Device, system, and method for targeted delivery of anti-inflammatory medicaments to a mammalian subject

• US 8,894,630 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• 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: Eckhoff, Philip A., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Rivet, Dennis J., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, EMILY LOUISE
• Application Number:
  US12/590,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20110117151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 604/20, 604 65- 67, 604/173, 604/890.1, 604/891.1
• US Class Current: 604/890.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/192 having aromatic groups, e.g. sulindac, 2-aryl-propionic acids, ethacrynic acid cannabinoids A61K31/658
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/195 having an amino group
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 29/00 Non-central analgesic, antipyretic or antiinflammatory agents, e.g. antirheumatic agents; Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAID]

Abstract

A device, a system, or a method is described for treating a disease or a condition of one or more joints of articulating bone in a mammalian subject. The device provides one or more medicaments to one or more joints of the mammalian subject. A device is described that includes one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours in proximity to one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject; one or more sensors configured to monitor movement of the one or more body contours; and one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates and configured to respond to the movement of the one or more body contours by injecting one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours covering one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more sensors configured to detect inflammation in one or more joint tissues associated with the one or more joints;

one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates and configured to respond to the detection by the one more sensors of the inflamed one or more joint tissues by injecting one or more medicaments to the inflamed one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject; and

a controller configured to control release of the one or more medicaments from the one or more applicators and to position the one or more applicators at least near the one or more joints.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates includes one or more patches or one or more sheaths.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more sheaths includes a sleeve-shaped article of clothing or a sleeve-shaped body covering.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more sheaths includes shirt sleeve, pant, leg covering, glove, stocking, bandage-like covering, brace, knee brace, elbow brace, ankle brace, foot brace, hand brace, or spinal brace.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates is attached to the one or more body contours by glue, suction, or suture.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more high speed microjets, one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, one or more microfine cannulas, one or more microprojections, or one or more electrodes.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more high speed microjets.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the one or more applicators further includes one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, or one or more microfine cannulas.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more applicators includes a fluid displacement actuator configured as one or more piezoelectric actuators, one or more springs, one or more solenoids, one or more magnets, one or more motors, or one or more compressed gas actuators.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more applicators includes electrodes on microprojections configured to apply electrical energy to skin of the mammalian subject.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the electrodes on microprojections provide ablation of stratum corneum in an area beneath the electrodes thereby generating a plurality of hydrophilic microchannels in the skin of the mammalian subject.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein the high speed microjets are nanoliter-volume pulsed microjets.

13. The device of claim 6, wherein the one or more microneedles, the one or more microfine lances, the one or more microfine cannulas, or the one or more microprojections contact the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more joint tissues includes one or more of a fibrous capsule, subsynovium, synovial membrane, synovium, joint cavity, synovial fluid, articular cartilage, subchondral bone, or ligament.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more joints includes a synovial joint, cartilaginous joint, or fibrous joint.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates are configured to respond to the one or more sensors, wherein the one or more applicators are configured to inject the one or more medicaments to the one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor joint movement, body movement, or gait of the mammalian subject.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor posture of the mammalian subject.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor frequency of joint use or level of effort used by the one or more joints.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein level of effort used by the one or more joints includes measured effort or inferred effort.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor a preselected set of activity profiles.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more physiological conditions of the mammalian subject.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect tissue swelling, tissue pressure, tissue color, tissue temperature, environmental temperature, electrical property of tissue, optical property of tissue, perspiration, or presence of an analyte.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the analyte includes an inflammatory marker, antibody, or cytokine.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to determine quality of location or quality of contact placement of the one or more sheaths on the one or more body contours.

26. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a timed-release dosage of the one or more medicaments.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to report quantity and frequency of dosage of the one or more medicaments.

28. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a maximum dosage of the one or more medicaments for a time period.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to activate the one or more applicators based at least in part on an activity history of the mammalian subject.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the activity history includes joint movement or gait of the mammalian subject.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the activity history includes frequency of use of the one or more joints, measured effort level of the one or more joints, inferred effort level of the one or more joints, or a preselected activity profile.

32. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to respond to the one or more sensors.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more conditions at one or more of the one or more joints and the controller is configured to control release of the one or more medicaments at others of the one or more joints of the mammalian subject.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more physiological conditions of the mammalian subject.

35. The device of claim 33, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect movement of the one or more body contours.

36. The device of claim 1, further including a power source.

37. The device of claim 36, wherein the power source includes a motion-activated generator, solar cell, fuel cell, wireless source, battery or microbattery.

38. The device of claim 36, wherein the power source is powered by motion of the body of the mammalian subject.

39. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators further includes tissue permeabilization components including one or more of electronics, ultrasonics, chemical permeation enhancer, iontophoresis, microdialysis, ultrafiltration, electromagnetic, electroosmosis, sonophoresis, microdialysis, suction, electroporation, thermal poration, microporation, heating component, or laser.

40. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more sheaths includes a tourniquet configured to apply intermittent pressure in the region of the jointed area.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein the tourniquet is configured to apply a constricting force thereby causing the one or more applicators to penetrate the stratum corneum of the skin of the mammalian subject.

42. The device of claim 7, further including a component for transient mechanical/electrical acceleration of the one or more medicaments from the high speed microjets.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein the component for transient mechanical/electrical acceleration includes a fluid displacement actuator configured as one or more piezoelectric actuators, one or more springs, one or more solenoids, one or more magnets, one or more motors, or one or more compressed gas actuators.

44. The device of claim 42, wherein the component for mechanical/electrical acceleration applies concentration gradients of the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

45. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more medicaments includes steroids, corticosteroids, analgesics, COX-2 inhibitors, or NSAID.

46. The device of claim 1, further including a pharmaceutical composition including the one or more medicaments in a thixotropic medium.

47. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more applicators is configured to apply the one or more medicaments in a time-dependent manner.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the one or more applicators is configured to apply the one or more medicaments in concentration gradients in the time-dependent manner.

49. A system comprising:

at least one apparatus including,

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours covering one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more sensors configured to detect inflammation in one or more joint tissues associated with the one or more joints;

one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates, the one or more applicators configured to respond to the detection by the one more sensors of the inflamed one or more joint tissues by injecting one or more medicaments to the inflamed one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject; and

a controller configured to control release of the one or more medicaments from the one or more applicators and to position the one or more applicators at least near the one or more joints.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more high speed microjets, one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, one or more microfine cannulas, one or more microprojections, or one or more electrodes.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to monitor joint movement, body movement, or gait of the mammalian subject.

52. A device, comprising:

one or more substrates configured to contact one or more body contours covering one or more joints of articulating bone of a mammalian subject;

one or more sensors configured to detect inflammation in one or more joint tissues associated with the one or more joints;

one or more applicators supported by the one or more substrates and configured to inject one or more medicaments to the inflamed one or more joint tissues of the mammalian subject; and

a controller configured to position the one or more applicators at least near the one or more joints and to respond to the detection by the one more sensors of the inflamed one or more joint tissues by controlling release of the one or more medicaments from the one or more applicators to the inflammed one or more joint tissues.

53. The device of claim 52, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more microneedles, one or more microfine lances, one or more microfine cannulas, or one or more microprojections, and wherein the controller is configured to position the one or more applicators including the one or more microneedles, the one or more microfine lances, the one or more microfine cannulas, or the one or more microprojections at least near the one or more joints.

54. The device of claim 52, wherein the one or more applicators includes one or more microjets.

55. The device of claim 52, wherein the controller is configured to position the at least a portion of the one or more applicators so that the one or more applicators are substantially aligned with the one or more joints associated with the inflamed one or more joint tissues.