Device, system, and method for targeted delivery of anti-inflammatory medicaments to a mammalian subject

• US 8,444,622 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Eckhoff, Philip A., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Rivet, Dennis J., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, EMILY LOUISE
• Application Number:
  US12/660,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 604 65- 67, 604/890.1, 604/891.1, 604/20, 604/116, 604/173, 604/503
• US Class Current: 604/503
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4866 Evaluating metabolism A61B5/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/505 for diagnosis of bone
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0875 for diagnosis of bone A61B5/4504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3022 Worn on the body, e.g. as patches pressure infusion of the skin patch type A61M5/14248
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/0023 Drug applicators using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2037/0061 Methods for using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0015 by using microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14248 of the skin patch type

Abstract

A device, a system, or a method is described for treating a disease or a condition of one or more joints of articulating bone in a mammalian subject. The device provides one or more medicaments to one or more joints of the mammalian subject. A device is described that includes an enclosure including one or more sensors, a controller, and one or more applicators configured to surround one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more physiological conditions of the one or more joints of the mammalian subject, and the controller, configured to communicate with the one or more sensors, is configured to activate the one or more applicators, and wherein the one or more applicators are configured to inject one or more medicaments to one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

positioning a device over one or more body contours of a mammalian subject, the one or more body contours at least partially covering one or more joints of articulating bone, wherein the device includes,

an enclosure configured to contact the one or more body contours;

a plurality of applicators supported by the enclosure and configured to inject one or more medicaments to one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject;

one or more sensors configured to detect one or more physiological conditions, wherein at least one of the one or more physiological conditions includes inflammation of the one or more joint tissues; and

a controller operably coupled to the one or more sensors and the plurality of applicators, the controller configured to activate the plurality of applicators responsive to the one or more sensors detecting inflammation and to substantially align one or more of the plurality of applicators with the one or more joint tissues detected by the one or more sensors to exhibit inflammation;

responsive to the one or more sensors detecting the inflammation, substantially aligning the one or more of the plurality of applicators with the one or more joint tissues detected by the one or more sensors to exhibit the inflammation; and

responsive to the one or more sensors detecting the inflammation, injecting the one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject using the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect the one or more physiological conditions of the one or more joints by ultrasonic imaging of the one or more joints.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more high speed microjets, one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, one or more microfine cannulas, one or more microprojections, or one or more electrodes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more high speed microjets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more applicators further includes one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, or one or more microfine cannulas.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more applicators includes electrodes on microprojections configured to apply electrical energy to skin of the mammalian subject.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electrodes on microprojections provide ablation of stratum corneum in an area beneath the electrodes thereby generating a plurality of hydrophilic microchannels in the skin of the mammalian subject.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect movement of the one or more body contours.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor joint movement, body movement, or gait of the mammalian subject.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor posture of the mammalian subject.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect tissue swelling, tissue pressure, tissue color, tissue temperature, environmental temperature, electrical property of tissue, optical property of tissue, perspiration, or presence of an analyte.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the analyte includes an inflammatory marker, antibody, or cytokine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a timed-release dosage of the one or more medicaments.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to report quantity and frequency of dosage of the one or more medicaments.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a maximum dosage of the one or more medicaments for a time period.

16. The method of claim 1, further including providing a pharmaceutical composition including the one or more medicaments in a thixotropic medium.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators include one or more high speed microjets.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators include a fluid displacement actuator configured as one or more springs, one or more solenoids, one or more magnets, one or more motors, or one or more compressed gas actuators.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the high speed microjets are nanoliter-volume pulsed microjets.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more joint tissues includes one or more of a fibrous capsule, subsynovium, synovial membrane, synovium, joint cavity, synovial fluid, articular cartilage, subchondral bone, or ligament.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more joints includes a synovial joint, cartilaginous joint, or fibrous joint.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators further includes tissue permeabilization components including one or more of electronics, ultrasonics, chemical permeation enhancer, iontophoresis, microdialysis, ultrafiltration, electromagnetic, electroosmosis, sonophoresis, microdialysis, suction, electroporation, thermal poration, microporation, heating component, or laser.

23. The method of claim 4, further including providing a component for transient mechanical/electrical acceleration of the one or more medicaments from the high speed microjets.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the component for transient mechanical/electrical acceleration includes a fluid displacement actuator configured as one or more piezoelectric actuators, one or more springs, one or more solenoids, one or more magnets, one or more motors, or one or more compressed gas actuators.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the component for mechanical/electrical acceleration applies concentration gradients of the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more medicaments includes steroids, corticosteroids, analgesics, COX-2 inhibitors, or NSAID.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators is configured to apply the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more applicators is configured to apply the one or more medicaments in concentration gradients in the time-dependent manner.