Remote controlled in situ reaction device

• US 20070106279A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Langer, Robert, Jung, Edward, Hood, Leroy, Tegreene, Clarence, Wood, Lowell, Ishikawa, Muriel, Wood, Victoria
• Granted Patent: US 8,568,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/891.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 41/00 Medicinal preparations obtained by treating materials with wave energy or particle radiation ; Therapies using these preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0009 involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis microelectromechanical systems A61K9/0097
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0024 Solid, semi-solid or solidifying implants, which are implanted or injected in body tissue compositions for intravenous administration, normal injectable solutions or dispersions for, e.g. subcutaneous administration A61K9/0019; brain implants A61K9/0085; (coated) prostheses, catheters or stents A61L
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14513 with secondary fluid driving or regulating the infusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0288 Electro-rheological or magneto-rheological materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/36 related to heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/145 using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0006 Controlling or regulating processes controlling or regulating in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00049 Controlling or regulating processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 : Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/363 : PCB's; PCP's
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/02 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0004 : Oxidoreductases (1.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/0006 : acting on CH-OH groups as donors (1.1)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/10 : Transferases (2.) ribonucleases C12N9/22
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/12 : transferring phosphorus containing groups, e.g. kinases (2.7)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/14 : Hydrolases (3)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/88 : Lyases (4.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/90 : Isomerases (5.)
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/93 : Ligases (6)
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link

Abstract

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled reaction device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to various embodiments, a reaction device is placed in an environment in order to perform a chemical reaction in an environment. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. In selected embodiments, a magnetic field, an electric field, or electromagnetic control signal may be used.

Claims

1-100. -100. (canceled)

101. A reaction system comprising:

a body structure adapted for positioning in an environment;

a reaction region located within the body structure, the reaction region including a first material capable of influencing a chemical reaction;

at least one opening through which the reaction region is at least intermittently in fluid communication with the environment; and

a remotely activatable control element operably coupled to the body structure and responsive to an electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction.

102. The reaction system of claim 101, further including a valve responsive to a change in at least one dimension of the remotely activatable control element.

103. The reaction system of claim 102, wherein the environment is the body of an organism.

104. The reaction system of claim 103, wherein the reaction produces a material that has a beneficial effect on the organism or a local portion thereof.

105. The reaction system of claim 104, wherein the reaction produces at least one of a nutrient, a hormone, a growth factor, a medication, a therapeutic compound, an enzyme, a genetic material, a vaccine, a vitamin, an imaging agent, a therapeutic compound, a cell signaling material or neurotransmitter.

106. The reaction system of claim 103, wherein the reaction destroys, traps, or sequesters a material from the body of the organism that is harmful to the organism or a portion thereof.

107. The reaction device of claim 106, wherein the reaction includes at least one of degrading, chemically modifying, detoxifying, adsorbing, absorbing, enveloping, or killing the substance by chemical reactions such as enzymatic degradation and modification, antioxidant scavenging of free radical, or adsorption with magnetically or electrically polarized particles for separation or sequestering.

108. The reaction system of claim 103, wherein the at least one opening is an outlet through which a product of the chemical reaction is released into the body of the organism.

109. The reaction system of claim 103, wherein the at least one opening is an inlet through which a second material capable of participating in the chemical reaction enters the reaction region.

110. The reaction system of claim 103, including a remote control signal source capable of generating an electromagnetic control signal sufficient to activate the remotely activatable control element to produce a desired rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction.

111. The reaction system of claim 101, wherein the remotely activatable control element is responsive to input of energy from the electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction through at least one of a mechanical, thermal or chemical mechanism.

112. The reaction system of claim 111, wherein the at least one opening is an inlet through which a second material capable of participating in the chemical reaction enters the reaction region.

113. The reaction system of claim 111, wherein the at least one opening is an outlet through which a product of the chemical reaction is released into the body of the organism.

114. A reaction system comprising:

a body structure adapted for positioning in an environment;

a reaction region located on an exterior portion of the body structure in fluid communication with the environment, the reaction region including a first material capable of influencing a chemical reaction;

a remotely activatable control element operably coupled to the body structure and responsive to an electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction.

115. The reaction system of claim 114, wherein the remotely activatable control element is responsive to input of energy from the electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction through at least one of a mechanical, thermal or chemical mechanism.

116. The reaction system of claim 114, including a remote control signal source capable of generating an electromagnetic control signal sufficient to activate the remotely activatable control element to produce a desired rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction.

117. The reaction system of claim 116, wherein the environment is the body of an organism.

118. The reaction system of claim 117, wherein the reaction produces a material that has a beneficial effect on the organism or a local portion thereof.

119. The reaction system of claim 118, wherein the reaction produces at least one of a nutrient, a hormone, a growth factor, a medication, a therapeutic compound, an enzyme, a genetic material, a vaccine, a vitamin, an imaging agent, a therapeutic compound, a cell signaling material or neurotransmitter.

120. The reaction system of claim 117, wherein the reaction destroys, traps, or sequesters a material from the body of the organism that is harmful to the organism or a portion thereof.

121. The reaction device of claim 120, wherein the reaction includes at least one of degrading, chemically modifying, detoxifying, adsorbing, absorbing, enveloping, or killing the substance by chemical reactions such as enzymatic degradation and modification, antioxidant scavenging of free radical, or adsorption with magnetically or electrically polarized particles for separation or sequestering.

122. A reaction system comprising:

a body structure adapted for positioning in an environment;

a reaction region located in or on the body structure, the reaction region including a first material capable of influencing a chemical reaction; and

a remotely activatable control element operably coupled to the body structure and responsive to an electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction, the remotely activatable control element including at least one of a valve element or a structural element.

123. The reaction system of claim 122, wherein the remotely activatable control element includes a valve element responsive to a change in at least one dimension of the remotely activatable control element.

124. The reaction system of claim 122, wherein the remotely activatable control element includes a polymer and a magnetically or electrically active component.

125. The reaction system of claim 124, wherein the magnetically or electrically active component is capable of being heated or cooled responsive to the electromagnetic field control signal, and wherein heating or cooling of the magnetically or electrically active component causes the polymer to undergo a change in configuration that modifies the influence of the first material on the chemical reaction.

126. The reaction system of claim 122, wherein the remotely activatable control element is responsive to input of energy from the electromagnetic field control signal to modify one or more of the rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction through at least one of a mechanical, thermal or chemical mechanism.

127. The reaction system of claim 122, including a remote control signal source capable of generating an electromagnetic control signal sufficient to activate the remotely activatable control element to produce a desired rate or kinetics of the chemical reaction.