Needleless syringe for the delivery of therapeutic agents
First Claim
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1. A needleless syringe for delivering therapeutic particles to a skin surface, comprising:
- a gas reservoir for receiving a gas at a first pressure, the gas reservoir having a first internal diameter and an opening;
an elongate tubular nozzle having an upstream end mounted to the opening of the gas reservoir, an upstream portion and a downstream end;
an arrangement comprising;
the elongate tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter smaller than the first internal diameter and being at a second internal a pressure;
a contraction of the gas reservoir from the first internal diameter to the second internal diameter;
a source of therapeutic particles positioned in the upstream end of the elongated tubular nozzle of generally constant second internal diameter; and
a partition for separating the gas reservoir from the source of particles, the partition being designed to be opened and to withstand large pressure differences between the gas reservoir and the elongate tubular nozzle; and
wherein the first and second internal diameters and the first and second gas pressures define respective, predetermined diameter and pressure ratios adapted to produce, in response to opening of the partition, a gaseous expansion generating a) a stationary expansion wave in the contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in the elongate tubular nozzle to carry the therapeutic particles into a supersonic gas flow and deliver the therapeutic particles to the skin surface through the downstream end of the tubular nozzle.
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Abstract
A needleless syringe for subcutaneously delivering a therapeutic agent comprising a generally constant diameter elongate tubular nozzle and an inert gas reservoir thereto is described herein. The reservoir is advantageously mounted to the upstream end of the tubular nozzle through a contraction that is either gradual or sudden and wherein a membrane is positioned between the reservoir and the therapeutic agent.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. A needleless syringe for delivering therapeutic particles to a skin surface, comprising:
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a gas reservoir for receiving a gas at a first pressure, the gas reservoir having a first internal diameter and an opening; an elongate tubular nozzle having an upstream end mounted to the opening of the gas reservoir, an upstream portion and a downstream end; an arrangement comprising; the elongate tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter smaller than the first internal diameter and being at a second internal a pressure; a contraction of the gas reservoir from the first internal diameter to the second internal diameter; a source of therapeutic particles positioned in the upstream end of the elongated tubular nozzle of generally constant second internal diameter; and a partition for separating the gas reservoir from the source of particles, the partition being designed to be opened and to withstand large pressure differences between the gas reservoir and the elongate tubular nozzle; and wherein the first and second internal diameters and the first and second gas pressures define respective, predetermined diameter and pressure ratios adapted to produce, in response to opening of the partition, a gaseous expansion generating a) a stationary expansion wave in the contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in the elongate tubular nozzle to carry the therapeutic particles into a supersonic gas flow and deliver the therapeutic particles to the skin surface through the downstream end of the tubular nozzle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for delivering therapeutic particles to a skin surface, comprising:
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providing a gas reservoir for receiving a gas at a first pressure, the gas reservoir having a first internal diameter and an opening; mounting an upstream end of an elongate tubular nozzle to the opening of the gas reservoir, the elongate tubular nozzle also comprising an upstream portion and a downstream end; forming the elongate tubular nozzle with a generally constant second internal diameter smaller than the first internal diameter, the elongate tubular nozzle being at a second internal gas pressure; contracting the gas reservoir from the first internal diameter to the second internal diameter; placing a source of therapeutic particles in the upstream end of the elongated tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter; separating the gas reservoir from the source of particles by means of a partition designed to be opened and to withstand large pressure differences between the gas reservoir and the elongate tubular nozzle; and providing a predetermined diameter ratio of the first internal diameter to the second internal diameter and a predetermined pressure ratio of the first gas pressure to the second gas pressure to produce, in response to opening of the partition, a gaseous expansion generating a) a stationary expansion wave in the contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in the elongate tubular nozzle to carry the therapeutic particles into a supersonic gas flow and deliver the therapeutic particles to the skin surface through the downstream end of the tubular nozzle. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A needleless syringe, for delivering therapeutic particles to a skin surface, comprising:
