Method, system and device for producing signals from a substance biological and/or chemical activity

• US 6,541,978 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digibio
• Original Assignee: Digibio
• Inventors: Benveniste, Jacques, Guillonnet, Didier
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAVERI, SUBHASH
• Application Number:
  US09/787,570
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 324/239, 324/441, 324/232, 324/210, 324/226, 324/262, 324/204, 324/71.1, 324/663, 324/692, 324/668, 340/627, 340/631, 436/66, 436/627
• US Class Current: 324/329
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 37/005 Measurement methods not based on established scientific theories

Abstract

The invention concerns a method, a system and a device for producing, from a substance, electric signals characteristic of the biological activity of an active element contained in the substance. The method consists in: placing the substance in a zone subjected to a specific electric, magnetic and/or electromagnetic excitation field. The method further includes a step which consists in transforming the fields resulting form the interaction between the specific excitation filed and the substance, into signals, in particular electric signals, using a first transducer receiving the resulting fields.

Claims

1. Method for producing from a substance (1) signals, in particular electric signals, characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or of the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or of an active element contained in said substance;

said method comprising the stages;

of placing said substance in a zone (2) submitted to a specific excitation field of electric, magnetic and/or electromagnetic nature (4), said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a power spectral density spread over a frequency band, particularly of the white noise type or of the pink noise type;

said method also comprising;

of transforming the resulting fields from the interaction of the specific excitation field of the substance into signals, in particular electric signals, by means of a first transducer (6) receiving said resulting fields,

said signals being characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or of the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

2. Method according to claim 1 further comprising the stage

processing (17) said signals derived from said first transducer (6) in function of second signals derived from a second transducer receiving the specific excitation field, in the absence of said substance or an active element contained in said substance,

in such a way that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or of the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

3. Method according to claim 1 further comprising the stage:

of processing (17) the signals derived from said first transducer, in function of the characteristics of the specific excitation field,

in such a way that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or of the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

4. Method according to claim 1, said specific excitation field having a power spectral density such that, in the absence of said substance or an active element contained in said substance, the power spectral density of the signals produced by said first transducer of produced by an opposition series connection of said first and second transducers is uniform.

5. Method according to claim 1, said specific excitation field being generated by a sinusoidal signal generator of variable frequency with time and scanning a frequency band.

6. Method according to claim 5, said frequency band being in a frequency range lower than 100 kHz.

7. Method according to claim 1, said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a uniform power spectral density over a band of frequencies, in such a way that said substance will be submitted to a neutral excitation field of white noise type.

8. Method according to claim 1, such that:

the zone (2) submitted to the specific excitation field is isolated from parasitic fields coming from the environment.

9. Method according to claim 1 further comprising the stage:

of applying, by means of a third transducer (51, 151) to a receptor biological system said signals derived from said first transducer (6) or the processed signal, in such a way that the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of the receptor biological system will be modified in function of the nature of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance.

10. Method according to claim 9, further comprising the stage:

of controlling the correlation between, on the one hand the signal derived from said first transducer (6) or the processed signal, and on the other hand the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance, by applying, by means of said third transducer (51, 151), the signal derived from the first transducer (6) or the processed signal to a biological control system and verifying that said biological system reacts in a specific manner to the signal derived from said first transducer or to the processed signal, according to the nature of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance from which is issued the signal derived from said first transducer or the processed signal.

11. Method according to claim 10, such that the biological system is an isolated guinea-pig heart.

12. Method according to claim 10, such that the biological system is a ligand/receptor couple particularly an antigen/antibody couple.

13. Method according to claim 10, such that the biological system is an injectable substance provoking cutaneous reactions.

14. Method according to claim 10, such that the biological system is composed of isolated cells or cells in culture.

15. Method according to claim 1, such that said substance contains an active element in low or very low concentration.

38. Application of the method, system or device according to claim 1 to the production of active substances particularly to the production of drugs;

said active substances being produced by applying said signals derived from said first transducer (6) or said processed signals to a carrier substance.

39. Application of the method, system or device according to claim 1 to establishing a correlation table between the characteristic signals issued from a determined substance or from an active element contained in said determined substance and the modifications they can induce on test biological systems.

40. Correlation table established in conformity with claim 39.

41. Utilisation of the correlation table according to claim 40, for the detection of said determined substance or said active element contained in said determined substance, particularly remotely, after transmission of said characteristic signal to a testing laboratory possessing said test biological systems.

42. Utilisation of the correlation table according to claim 41, to control the production of homeopathic products.

43. Signal linked to a biological and/or chemical activity, obtained by means of a method according to claim 1.

16. System for producing signals, particularly electric signals, characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of substance (1) or an active element contained in said substance and system for implementing the properties of such signals, said system comprising:

an emitter (4) generating a specific excitation field of electric, magnetic and/or electromagnetic nature in a zone (2, 3) where said substance is situated;

said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a power spectral density spread over a frequency band, particularly of the white noise type or of the pink noise type;

said method also comprising;

a first transducer (6) receiving the resulting fields from the interaction of said specific excitation field and said substance, said first transducer transforming said resulting fields into signals, particularly electric signals, said signals being characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance,

means of emission (51, 151) for applying said signals derived from said first transducer to a receptor biological system,

in such a way that the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of the receptor biological system will be modified in function of the nature of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance.

17. System according to claim 16 further comprising:

means (17) for processing said signals derived from said first transducer (6), in function of the signals derived from a second transducer receiving the specific excitation field, in the absence of said substance or an active element contained in said substance,

so that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

18. System according to claim 16 further comprising:

means (17) for processing the signals derived from said first transducer (6), in function of the characteristics of the specific excitation field,

so that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

19. System according to claim 16 such that said emitter generates a specific excitation field with a power spectral density such that, in the absence of said substance or an active element contained in said substance, the power spectral density of the signals produced by said first transducer or produced by an opposition series connection of said first and second transducers is uniform.

20. System according to claim 16 such that said emitter generating said specific excitation field comprises a sinusoidal signal generator of frequency variable with time and sweeping a frequency band.

21. System according to claim 20, such that said frequency band is in a frequency range lower than 100 kHz.

22. System according to claim 16, said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a uniform power spectral density over a frequency band.

23. System according to claim 16, such that it further comprises:

means (2) for isolating said zone from parasitic fields from the environment.

24. System according to claim 16, further comprising

means of control for controlling the correlation between, on the one hand, the signal derived from said first transducer or the processed signal and, on the other hand, the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance,

said means of control comprising a third transducer (51, 60, 151) applying the signal derived from said first transducer or the processed signal to a biological control system,

said means of control further comprising means for verifying that the biological control system reacts in a specific manner to the signal derived from first transducer or the processed signal, according to the nature of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance from which is issued the signal derived from said first transducer or said processed signal.

25. System according to claim 24, such that the biological control system is an isolated guinea-pig heart (FIG. 2).

26. System according to claim 24, such that the biological control system is a ligand/receptor couple particularly an antigen/antibody couple (FIG. 3).

27. System according to claim 24, such that the biological control system is an injectable substance provoking cutaneous reactions (FIG. 4).

28. System according to claim 24, such that the biological control system is composed of isolated cells or cells in culture.

29. System according to claim 16, such that said substance contains an active element in low or very low concentration.

44. Signal linked to a biological and/or chemical activity, obtained by means of a system according to claim 16.

30. Device for producing signals, particularly electric signals, characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of a substance or an active element contained in said substance, said device comprising:

an emitter (4) generating a specific excitation field of electric, magnetic and/or electromagnetic nature in a zone where said substance is situated,

said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a power spectral density spread over a frequency band, particularly of the white noise type or of the pink noise type;

said method also comprising;

a first transducer (6) receiving the resulting fields from the interaction of said specific excitation field and said substance, said first transducer transforming said resulting fields into signals, particularly electric signals, said signals being characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

31. Device according to claim 30 further comprising:

means (17) for processing the signals derived from said first transducer, in function of the signals derived from a second transducer receiving the specific excitation field, in the absence of said substance,

so that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

32. Device according to claim 30 further comprising:

means (17) for processing the signals derived from said first transducer, in function of the characteristics of the specific excitation field

so that said processed signals are advantageously characteristic of the biological and/or chemical activity or the biological and/or chemical behaviour of said substance or said active element contained in said substance.

33. Device according to claim 30 such that said emitter generates a specific excitation field with a power spectral density such that, in the absence of said substance or an active element contained in said substance, the power spectral density of the signals produced by said first transducer or produced by an opposition series connection of said first and second transducers is uniform.

34. Device according to claim 30 such that said emitter generating said specific excitation field comprises a sinusoidal signal generator of frequency variable with time and sweeping a frequency band.

35. Device according to claim 34, such that said frequency band is in a frequency range lower than 100 kHz.

36. Device according to claim 30, said specific excitation field having the characteristic of having a uniform power spectral density over a frequency band.

37. System according to claim 30, such that it further comprises:

means (2) for isolating said zone from parasitic fields from the environment.

45. Signal linked to a biological and/or chemical activity, obtained by means of a device according to claim 30.