SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAKING GELATIN SHUNTS

• US 20130149429A1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AqueSys, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Romoda, Laszlo O., Horvath, Christopher, Hamstrom, Brian, Chandrakant, Partha
• Granted Patent: US 8,765,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/2.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/001 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0017 implantable in, or in contact with, the eye, e.g. ocular inserts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/00781 Apparatus for modifying intraocular pressure, e.g. for glaucoma treatment drainage implants in general A61M27/002
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 3/12 for treating work of indefinite length

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for making gelatin shunts. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods that may involve moving a wire through a bath including a bottom layer of liquid gelatin and a top layer of water, thereby coating the wire with gelatin, moving the gelatin coated wire through an aperture, and drying the gelatin on the wire in a humidity controlled space, thereby manufacturing a gelatin shunt. In other embodiments, the invention provides systems that may include a motor, a wire operably coupled to the motor for movement of the wire, a temperature controllable bath, an aperture plate situated in a top portion of the bath, and an ultrasonic fogger, in which the system is configured such that the wire moves through the bath, through the aperture plate, and into the ultrasonic fogger.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a gelatin shunt, the method comprising:

moving a wire through a bath comprising a bottom layer of liquid gelatin and a top layer of water, thereby coating the wire with gelatin;

moving the gelatin coated wire through an aperture; and

drying the gelatin on the wire in a humidity controlled space, thereby manufacturing a gelatin shunt.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dried shunt comprises a uniform shape and a uniform cross-section.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid gelatin comprises a drug.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving wire is mechanically controlled.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the humidity is controlled by drying in the presence of an ultrasonic water fog.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aperture is in the water layer.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wire is moved vertically through the bath.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gelatin coated wire is vertical during the drying step.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the manufactured shunt is sized and dimensioned to be an intraocular shunt.

10. A system for manufacturing a gelatin shunt, the system comprising:

a motor;

a wire operably coupled to the motor for movement of the wire;

a temperature controllable bath;

an aperture plate situated in a top portion of the bath; and

an ultrasonic fogger;

wherein the system is configured such that the wire moves through the bath, through the aperture plate, and into the ultrasonic fogger.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the wire initially moves down toward a bottom of the bath and then turns to move vertically out of the bath.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the wire moves through the aperture plate.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the wire moves vertically through the ultrasonic fogger.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a first camera positioned to view the wire as it moves through the aperture plate.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a second camera that comprises software to measure the gelatin coated wire as it passes into the fogger.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising liquid gelatin filling a bottom layer of the bath and water filling a top layer of bath.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the liquid gelatin comprises a drug.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the shunt is an intraocular shunt.