Apparatus and method for spatially selective interventional neuroparticles
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Publication Number
US-9622809-B2
Publication Date
2017-04-18
Expiration Date
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for spatially-selective administration of actions by at least one device in the body using a transducer that is sensitive to a spatially-variant energy field imposed on the at least one device by a source external to a subject's body; and at least one component in the at least one device, wherein interaction of the transducer with the imposed spatially-variant energy field causes or enables at least one component in the at least one device to affect nearby tissues in the body.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an apparatus for spatially-selective administration of an action by at least one device positioned inside a subject's body, where the device includes a transducer sensitive to a spatially-variant energy field imposed by a source external to the subject's body. The transducer reacts to the imposed spatially-variant energy field and the transducer reaction is used to control at least one component coupled to the transducer, which affects tissue positioned nearby the at least one component in the subject's body. Spatial selectivity is performed as a function of the spatially-variant energy field applied to the subject's body.
Spatial selectivity is achieved by a magnetic-field configuration that creates field-free/unsaturated zones so that only devices in desired locations harvest energy and activate nearby tissue effects. The device converts externally applied spatially-variant electromagnetic fields into electrical energy for an internal circuit, including energy conversion and storage, and may generate stimulation pulses. In response to activation, the apparatus can perform stimulation/inhibition or other effects on nearby tissues, including heating, electroporation, chemical or particulate release, and mechanical deformation effects.
The described systems further include inductive wireless energy transfer from an external transmitter, using a magnetic core and behavior related to a saturation field. Device configurations and components are described for nano- and micro-engineered electromagnetic devices, including transducer types such as magnetoresistive, ferroelectric, piezoelectric cantilever, and tribological-type sensors. The document also describes sensing the tissue milieu and localization/guidance using emitted/sensed signals and magnetic-field configuration.
Claims Coverage
The document provides three independent claims (clm-00001, clm-00023, clm-00024). Across these claims, the core inventive coverage is spatially-selective administration performed as a function of an externally imposed spatially-variant energy field, with the transducer response used either to affect nearby tissues or to trigger energy release from a harvested-energy component; a separate independent claim further specifies tissue milieu sensing as the coupled function.
Spatially-selective administration using transducer reaction to spatially-variant energy field
An apparatus for spatially-selective administration of an action by at least one device positioned inside a subject's body, including a transducer sensitive to a spatially-variant energy field imposed by a source external to the subject's body, and at least one component coupled to the transducer configured to affect tissue positioned nearby the at least one component in response to the transducer reacting to the imposed spatially-variant energy field, wherein the spatially-selective administration of the action is performed by the at least one device as a function of the spatially-variant energy field applied to the subject's body.
Transducer enables tissue effect and triggers energy release from another component harvesting external energy
An apparatus for spatially-selective administration of actions by at least one device in the body, comprising a transducer sensitive to a spatially-variant energy field imposed on the at least one device by a source external to a subject's body, and at least one component in the at least one device wherein interaction of the transducer with an imposed spatially-variant energy field causes or enables at least one component in the at least one device to affect nearby tissues in the body, wherein the transducer triggers the release of energy from another component in the device that harvests energy from a source external to the body.
Spatially-selective administration using transducer-driven tissue milieu sensing
An apparatus for spatially-selective administration of an action by at least one device positioned inside a subject's body, comprising at least one device positioned inside the subject's body including a transducer sensitive to a spatially-variant energy field imposed by a source external to the subject's body, and at least one component coupled to the transducer configured to sense the milieu of tissues positioned nearby the at least one component in response to the transducer reacting to the imposed spatially-variant energy field, wherein the spatially-selective administration of the action is performed by the at least one device as a function of the spatially-variant energy field applied to the subject's body.
The independent claims collectively cover an implanted device with a transducer responsive to an externally imposed spatially-variant energy field, where spatially-selective administration is performed as a function of that field. The claims differentiate between using the transducer response to affect nearby tissues directly (and optionally trigger in-device energy release) and using the transducer response to sense the tissue milieu near the component, while still performing spatially-selective administration based on the imposed spatially-variant energy field.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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