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a gas reservoir having a first internal diameter and an opening; an elongate tubular nozzle having an upstream end mounted to the opening of the gas reservoir and a downstream end; an arrangement for producing non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in the elongate tubular nozzle and for carrying by means of the non-stationary expansion waves the therapeutic particles at a velocity sufficient to deliver the therapeutic particles to the skin surface, the arrangement comprising; the elongate tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter; a contraction of the gas reservoir from the first diameter to the second diameter; an upstream portion of the elongated tubular nozzle of generally constant second internal diameter for accommodating a source of therapeutic particles; a rupturable partition for separating the gas reservoir from the source of particles, the partition being designed to withstand large pressure differences between the gas reservoir and the elongate tubular nozzle; and a ratio of the first internal diameter to the second internal diameter which is sufficient to allow the contraction of the gas reservoir to produce, in response to a rupture of the partition caused by a difference of gas pressure between the gas reservoir and the elongate tubular nozzle, a gaseous expansion generating a) a stationary expansion wave in the contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) the non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in the elongate tubular nozzle to carry the therapeutic particles into a supersonic gas flow; wherein said gas reservoir further comprises; a first chamber filled with a first pressurized gas; a second chamber mounted downstream from said first chamber and including a closed orifice that may be opened to the atmosphere, said second chamber being filled with a second gas at a lower pressure relative to the first gas; a first membrane separating said first chamber from said second chamber;
a second membrane separating said second chamber from said tubular nozzle;whereby opening said orifice to the atmosphere results in a pressure-drop in said second chamber resulting in a rupture of said first membrane whereby the first pressurized gas fills the second chamber in turn rupturing said second membrane, generating a) said stationary expansion wave in said contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) said non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in said elongate tubular nozzle, accelerating the particles into a supersonic gas flow towards said downstream and of said nozzle.
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50. A needleless syringe for delivering particles, said syringe comprising:
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a first reservoir having a first internal diameter, said reservoir having an opening defining a contraction; an elongate tubular nozzle having an upstream end and a downstream end;
said elongate tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter;a second reservoir interposed between the opening of said first reservoir and said tubular nozzle, said second reservoir having substantially said second internal diameter; a first partition separating said first reservoir from said second reservoir; a second partition separating said second reservoir from said tubular nozzle; whereby positively pressurizing with a gas said first reservoir relative to said second reservoir results in rupturing said first partition whereby said gas fills the second reservoir in turn rupturing said second partition, generating a) a stationary expansion wave in said contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in said elongate tubular nozzle, accelerating the particles into a supersonic gas flow towards said downstream end of said nozzle; wherein said first reservoir is filled with a positively pressurized gas relative to the atmospheric pressure, and wherein said second reservoir further comprises a closed orifice that may be opened to the atmosphere for causing said positive pressurizing of said first reservoir relative to said second reservoir.
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51. A method for delivering particles comprising:
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providing a first reservoir having a first internal diameter;
the reservoir having an opening defining a contraction;providing an elongate tubular nozzle having an upstream end and a downstream end;
the elongate tubular nozzle having a generally constant second internal diameter;interposing a second reservoir between the opening of said first reservoir and said tubular nozzle, said second reservoir having substantially said second internal diameter; separating said first reservoir from said second reservoir with a first partition; separating said second reservoir from said tubular nozzle with a second partition; and positively pressurizing with a gas said first reservoir relative to said second reservoir to rupture said first partition whereby said gas fills the second reservoir in turn rupturing said second partition, generating a) a stationary expansion wave in said contraction leading to a sonic flow at the upstream end of the tubular nozzle and b) non-stationary expansion waves traveling downstream in said elongate tubular nozzle, accelerating the particles into a supersonic gas flow towards said downstream end of said nozzle; wherein said method further comprises filling said first reservoir with a positively pressurized gas relative to the atmospheric pressure, and providing in said second reservoir a closed orifice and opening said orifice to the atmosphere for causing said positive pressurizing of said first reservoir relative to said second reservoir.
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Specification