ADAPTING PARASITES TO COMBAT DISEASE

• US 20110010782A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Carlson, Sonia Patricia, Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Mercer, Simon John, Heckerman, David E., Horvitz, Eric J.
• Application Number:
  US12/500,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010782A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/00 Other apparatus for introducing media into the body for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin salt baths A61H33/04

Abstract

Provided are systems and/or methods that facilitate sensing, detecting, logging, or treatment of a condition or need of a living body using a controlled parasite.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates delivery of a fluid or biological material to a living body, comprising:

an altered parasitic organism, wherein an alteration to the altered parasitic organism includes at least a termination function capable of receiving a termination signal and wherein the termination signal results in the death or reduced viability of the altered parasitic organism;

an interface component that facilitates delivery of the termination signal and facilitates receipt of or delivery of data associated with the condition of the living body; and

an operation component that analyzes received data associated with the condition of the living body or provides data delivery to the altered parasitic organism.

2. The system of claim 1, the living body comprising a human being.

3. The system of claim 1, the altered parasitic organism is one species selected from the group comprising:

mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, bed bugs (Cimicidae Cimex lectularius), midges (such as Ceratopogonidae), other blood sucking arthropods, annelids or leeches, nematodes such as Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm which typically invades the gastrointestinal tract and lungs), pinworms such as Enterobius vermicularis (gastrointestinal tract, colon, fingertips), whipworms such as Trichuris trichiuria (gastrointestinal tract), flukes or trematodes such as Fasciola hepatica, Fasciolopsis buski (intestinal fluke) and schistosomes (liver and gallbladder), tapeworms or cestodes such as those from the genus Taenia (gastrointestinal tract), hookworms, heart worms, roundworms, lice (head, body, and pubic), and the like.

4. The system of claim 1, the altered parasitic organism comprising a mosquito containing Plasmodium falciparum in an active or inactive state.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface performs one or more of receiving data or directly detecting a compound, nucleic acid or protein produced by the parasitic organism in response to a detected chemical or environmental condition within the living body and receiving data or directly detecting a protein, nucleic acid or therapeutic molecule manufactured by the parasitic organism for delivery to the living body.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the altered parasitic organism has an initiation function capable of receiving an initiation signal and wherein the initiation signal results in the altered parasitic organism manufacturing a fluid or biological material or allows the altered parasitic organism to receive a fluid or biological material for delivery to the living body.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein receipt of or delivery of data associated with the condition of the living body comprises data indicative of a receptor binding event on the altered parasitic organism.

8. A method of delivering a fluid or biological material to a living body, comprising:

identifying a fluid or biological material for delivery to a living body that will provide a benefit;

selecting an a parasite appropriate for delivery of the identified fluid or biological material;

altering the selected parasite to have at least one functionality different from or unnatural compared to an unaltered parasite including a termination function capable of receiving a termination signal, wherein the termination signal results in the death or incapacitation of the altered parasitic organism; and

receiving data from the altered parasitic organism including or receiving or receiving data associated with the condition of the living body.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving data comprises detecting a compound, nucleic acid or protein produced by the parasitic organism in response to a detected chemical or environmental condition within the living body or detecting a protein, nucleic acid or molecule manufactured by the parasitic organism for delivery to the living body.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving data comprises detecting a protein, nucleic acid or molecule produced by the living body.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the altered parasitic organism is capable of manufacturing a fluid or biological material comprising one selected from the group of a protein, a nucleic acid, and an organic compound.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending an initiation signal to the altered parasitic organism, wherein the initiation signal results in the altered parasitic organism manufacturing a fluid or biological material or allows the altered parasitic organism to receive a fluid or biological material for delivery to the living body.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving data associated with the condition of the living body comprises data indicative of a receptor binding event on the altered parasitic organism.

14. A system for evaluating and logging alterations in a parasite, comprising:

an alteration component for introducing an alteration into a parasite, wherein the alteration component has the capability to analyze the altered parasite;

an interface component in communication with the alteration component, wherein the interface component receives data from the alteration component associated with the condition of the parasite;

an operation component that analyzes received data associated with the condition of the parasite or provides instructions for delivery to the interface component and the alteration component, and logs the condition of the parasite.

15. The event logging system of claim 14, the parasitic is one species selected from the group comprising:

mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, bed bugs (Cimicidae Cimex lectularius), midges (such as Ceratopogonidae), other blood sucking arthropods, annelids or leeches, nematodes such as Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm which typically invades the gastrointestinal tract and lungs), pinworms such as Enterobius vermicularis (gastrointestinal tract, colon, fingertips), whipworms such as Trichuris trichiuria (gastrointestinal tract), flukes or trematodes such as Fasciola hepatica, Fasciolopsis buski (intestinal fluke) and schistosomes (liver and gallbladder), tapeworms or cestodes such as those from the genus Taenia (gastrointestinal tract), hookworms, heart worms, roundworms, lice (head, body, and pubic), and the like.

16. The event logging system of claim 14, wherein the alteration component alters the parasite to have a termination function, the termination function capable of receiving a termination signal and wherein the termination signal results in the death or reduced viability of the altered parasitic organism

17. The event logging system of claim 14, wherein the operation component generates data including selecting an alteration methodology to be used by the alteration component and delivers the data including an alteration methodology to the altering component.

18. The event logging system of claim 15, wherein the operation component that analyzes received data associated with the condition of the parasite analyzes the data to determine if the alteration methodology should be repeated, if a new alteration methodology is appropriate, or if the condition of the parasite is acceptable.

19. The event logging system of claim 14, wherein the parasite is altered to have the capability to produce a compound, nucleic acid or protein in response to a detected chemical or environmental condition within a living body.

20. The event logging system of claim 14, wherein the parasite is altered to have a receptor capable of binding to a compound, protein or nucleic acid present within a living body.