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

• US 9,078,863 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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): Mehta, Bhisma
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, BRANDY SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US12/590,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 604/66, 604/65, 604/67, 604/116, 604/890.1, 482/44, 482/49
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/192 having aromatic groups, e.g. sulindac, 2-aryl-propionic acids, ethacrynic acid cannabinoids A61K31/658
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/195 having an amino group
• 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 2037/0007 having means for enhancing the permeation of substances through the epidermis, e.g. using suction or depression, electric or magnetic fields, sound waves or chemical agents
• 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: A61P 29/00 Non-central analgesic, antipyretic or antiinflammatory agents, e.g. antirheumatic agents; Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAID]

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 one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours in proximity to one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject; one or more sensors configured to detect one or more physiological conditions of the one or more joints; and one or more microjet applicators supported by the one or more substrates and configured to respond to the one or more sensors by injecting one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours at one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more microjet applicators supported by the one or more substrates and substantially localized and substantially aligned in reference to the one or more joints, the one or more microjet applicators configured to inject one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject; and

one or more sensors supported by the one or more substrates, the one or more sensors configured to monitor, in real time, frequency of joint use and level of effort used by the one or more joints;

a computing device including a detector configured to detect inflammation of the one or more joints, the computing device configured to selectively target the detected inflamed one or more joints and actuate the one or more microjet applicators to inject the one or more medicaments to the detected inflamed one or more joints; and

a controller configured to report quantity and frequency of dosage of the one or more medicaments.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates includes one or more patches or one or more sheaths.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the sheath includes a sleeve-shaped article of clothing or a sleeve-shaped body covering.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the one or more sheaths includes shirt sleeve, pant, leg covering, glove, stocking, bandage-like covering, brace, knee brace, elbow brace, ankle brace, foot brace, hand brace, or spinal brace.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more sheaths includes a tourniquet configured to apply intermittent pressure in the region of the jointed area.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the tourniquet is configured to apply a constricting force thereby causing the one or more applicators to penetrate the stratum corneum of the skin of the mammalian subject.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates is attached to the one or more body contours by glue, suction, suture, or hook.

8. The device of claim 7, further including a component for transient mechanical/electrical acceleration of the one or more medicaments from the high speed microjets.

9. The device of claim 8, 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.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the component for mechanical/electrical acceleration applies concentration gradients of the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

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

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the high speed microjets are nanoliter-volume pulsed microjets.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators include 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.

14. The device 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.

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

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates are configured to respond to the one or more sensors, wherein the one or more applicators are configured to inject the one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor body movement, or gait of the mammalian subject.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor posture of the mammalian subject.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein level of effort used by the one or more joints includes measured effort or inferred effort.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor a preselected set of activity profiles.

21. The device 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.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the analyte includes an inflammatory marker, antibody, or cytokine.

23. The device of claim 1, further including one or more sensors configured to determine quality of location or quality of contact placement of the one or more sheaths on the one or more body contours.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control release of the one or more medicaments from the one or more applicators.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to control a timed-release dosage of the one or more medicaments.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to control a maximum dosage of the one or more medicaments for a time period.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to activate the one or more applicators based at least in part on an activity history of the mammalian subject.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the activity history includes joint movement or gait of the mammalian subject.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the activity history includes frequency of use of the one or more joints, measured effort level of the one or more joints, inferred effort level of the one or more joints, or a preselected activity profile.

30. The device of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to respond to the one or more sensors.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more conditions at one or more of the one or more joints and the controller is configured to control release of the one or more medicaments at others of the one or more joints of the mammalian subject.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more physiological conditions of the mammalian subject.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the power source includes a motion-activated generator, solar cell, fuel cell, wireless source, battery or microbattery.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein the power source is powered by motion of the body of the mammalian subject.

35. The device of claim 30, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect movement of the one or more body contours.

36. The device of claim 1, further including a power source.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators further include 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.

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

39. The device of claim 1, further including a pharmaceutical composition including the one or more medicaments in a thixotropic medium.

40. The device of claim 1, further including one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, one or more microfine cannulas, one or more microprojections, or one or more electrodes, supported by the one or more sheaths and configured to inject the one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the one or more applicators includes electrodes on microprojections configured to apply electrical energy to skin of the mammalian subject.

42. The device of claim 41, 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.

43. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators are configured to apply the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the one or more applicators are configured to apply the one or more medicaments in concentration gradients in the time-dependent manner.

45. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates include an enclosure.

46. The device of claim 45, wherein the one or more sensors are located within the enclosure.

47. A system comprising:

at least one apparatus including,

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours at one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more microjet applicators supported by the one or more substrates and substantially localized and substantially aligned in reference to the one or more joints, the one or more microjet applicators configured to inject one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject;

one or more sensors supported by the one or more substrates, the one or more sensors configured to monitor, in real time, frequency of joint use and level of effort used by the one or more joints;

a computing device including a detector configured to detect inflammation of the one or more joints, the computing device configured to selectively target the detected inflamed one or more joints and actuate the one or more microjet applicators to inject the one or more medicaments to the detected inflamed one or more joints; and

a controller configured to control release of the one or more medicaments from the one or more applicators and further configured to report quantity and frequency of dosage of the one or more medicaments.

48. The system of claim 47, further including one or more sensors configured to detect movement of the one or more body contours.

49. A device comprising:

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours at one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more microjet applicators supported by the one or more substrates and substantially localized and substantially aligned in reference to the one or more joints, the one or more microjet applicators configured to inject one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject; and

one or more sensors configured to monitor, in real time, frequency of joint use and level of effort used by the one or more joints, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to transmit a signal in response to joint use and level of effort used by the one or more joints;

a computing device configured to receive the signal from the one or more sensors, the computing device including a detector configured to detect inflammation of the one or more joints, the computing device configured to selectively target the detected inflamed one or more joints and actuate the one or more microjet applicators to inject the one or more medicaments to the detected inflamed one or more joints; and

a controller configured to report quantity and frequency of dosage of the one or more medicaments.