Method, device and system for modulating an activity of brown adipose tissue in a vertebrate subject

• US 9,433,775 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Boyden, Edward S., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Leuthardt, Eric C., Malaska, Stephen L., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoklosa, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVIGAN, ADAM JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US13/199,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20120289761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0002 Head or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0011 Neck only
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0056 for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0075 using a Peltier element, e.g. near the spot to be heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/009 with a varying magnetic field acting upon the human body, e.g. an implant therein
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0093 programmed
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0226 adhesive, self-sticking
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0233 connected to or incorporated in clothing or garments A61F2007/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/029 Fat cell removal or destruction by non-ablative heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/101 for cooling organs in the body before or during surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/126 for invasive application, e.g. for introducing into blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/02 Compresses or poultices for effecting heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/106 self-cooling, e.g. using a chemical reaction
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36053 adapted for vagal stimulation A61N1/36114 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/002 in combination with another treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/004 specially adapted for a specific therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0008 : Destruction of fat cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/025 : Warming the body, e.g. hyperthermia treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/04 : Radiators for near-field treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 : Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed herein for treatment of a disease, disorder, or condition in a vertebrate subject. A device is provided that includes one or more cooling elements configured to be applied to one or more tissues of a vertebrate subject to modulate at least one activity of brown adipose tissue of the vertebrate subject, wherein at least a portion of the one or more cooling elements is configured to be implantable, and a programmable controller configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information regarding one or more physiological conditions of the vertebrate subject.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more cooling elements configured to be applied to one or more tissues of a vertebrate subject to modulate at least one activity of brown adipose tissue of the vertebrate subject, wherein at least a portion of the one or more cooling elements is configured to be implantable; and

a programmable controller operably coupled to the one or more cooling elements and configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information regarding at least one of a number of calories ingested by the vertebrate subject or a type and quantity of food ingested by the vertebrate subject.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors operably connected to the programmable controller, wherein the programmable controller is configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information received from the one or more sensors regarding one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the information regarding the one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject includes a plasma level of the one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the information regarding the one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject includes a level of one or more of a metabolic analyte, a sugar, a lipoprotein, or a fatty acid in the vertebrate subject.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a digital processing unit operably connected to the programmable controller, the digital processing unit configured to receive information from at least one of a sensor, a timekeeping device, a user interface, or an outside operating source, and configured to process the information into at least one resulting instruction and configured to provide the at least one resulting instruction to the programmable controller.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information regarding at least one of an analyte or heat generated by thermogenic activity of the brown adipose tissue.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is configured to accept or send information from or to one or more of a timekeeping device or a user interface.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the programmable controller is configured to accept user input.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the user input includes time input, time of day, period of time, start time, stop time, or length of time.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the timekeeping device is internal to the programmable controller.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of circuitry and data storage.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes programming.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the programmable controller includes programming designed to induce weight loss.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the programmable controller includes programming designed to treat a disorder.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is configured to be associated with clothing of the vertebrate subject.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is configured to be implanted in the vertebrate subject.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the programmable controller is configured to be located within at least one lumen of the vertebrate subject during use.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cooling elements are configured to be located within at least one lumen of the vertebrate subject during use.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the one or more cooling elements is configured to be located within at least one circulatory vessel of the vertebrate subject during use.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the one or more cooling elements is configured to be located within a colon or a large intestine of the vertebrate subject during use.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein modulating the at least one activity of the brown adipose tissue includes increasing metabolic activity of brown adipose tissue or increasing proliferation of brown adipose tissue in the vertebrate subject.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein modulating the at least one activity of the brown adipose tissue includes inducing non-shivering thermogenesis in the brown adipose tissue.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues include thermoresponsive tissue of the vertebrate subject.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues include nervous tissue of the vertebrate subject.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues include cutaneous tissue of the vertebrate subject.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues include brown adipose tissue.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues include tissue in a core of a body of the vertebrate subject.

28. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more tissues includes one or more blood vessels or lymph vessels.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cooling elements include one or more electrical cooling elements.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the one or more cooling elements include one or more Peltier cooling elements.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the one or more cooling elements include one or more heat pumps.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the one or more heat pumps transfer heat to one or more tissues including blood or skin of the vertebrate subject.

33. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cooling elements include one or more implantable deep tissue heat-extracting components in combination with one or more surface tissue heat-releasing components.

34. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cooling elements include one or more chemical cooling elements.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more cooling elements include endothermal chemical reactants.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more implantable cooling elements are configured to attain a tissue temperature from approximately 4°

C. to approximately 36°

C.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more implantable cooling elements are configured to attain a tissue temperature from approximately 12°

C. to approximately 20°

C.

38. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more implantable cooling elements are configured to attain a tissue temperature from approximately 24°

C. to approximately 32°

C.

39. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more implantable cooling elements are configured to attain a tissue temperature approximately 16°

C. or lower.

40. The device of claim 1, wherein the programmable controller is configured to be incorporated with bedding, furniture, or upholstery.

41. The device of claim 1, further including a power source configured to power the device.

42. The device of claim 1, further comprising a neurostimulator configured to be applied to the one or more tissues.

43. The device of claim 1, further comprising a neurostimulator configured to be applied to one or more second tissues of the vertebrate subject other than the one or more tissues.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the one or more second tissues include nerve tissue.

45. The device of claim 43, wherein the neurostimulator includes at least one of electric neurostimulator, magnetic neurostimulator, ultrasonic neurostimulator, or microwave neurostimulator.

46. The device of claim 1, further comprising an applicator configured to deliver a therapeutic medicament.

47. The device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiver operably coupled to the programmable controller and in communication with an outside operating source, the wireless receiver configured to receive information from the outside operating source regarding the at least one of the number of calories ingested by the vertebrate subject or the type and the quantity of food ingested by the vertebrate subject.

48. A system for controllable cooling comprising:

a cooling device including

one or more cooling elements configured to be applied to one or more tissues of a vertebrate subject to modulate at least one activity of brown adipose tissue of the vertebrate subject, wherein at least a portion of the one or more cooling elements is configured to be implantable; and

a programmable controller operably coupled to the one or more cooling elements and configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information regarding at least one of a number of calories ingested by the vertebrate subject or a type and quantity of food ingested by the vertebrate subject; and

a user interface configured to transmit to the programmable controller of the cooling device the information regarding the at least one of the number of calories ingested by the vertebrate subject or the type and the quantity of food ingested by the vertebrate subject.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the user interface includes a wearable device.

50. The system of claim 48, wherein the user interface includes a personal computing device.