directing a material from a first surface of the second electrode to a second surface of the second electrode and into iontophoresed tissue proximate to said first electrode. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification