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

• US 20120290051A1
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete 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.
• Granted Patent: US 9,238,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/113
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0002 Head or parts thereof
• 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 2007/029 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 7/106 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 5/025 Warming the body, e.g. hyperthermia treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/04 Radiators for near-field treatment

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 passive 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 passive cooling elements is configured to be implantable, and wherein the one or more passive cooling elements includes a first portion configured to be in association with the one or more tissues to be cooled, and a second portion configured to be placed in association with one or more tissues adjacent to an external epidermal tissue of the vertebrate subject.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more passive 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 passive cooling elements is configured to be implantable, and

wherein the one or more passive cooling elements includes a first portion configured to be in association with the one or more tissues to be cooled, and a second portion configured to be placed in association with one or more tissues adjacent to an external epidermal tissue of the vertebrate subject.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the one or more passive cooling elements further includes one or more branches configured to be placed in association with the one or more tissues adjacent to the external epidermal tissue of the vertebrate subject.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the second portion is configured to be positioned distally to the first portion when the one or more passive cooling elements is positioned in or on the vertebrate subject.

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein modulating the at least one activity of the brown adipose tissue includes inducing non-shivering thermogenesis in the brown adipose tissue.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one programmable controller operably configured to provide instructions to the one or more passive cooling elements in response to information regarding one or more physiological conditions of the vertebrate subject.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the at least one programmable controller is configured to activate one or more pumps to control flow through one or more passive cooling elements.

14. The device of claim 12, 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, and 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.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising an outside operating source operably connected to the programmable controller, wherein the programmable controller in communication with the outside operating source is configured to provide instructions to the one or more cooling elements in response to information from the outside operating source regarding the one or more physiological conditions of the vertebrate subject.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the outside operating source includes a computing device or a human operator.

17. 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.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the timekeeping device is internal to the programmable controller.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the programmable controller is configured to accept user input.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the user input includes time input, time of day, period of time, start time, stop time, or length of time.

21. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors operably connected to at least one programmable controller, wherein the programmable controller is configured to provide instructions to the one or more passive cooling elements in response to information from one or more sensors regarding one or more physiological conditions of the vertebrate subject.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein information regarding the physiological condition includes information relating to one or more of calories ingested by the vertebrate subject or food ingested by the vertebrate subject.

23. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of circuitry and data storage configured to control the one or more passive cooling elements.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes programming configured to control the one or more passive cooling elements.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the device includes programming designed to induce weight loss.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the device includes programming designed to treat a disorder.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the one or more physiological conditions includes information regarding one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the information regarding the one or more physiological conditions include a plasma level of one or more analytes in the vertebrate subject.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein the information regarding the one or more physiological conditions includes a level of one or more of a metabolic analyte, a sugar, a lipoprotein, or a fatty acid in the vertebrate subject.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the one or more physiological conditions includes information regarding the at least one activity of the brown adipose tissue.

31. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more passive cooling elements further includes one or more heat pumps.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein the one or more heat pumps transfer heat from the one or more tissues to be cooled of the vertebrate subject.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the one or more tissues to be cooled include blood or skin of the vertebrate subject.

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

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

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the one or more passive cooling elements is configured to be located within at least one circulatory vessel of the vertebrate subject during use.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein the one or more passive cooling elements is configured to be located within a colon or a large intestine of the vertebrate subject during use.

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

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

C. to approximately 36°

C.

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

C. to approximately 20°

C.

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

C. to approximately 32°

C.

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

C. or lower.

43. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be incorporated with clothing, bedding, furniture, or upholstery.

44. The device of claim 1, further comprising a power source configured to power the device.

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

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

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the one or more second tissues include nerve tissue.

49. The device of claim 47, wherein the neurostimulator includes at least one of electric neurostimulator, magnetic neurostimulator, ultrasonic neurostimulator, or microwave neurostimulator.

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

45. (canceled)

51-151. -151. (canceled)

152. A system comprising:

a non-transitory signal-bearing medium configured for use in a computing device including,

one or more instructions for receiving data including data for applying cooling to one or more tissues of a vertebrate subject with one or more passive cooling elements, wherein the one or more passive cooling elements are configured to lower the temperature of the one or more tissues and thereby modulate at least one activity of brown adipose tissue of the vertebrate subject,

wherein at least a portion of the one or more passive cooling elements is configured to be implantable, and wherein the one or more passive cooling elements includes a first portion configured to be in association with the one or more tissues to be cooled, and a second portion configured to be placed in association with one or more tissues adjacent to an external epidermal tissue of the vertebrate subject.

153. The system of claim 152, wherein the second portion of the one or more passive cooling elements further includes one or more branches configured to be placed in association with the one or more tissues adjacent to the external epidermal tissue of the vertebrate subject.

154. The system of claim 152, wherein the second portion is configured to be positioned distally to the first portion when the one or more passive cooling elements is positioned in or on the vertebrate subject.

156. The system of claim 152, further comprising controlling the one or more passive cooling elements with at least one programmable controller operably configured to provide instructions to the one or more passive cooling elements in response to information regarding one or more physiological conditions of the vertebrate subject.

157. The system of claim 152, further comprising one or more instructions for receiving data including data for sensing with one or more sensors the information regarding the one or more physiological conditions and communicating the information from the one or more sensors to at least one programmable controller.

155. (canceled)

158-187. -187. (canceled)