Fine spatiotemporal control of fat removal using NIR light

• US 9,333,258 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eLux Medical, Inc, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: eLux Medical, Inc, Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Almutairi, Adah, Almutairi, Khalid
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Kaitlyn
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIULIANI, THOMAS ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US14/379,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20150018812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 606/27, 606/33, 604/542, 604/20, 607/100, 607/89
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00464 Subcutaneous fat, e.g. liposuction, lipolysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 33/242 Gold; Compounds thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/0052 Thermotherapy; Hyperthermia; Magnetic induction; Induction heating therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/84 Drainage tubes; Aspiration tips for negative pressure wound therapy A61M1/90; for surgical cutting instruments A61B17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/08 Lipoids
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0626 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/062 Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/067 using laser light

Abstract

A system and method are provided for minimally-invasive removal of fat from a target area by injecting the area with a solution of photo-absorbing nanoparticles and irradiating the injected area with a beam of near infrared (NIR) light. The NIR emission wavelength excites the nanoparticles to melt and liquefy fat within the target area so that the liquefied fat can be aspirated from the target area. The nanoparticles may be gold nanorods having aspect ratios selected to produce surface plasmon resonance when irradiated with NIR light around 800 nm.

Claims

1. A system for minimally-invasive fat removal from a subcutaneous target area, comprising:

a solution of photo-absorbing nanoparticles having an aspect ratio in the range of 1;

3 to 1;

5;

an injector for subcutaneously injecting the solution directly into the target area;

a near infrared light source configured for delivering a beam of light within an emission wavelength range of 600 to 950 nm to the target area;

at least one beam adjusting optical element for controlling focus and beam size to select the target area;

a system controller for providing control signals to the near infrared light source, wherein the control signals comprise selection of an emission wavelength within the emission wavelength range, an emission intensity and an exposure duration, and wherein the system controller is configured to select the emission wavelength to excite the nanoparticles to a temperature to melt and liquefy fat within the target area and the emission intensity and exposure duration to modulate heating to minimize damage to tissue adjacent the fat; and

an extractor configured for subcutaneous insertion for extracting liquefied fat from the target area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles are biocompatible.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein photo-absorption in the nanoparticles is mediated by surface plasmon resonance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles absorb in the near infrared range (700-900 nm).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles are gold nanorods.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the gold nanorods have an axial diameter of approximately 10 nm and a longitudinal diameter in the range of 9 to 50 nm.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the gold nanorods are suspended in water at a concentration of 3×

10¹¹ or 3×

10¹² GNR/mL.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the near infrared light source is a NIR laser having at least one of tunable power and tunable wavelength.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the NIR laser emits light within the wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the NIR laser emits light having a wavelength of approximately 800 nm.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the beam size is within the range of lmm to 5 mm diameter.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the tunable power is within the range of 0.6 to 15 W.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the exposure duration is within the range of 30-45 seconds.

14. A photothermal method of in vivo fat removal comprising the melting and liquefying of fat using the system of claim 1.

15. A method of inducing skin tightening around regions from which adipose tissue has been removed using the system of claim 1.

16. A system for in vivo photothermal removal of subcutaneous fat in a target area, the system comprising:

photo-absorbing nanoparticles having an aspect ratio of 1;

3 to 1;

5 suspended in a solution;

a near infrared light source configured for delivering a light beam to the target area, the near infrared light source comprising a system controller for generating control signals controlling delivery parameters of the light beam, wherein the control signals comprise selection of an emission wavelength within an emission wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm, an emission intensity and an exposure duration, and wherein the system controller is configured to select the emission wavelength to excite the nanoparticles to a temperature to melt and liquefy fat within the target area and the emission intensity and exposure duration to modulate heating to minimize damage to tissue adjacent the fat;

a first syringe adapted for directly subcutaneously injecting the nanoparticle solution into the target area; and

a second syringe or cannula adapted for aspirating melted and liquefied fat from the target area after exposure of the target area to NIR light energy.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the photo-absorbing nanoparticles are gold nanorods having an axial diameter of approximately 10 nm and a longitudinal diameter in the range of 9 to 50 nm.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the system controller is configured to select an emission wavelength of 800 nm.