Osmotic pump with remotely controlled osmotic pressure generation

• US 20070135801A1
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• 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 8,109,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/892.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0004 Osmotic delivery systems; Sustained release driven by osmosis, thermal energy or gas
• 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: 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 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

Abstract

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled osmotic pump device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to some embodiments, an osmotic pump device is placed in an environment in order to pump a material into the environment or into an additional fluid handling structure within the osmotic pump device. 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

1-106. -106. (canceled)

107. An osmotic pump system comprising:

a body structure configured for placement in an environment;

a delivery reservoir capable of containing a delivery fluid to be delivered into the environment;

an osmotic chamber;

an osmotic pressure-generating material contained within the osmotic chamber, the generation of osmotic pressure by the osmotic pressure-generating material controllable by an electromagnetic field control signal;

a pressure-responsive movable barrier separating the osmotic chamber from the delivery reservoir, the pressure-responsive barrier being substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material and configured to move in response to a change in pressure in the osmotic chamber to produce a change in at least one of pressure or volume in the delivery reservoir;

and

a semi-permeable membrane separating the osmotic chamber from the environment, the semi-permeable membrane being substantially permeable by fluid from the environment but substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material.

108. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, wherein the delivery reservoir includes an outlet through which the delivery fluid moves into the environment in response to the change in at least one of pressure or volume in the delivery reservoir.

109. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, including a downstream fluid handling structure in fluid communication with the delivery reservoir and configured to receive fluid ejected from the delivery reservoir in response to the change in at least one of pressure or volume in the delivery reservoir, the downstream fluid handling structure including at least one of a channel or a chamber.

110. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, including an electromagnetic field activated heating element capable of producing an increase in temperature in the osmotic fluid, and including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that changes in response to an increase in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

111. The osmotic pump system of claim 110, including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that increases in response to an increase in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

112. The osmotic pump system of claim 110, including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that decreases in response to an increase in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

113. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, including an electromagnetic field activated cooling element capable of producing a decrease in temperature in the osmotic fluid, and including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that changes in response to a decrease in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

114. The osmotic pump system of claim 113, including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that increases in response to a decrease in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

115. The osmotic pump system of claim 113, including an osmotic pressure-generating material having a solubility in the osmotic fluid that decreases in response to a decrease in temperature of the osmotic fluid.

116. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, including a secondary material within the osmotic chamber, the secondary material having at least one characteristic modifiable by the electromagnetic field control signal, wherein the concentration of the osmotic pressure-generating material is modifiable by a change in the at least one characteristic of the secondary material.

117. The osmotic pump system of claim 116, wherein the at least one characteristic includes at least one of a solubility, a reactivity, a distribution within the osmotic chamber, a density, a temperature, a conformation, an orientation, an alignment, or a chemical potential.

118. The osmotic pump system of claim 107, including a plurality of interaction sites for the osmotic pressure-generating material within the osmotic chamber, the likelihood of interaction of the osmotic pressure-generating material with the interaction sites controllable by the electromagnetic field control signal, wherein interaction of the osmotic pressure-generating material with the interaction sites causes a change in osmotic pressure within the osmotic chamber.

119. The osmotic pump system of claim 118, wherein the interaction sites are capable of interacting with the osmotic pressure generating material by one or more of binding, reacting, interacting, or forming a complex with the osmotic pressure-generating material.

120. The osmotic pump system of claim 118, wherein the interaction sites are responsive to an electromagnetic field control signal by a change in at least one characteristic, the change in the at least one characteristic modifying the interaction between the interaction sites and the osmotic pressure-generating material.

121. An osmotic pump system comprising:

an osmotic pump device including;

a body structure configured for placement in an environment;

a delivery reservoir capable of containing a delivery fluid to be delivered into the environment and including an outlet through which the delivery fluid moves into the environment in response to a change in at least one of pressure or volume in the delivery reservoir;

an osmotic chamber;

an osmotic pressure-generating material contained within the osmotic chamber, the generation of osmotic pressure by the osmotic pressure-generating material controllable by an electromagnetic field control signal;

a pressure-responsive movable barrier separating the osmotic chamber from the delivery reservoir, the pressure-responsive barrier being substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material and configured to move in response to a change in pressure in the osmotic chamber to produce a change in at least one of pressure or volume in the delivery reservoir; and

a semi-permeable membrane separating the osmotic chamber from an osmotic fluid source, the semi-permeable membrane being substantially permeable to fluid from the osmotic fluid source but substantially impermeable to the osmotic pressure-generating material; and

a remote control signal source capable of generating an electromagnetic field control signal sufficient to control the generation of osmotic pressure by the osmotic pressure-generating material within the osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump device, the remote control signal source including at least one of hardware, firmware, or software configured to control generation of the electromagnetic control field signal.

122. The osmotic pump system of claim 121, including a remote control signal source capable of generating an electromagnetic field control signal having a defined orientation, wherein the generation of osmotic pressure by the osmotic pressure-generating material is controllable by an electromagnetic field control signal having the defined orientation.

123. A remote controller for an osmotic pump device, comprising:

a memory capable of storing information;

an electromagnetic signal generator including electrical circuitry and capable of producing an electromagnetic signal based at least in part upon information stored in said memory, the electromagnetic signal sufficient to activate a remotely activatable control element of an osmotic pump device located in an environment to change a concentration of an osmotic pressure-generating material within an osmotic chamber of the osmotic pump device;

and

an electromagnetic signal transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the electromagnetic signal to the remotely activatable control element.

124. The remote controller of claim 123, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced at least in part according to a pre-determined activation pattern stored in said memory.

125. The remote controller of claim 123, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced based on a model-based calculation from model parameters stored in said memory.

126. The remote controller of claim 123, including an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing an electromagnetic signal having a defined magnetic field strength.

127. The remote controller of claim 123, including an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing an electromagnetic signal having a defined electric field strength.

128. The remote controller of claim 123, including an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing an electromagnetic signal having a defined magnetic field spatial orientation.

129. The remote controller of claim 123, including an electromagnetic signal generator capable of producing an electromagnetic signal having a defined electric field spatial orientation.