Osmotic pump with remotely controlled osmotic flow rate

• US 8,273,075 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hood, Leroy E., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Langer, Robert, Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US11/302,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,478 Days
• Field of Search: 604/892.1, 604151-153, 604/6.11, 340/539.12, 340/603, 424/423
• US Class Current: 604/892.1
• 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. A remote controller for an osmotic pump device, comprising:

an electromagnetic signal generator configured to produce a time-varying electromagnetic field control signal sufficient to adjust a remotely controllable valve in an osmotic pump device located in an environment to produce a desired time-varying pumping rate of delivery fluid from a delivery reservoir of the pump to the environment, the pumping rate depending on a flow rate of fluid through the valve; and

an electromagnetic signal transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the electromagnetic signal to an electromagnetically responsive control element of the remotely controllable valve, wherein the electromagnetic signal has signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in dimension, temperature, shape, volume, surface area or orientation in the electromagnetically responsive control element upon receipt of the electromagnetic signal by the electromagnetically responsive control element.

2. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced at least in part according to a pre-determined activation pattern.

3. The remote controller of claim 2, including a memory configured to store the pre-determined activation pattern.

4. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced based on a model-based calculation.

5. The remote controller of claim 4, including a memory configured to store model parameters used in the model-based calculation.

6. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal is produced based at least in part upon a feedback signal sensed from the environment.

7. The remote controller of claim 1, including a signal input adapted for receiving a feedback signal from the environment, wherein the electromagnetic signal is determined based at least in part upon the feedback signal.

8. The remote controller of claim 1, including a signal input adapted for receiving a feedback signal from the osmotic pump device, wherein the electromagnetic signal is determined based at least in part upon the feedback signal.

9. The remote controller of claim 1, including software comprising:

instructions for controlling the generation of the electromagnetic control signal; and

instructions for controlling the transmission of the electromagnetic control signal to the electromagnetically responsive control element.

10. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal generator includes at least one of electrical circuitry or a microprocessor.

11. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal has at least one of a defined magnetic field strength or a defined electric field strength.

12. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal has signal characteristics sufficient to produce a change in shape in an electromagnetically responsive control element including at least one of a shape memory material, a shape memory metal, a shape memory polymer, a bimetallic structure, or a polymeric material.

13. The remote controller of claim 7, wherein the feedback signal corresponds to at least one of the concentration of a chemical in the environment, a chemical activity of a chemical in the environment, the osmolality of the environment, the pH of the environment, the temperature of the environment or the pressure of the environment.

14. The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal generator is configured to produce an electromagnetic signal that includes at least one of a static or quasi-static magnetic field, a static or quasi-static electrical field, non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation, microwave electromagnetic radiation, millimeter wave electromagnetic radiation, optical electromagnetic radiation, or ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation.