U.S. patent application number 10/657734 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-03 for needleless drug injection device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Invention is credited to Dyer, Robert, Hunter, Ian W..
Application Number | 20040106894 10/657734 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31982366 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040106894 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hunter, Ian W. ; et
al. |
June 3, 2004 |
Needleless drug injection device
Abstract
A drug injector includes a chamber for holding a drug to be
injected into a biological body, and an nozzle through which the
drug is injected. A piston is positioned in the chamber, and an
actuator is coupled to the piston. The actuator includes a member
that contracts when heated. In some embodiments, heating of the
member is induced by applying a potential to the member. The
actuator moves the piston towards the nozzle when the member is
heated to expel the drug out of the chamber through the nozzle. The
drug injector can include a sensor for measuring properties, such
as stiffness, of the outer layer of the body. Further, the drug
injector can adjust the piston movement based on the sensed
properties. Alternatively, the sensor can be used with other
medical devices, such as microneedle transport devices.
Inventors: |
Hunter, Ian W.; (Lincoln,
MA) ; Dyer, Robert; (Alexandria, VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HAMILTON, BROOK, SMITH & REYNOLDS, P.C.
530 VIRGINIA ROAD
P.O. BOX 9133
CONCORD
MA
01742-9133
US
|
Assignee: |
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Cambridge
MA
|
Family ID: |
31982366 |
Appl. No.: |
10/657734 |
Filed: |
September 8, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10657734 |
Sep 8, 2003 |
|
|
|
10656806 |
Sep 5, 2003 |
|
|
|
60409090 |
Sep 6, 2002 |
|
|
|
60424114 |
Nov 5, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/66 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M 2205/33 20130101;
A61B 5/442 20130101; A61M 5/204 20130101; A61M 5/30 20130101; A61B
5/0051 20130101; A61M 2205/11 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
604/066 |
International
Class: |
A61M 031/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A drug injector configured to inject a drug to a depth beneath
an animal's skin comprising: a chamber for holding a drug to be
injected into a biological body; a nozzle in fluid communication
with the chamber, the drug being injected though the nozzle; a
piston positioned within the chamber; and an actuator coupled to
the piston, the actuator including a member that contracts when a
potential is applied to the member, the actuator moving the piston
towards the nozzle when the potential is applied to the member to
expel the drug out of the chamber through the nozzle, thereby
delivering the drug to a depth beneath an animal's skin.
2. The drug injector of claim 1 further comprising an inlet port
for filling the chamber with the drug.
3. The drug injector of claim 1 further comprising a resilient
member that applies a force to the piston away from the nozzle.
4. The drug injector of claim 3 wherein the resilient member is a
coiled spring.
5. The drug injector of claim 1 wherein the member is one or more
wires of shape memory material.
6. The drug injector of claim 5 wherein the shape memory material
is a shape memory polymer.
7. The drug injector of claim 5 wherein the shape memory material
is a shape memory alloy.
8. The drug injector of claim 7 wherein the shape memory alloy is
selected from the group including: Ag--Cd, Au--Cd, Au--Cu--Zn,
Cu--Al, Cu--Al--N, Cu--Zn, Cu--Zn--Al, Cu--Zn--Ga, Cu--Zn--Si,
Cu--Zn--Sn, Fe--Pt, Fe--Ni, In--Cd, In--Ti, Ti--Nb, and
combinations thereof.
9. The drug injector of claim 7 wherein the shape memory alloy is
Ni--Ti.
10. The drug injector of claim 7 wherein the shape memory alloy
structure changes phase from martensite to austenite when the
potential is applied to the member.
11. The drug injector of claim 1 wherein the chamber is coupled to
a reservoir, the reservoir containing enough drug for multiple
injections.
12. The drug injector of claim 1 further comprising a sterile
interface positioned between the nozzle and the body.
13. The drug injector of claim 12 wherein the sterile interface is
a flexible ribbon supplied from a roller, a new sterile portion of
the ribbon being positioned over the nozzle after an injection.
14. The drug injector of claim 1 wherein the chamber receives a
vial, the chamber being located within the vial, and the nozzle
being associated with the vial.
15. The drug injector of claim 14 wherein a plurality of vials are
sequentially supplied to the injector, a new vial being positioned
in the injector after an injection.
16. The drug injector of claim 1 further comprising: a skin sensor
that measures skin properties of the body; and a servo-controller
coupled to the drug injector and the skin sensor, the
servo-controller adjusting the injection pressure of the drug
injector to selectively deliver the drug to the body based on the
skin properties.
17. A drug injector configured to inject a drug to a depth beneath
an animal's skin comprising: a housing; a vial positioned within
the housing, the vial holding a drug to be injected into a
biological body; a nozzle associated with the housing through which
the drug is injected; a piston positioned within the housing; and
an actuator coupled to the piston, the actuator including a member
of shape memory alloy, the actuator moving the piston towards the
nozzle of the vial when a potential is applied to the member to
expel the drug out of the vial through the nozzle, thereby
delivering the drug to a depth beneath an animal's skin.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the drug is expelled through
the nozzle with an injection velocity of at least about 100 meters
per second.
19. A drug injector configured to inject a drug to a depth beneath
an animal's skin comprising: a housing; a vial positioned within
the housing, the vial holding a drug to be injected into a
biological body; a nozzle associated with the vial through which
the drug is injected; a piston positioned within the housing; an
actuator coupled to the piston, the actuator including a member of
shape memory alloy, the actuator moving the piston towards the
nozzle of the vial when a potential is applied to the member to
expel the drug out of the vial through the nozzle; a skin sensor
that measures skin properties of the body; and a servo-controller
coupled to the actuator and the skin sensor, the servo-controller
adjusting the injection pressure of the drug injector based on the
skin properties.
20. A method of injecting a drug into a biological body comprising:
holding a drug in a chamber, the chamber being in fluid
communication with an nozzle through which the drug is injected;
applying a potential to a member of an actuator, the member
contracting upon the application of the potential, the actuator
being coupled to a piston, the actuator moving the piston towards
the nozzle when the potential is applied to the member; and
expelling the drug from the chamber through the nozzle as the
piston moves towards the chamber.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the drug is expelled through the
nozzle at an injection velocity of at least about 100 meters per
second.
22. The method of claim 20 further comprising moving the piston
away from the nozzle with a spring when the potential is removed
from the actuator.
23. The method of claim 20 further comprising supplying drug from a
reservoir coupled to the chamber.
24. The method of claim 20 further comprising positioning a sterile
interface positioned between the nozzle and the body.
25. The method of claim 24 further comprising supplying the sterile
interface as a ribbon from a roller, a new sterile portion of the
ribbon being positioned over the nozzle after an injection.
26. The method of claim 20 further comprising receiving a vial in
the chamber, the chamber being contained within the vial, and the
nozzle being associated with the vial.
27. The method of claim 26 further comprising supplying a plurality
of vials to the injector in a sequential manner, a new vial being
positioned in the injector after an injection.
28. The method of claim 20 wherein the member includes a shaped
memory material.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the shape memory material is a
shape memory polymer.
30. The method of claim 28 wherein the shape memory material is a
shape memory alloy.
31. The method of claim 30 wherein the shape memory alloy is
selected from the group including: Ag--Cd, Au--Cd, Au--Cu--Zn,
Cu--Al, Cu--Al--N, Cu--Zn, Cu--Zn--Al, Cu--Zn--Ga, Cu--Zn--Si,
Cu--Zn--Sn, Fe--Pt, Fe--Ni, In--Cd, In--Ti, Ti--Nb, and
combinations thereof.
32. The method of claim 20 wherein the member is one or more wires
of shape memory alloy.
33. The method of claim 32 wherein the shape memory alloy is
Ni--Ti.
34. A method of injecting a drug into a biological body comprising:
positioning a drug vial in a housing, the vial containing a drug to
be injected into the body, and having an nozzle through which the
drug is injected; applying a potential to a member of shape memory
alloy, the member forming part of an actuator coupled to a piston
positioned in the housing, the actuator moving the piston towards
the nozzle when the potential is applied to the member; and
expelling the drug from the vial through the nozzle as the piston
moves towards the nozzle.
35. The method of claim 34 wherein the drug is expelled through the
nozzle at an injection velocity of at least about 100 meters per
second.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation of Attorney Docket No.
0050.2048-002 entitled "Needleless Drug Injection Device" filed on
Sep. 5, 2003 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Nos. 60/409,090, filed Sep. 6, 2002 and 60/424,114,
filed Nov. 5, 2002. The entire teachings of the above applications
are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Injection of a liquid such as a drug into a human patient or
an agriculture animal is performed in a number of ways. One of the
easiest methods for drug delivery is through the skin which is the
outermost protective layer of the body. It is composed of the
epidermis, including the stratum corneum, the stratum granulosum,
the stratum spinosum, and the stratum basale, and the dermis,
containing, among other things, the capillary layer. The stratum
corneum is a tough, scaly layer made of dead cell tissue. It
extends around 10-20 microns from the skin surface and has no blood
supply. Because of the density of this layer of cells, moving
compounds across the skin, either into or out of the body, can be
difficult.
[0003] The current technology for delivering local pharmaceuticals
through the skin includes methods that use needles or other skin
piercing devices. Invasive procedures, such as use of needles or
lances, effectively overcome the barrier function of the stratum
corneum. However, these methods suffer from several major
disadvantages: local skin damage, bleeding, and risk of infection
at the injection site, and creation of contaminated needles or
lances that must be disposed. Further, when these devices are used
to inject drugs in agriculture animals, the needles break off from
time to time and remain embedded in the animal.
[0004] Needleless injection devices have been proposed to overcome
the problems associated with needles, but the proposed devices
present different problems. For example, some needleless injection
devices rely on spring actuators that offer limited control. Others
use solenoids, compressed air or hydraulic actuators also offer
limited control.
SUMMARY
[0005] Needleless drug injection apparatus and methods described
herein use specially-configured shaped memory materials in
combination with one or more nozzles to effectively inject a drug
through an animal's skin to a selected depth without first piercing
the skin with a lance or needle.
[0006] A drug injector includes a housing having a chamber for
holding a drug to be injected into a biological body, and a nozzle
through which the drug is injected. A piston is positioned in the
housing, and an actuator is coupled to the piston. The actuator
includes a member that contracts when a potential is applied to the
member. The actuator moves the piston towards the nozzle when the
potential is applied to the member to expel the drug out of the
chamber through the nozzle.
[0007] A resilient member, such as a coiled spring, may be used to
force the piston away from the nozzle after the potential
diminishes. The member may be one or more wires of shape memory
alloy, for example, Ni--Ti.
[0008] In certain embodiments, the chamber is coupled to a
reservoir holding a sufficient amount of drug for multiple
injections. A sterile interface can be positioned between the
orifice and the body to prevent cross contamination between bodies
when the injector is used as a multiuse device. The sterile
interface can be a flexible ribbon supplied from a roller, with a
new sterile portion of the ribbon being positioned over the nozzle
after an injection. In some embodiments, the chamber is within a
vial positioned in the housing. A plurality of vials can be
sequentially supplied to the injector so that a new vial is
positioned in the injector after an injection.
[0009] In particular embodiments, the injector includes a skin
sensor that measures skin properties of the body, and a
servo-controller coupled to the actuator and the skin sensor. The
servo-controller adjusts the injection pressure of the drug
injector based on the skin properties. A tailored stochastic
sequence can be used to determine the skin properties. The skin
properties can be determined with system identification techniques.
In certain embodiments, the skin is modeled as a second order
mechanical system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference
characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being
placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a drug delivery device in
accordance with the invention.
[0012] FIG. 1B is a side view of the drug delivery device of FIG.
1A.
[0013] FIG. 1C is an end view of the drug delivery device taken
along the line 1C-1C of FIG. 1B.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drug delivery device of
FIG. 1A with a controller and energy source.
[0015] FIG. 3A is a graph of the time response of a shape memory
alloy fiber of the drug delivery device of FIG. 1A for a high
strain.
[0016] FIG. 3B is a graph of the time response of the shape memory
alloy fiber of the drug delivery device of FIG. 1A when the fiber
is subjected to a potential as a quick pulse.
[0017] FIGS. 4A-4C are respectively side, front, and top views of a
hand-held drug delivery device.
[0018] FIG. 4D is a perspective view of the drug delivery device
shown in FIGS. 4A-4C.
[0019] FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the drug delivery
device taken along the line 5A-5A of FIG. 1C prior to delivery of a
drug.
[0020] FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the drug delivery
device of FIG. 1A during drug delivery.
[0021] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment
of the drug delivery device in accordance with the invention.
[0022] FIG. 6B is a side view of the drug delivery device of FIG.
6A.
[0023] FIG. 6C is top view of the drug delivery device taken along
the line 6C-6C of FIG. 6B.
[0024] FIG. 6D is front view of the drug delivery device taken
along the line 5D-5D of FIG. 6B.
[0025] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a drug vile for the drug
delivery device of FIG. 6A.
[0026] FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the drug vile of FIG.
7A.
[0027] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drug delivery device of
FIG. 6A with a controller and energy source.
[0028] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the drug delivery
device taken along the line 9A-9A of FIG. 6D prior to delivery of a
drug.
[0029] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the drug delivery
device during drug delivery.
[0030] FIG. 10 is cross-sectional view of another alternative
embodiment of the drug delivery device in accordance with the
invention.
[0031] FIG. 11 illustrates the drug delivery device of FIG. 10 with
a protective sterile ribbon in accordance with the invention.
[0032] FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate yet another alternative
embodiment of the drug delivery device in accordance with the
invention.
[0033] FIG. 13 illustrates the drug delivery device with a sensor
used to detect properties of the skin in accordance with the
invention.
[0034] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of
the sensor used to detect properties of the skin in accordance with
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] A description of preferred embodiments of the invention
follows.
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, there are shown various views of a
drug delivery device used to inject a liquid formulation of an
active principle, for example, a drug, into biological body such as
an agriculture animal or human being. The delivery device is
generally identified as 10 in the illustrated embodiment as well as
in other embodiments described later. The drug is initially
contained in a chamber 12 (FIG. 5A) and is injected out through an
orifice or output port 14 into the body.
[0037] A nozzle is typically used to convey the drug to the skin at
the required speed and diameter to penetrate the skin as required.
The nozzle generally contains a flat surface, such as the head 17
that can be placed against the skin and an orifice 14. It is the
inner diameter of the orifice 14 that controls the diameter of the
drug stream. Additionally, the length of an aperture, or tube,
defining the orifice 14 also controls the injection pressure. In
some embodiments, a standard hypodermic needle is cut to a
predetermined length and coupled to the head. One end of the needle
is flush, or slightly recessed, with respect to the surface of the
head 17 that contacts the skin to avoid puncturing the skin during
use. The internal diameter of the needle (e.g., 100 .mu.m) defines
the diameter of the aperture, and the length of the needle (e.g., 5
mm) together with the aperture dimension controls the resulting
injection pressure, for a given applicator pressure. In other
embodiments, a hole can be drilled directly into the head 17 to
reduce assembly steps. In general, the length of the orifice is
selectable, for example ranging from 500 .mu.m to 5 mm, while its
diameter can range from 80 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m.
[0038] The device 10 includes a guide tube 16 in which a piston 18
is positioned. An interchangeable head 17 is attached at an
enlarged end 19 of the tube 16 with a set of screws 21. One end of
the piston 18, along with the inside of the enlarged end 19 and
head 17 define the chamber 12, and a push block 22 is attached at
the other end of the piston 18. Although the piston 18 forms a
clearance seal with the tube 16, a seal ring can be placed about
the piston 18 to prevent drug from escaping from the chamber 12
between the piston 18 and the tube 16. Attached on the outside of
the push block 22 is an electrical contact plate 24. Another
contact plate 26 is positioned between the interchangeable head 17
and the enlarged end 19.
[0039] In some embodiments, the guide tube 16 includes linear
bearings to reduce the friction of the piston 18. Preferably, the
piston 18 is rigid to avoid buckling under the force exerted by the
actuator. Further, the piston 18 is light weight to reduce its
inertia ensuring a rapid acceleration upon activation. In one
embodiment, the piston 18 is formed from a hollow aluminum rod.
Other parts can also be advantageously constructed of light weight
materials. For example, the push block 22 can be formed from a
machinable poly acetal.
[0040] In addition to the contact plates 24 and 26, an actuator 28
includes one to six or more wires 30 positioned about the tube 16
and parallel to one another. One end 32 of each wire 30 is attached
to the contact plate 24 through the push block 22, and another end
34 of the wire 30 is attached to a respective capstan 36. The
capstan 36, and the contact plates 24 and 26 are electrically
conductive. Hence, the ends 32 and 34 of the wires 30 are
electrically connected to each other through the contact plates 24
and 26, respectively. An insulating collar 38 positioned about the
guide tube 20 helps guide the wires 30 through the holes 39 between
the enlarged region 19 and the push block 22.
[0041] To apply the appropriate tension to the wires 30 and to
define the volume of the chamber 12, a coiled spring 37 is
positioned about the piston 18 between the end of the tube 16 and
the push block 22, and the capstans 36 are turned accordingly, much
like adjusting the tension in guitar strings. The wires 30 are
wrapped around the respective capstans 36 one or more times. As
such, the strain near the terminal ends 34 of the wires 30 attached
to the capstans 36 are significantly less than the strain along the
remainder of the length of the wires 30. For example, the strain
near the terminal end 34 may be about 1% while that of the
remainder of the wire may be about 15%.
[0042] The wires 30 can be secured to the contact plate 24 with
capstans, as well. Alternatively, the wires 30 can be attached to
one or both contact plates 24 and 26 by other techniques, for
example, by electrodeposition as described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,641,391, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
[0043] Alternatively, each wire 30 can be twisted with a respective
electrically conductive wire made of, for example, copper or iron.
The twisted segment is then bent back, and partially twisted
forming a loop, with the partially twisted segment formed of two
strands of the wire 30 and two strands of the copper wire. The
formed loop can be placed on a pin, for example, or it can be fully
twisted and then bent back and partially twisted forming another
loop, with the partially twisted segment formed of four strands of
the wire 30 and four strands of the copper wire. Again, the formed
loop can be placed on a pin to secure the wire 30 to the contact
plate 24 and/or 26.
[0044] More generally, the wires 30 can be formed from a shape
memory material that changes from a first stable state to a second
stable state upon excitation. For example, the shape memory
material can be a shape memory polymer. Alternatively, or in
addition, the shape memory material can be an alloy. In some
embodiments, a phase change of the shape memory material occurs
when the material is heated. For example, a shape metal alloy can
exist with one of two different lattice structures, such that a
phase change from one lattice structure to another occurs
responsive to the application and/or removal of thermal energy.
[0045] The wires 30 are made of a suitable material that contracts
when heated and can be used as an actuation method. Heating can be
accomplished by passing a current through the wire 30, known as
Joule heating. Thus, the current is conducted within the wires 30
after a potential is applied across them. A class of materials that
contract when a potential is applied to them includes piezoelectric
materials and shape memory alloys. While piezoelectric crystals
contract about 1%, shape memory alloys are able to contract
approximately 15% or more. The larger contraction of shape memory
alloys makes them desirable for the illustrated embodiment.
Accordingly, the wires 30 are made of shape memory alloy such as,
for example, Ni--Ti (also known as Nitinol), available from Shaped
Memory Applications Inc., of San Jose, Calif., and from Dynalloy
Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif., under the Trade Mark FLEXINOL. When a
potential is applied across the wires 30 via the contact plates 24
and 26 the wires 30 heat up. As the wires 30 heat up, a phase
transformation of the wire material occurs, namely, the wire
changes phase from martensite to austenite. This phase
transformation causes the wires 30 to contract such that the piston
18 is pushed towards the orifice 14, thereby forcing the drug from
the chamber 12 out the orifice 14. Preferably, the shape memory
alloy is fast acting to provide a sudden force suitable for
injecting a drug into a patient's skin without using a needle. A
more detailed description of shape memory alloys and their use is
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,901, the entire contents of which
are incorporated herein by reference.
[0046] To use the device 10, the device is connected to a
controller 50 with a pair of leads 52, and the controller in turn
in connected to a capacitor bank 54 with another pair of leads 56,
as illustrated in FIG. 2. The controller 50 can be a simple
microprocessor, or alternatively a personal computer with
multifunction capabilities. The capacitors of the bank 54 are
energized through a power source in the controller 50 or by an
external power source. Once energized, the capacitors, under the
direction of the controller 50, discharge to apply a potential
across the wires 30 via the plates 24 and 26 through the leads 52.
In this manner, the wires 30 are connected together in a parallel
configuration, the supply potential being applied equally across
the ends of each of the multiple wires 30. In another embodiment,
the wires 30 are connected together in a series configuration.
Still other arrangements can be used to apply the potential across
the wires 30, for example, as describe in U.S. application Ser. No.
10/200,574 filed Jul. 19, 2002, by Angel and Hunter, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0047] Although any capacitor can be used in the bank 54, a super
capacitor has the advantageous feature of providing a large energy
density in a small physical size. Hence the capacitors of the bank
54 can be super capacitors 53 that have a volume from 1.5 ml to 30
ml, preferably 3 ml, and an energy output of 10 J to 1 KJ,
preferably 100 J. The current applied to the wires 30 is
approximately 100 mAmps to 5 Amps, and the voltage applied to the
wires 30 is between about 1 volt to 10 volts. In one embodiment,
the applied current is 1 Amp, and the applied voltage is 5 volts.
To heat the wires 30 quickly, larger currents of 25 to 100 Amps can
be applied. As fast action is required, the power source must also
be able to switch large currents with millisecond timing.
[0048] The amount of force per area generated by the wires 30 is
about 235 MN/m.sup.2. In the illustrated embodiment, the volume of
drug initially contained in the chamber 12 is about 200 .mu.L to
250 .mu.L, and the orifice 14 has a diameter of between about 50
.mu.m to 500 .mu.m. In some embodiments, the drug volume is up to
500 .mu.L. The drug injection velocity is about 150 m/s with a 150
.mu.m orifice 14. Generally, an injection velocity of 100 m/s or
greater is required for successful skin penetration (e.g.,
penetrating skin to a depth of 2 mm) in a stream having a diameter
of 100 .mu.m. Advantageously, the stream diameter of the needleless
injector can be substantially smaller than a typical 24 gauge
needle having a diameter of 450 .mu.m.
[0049] The device 10 has a length, L.sub.1, of approximately 150
mm, and the wires 30 contract about 7 mm when a potential is
applied across them. The wires 30 can have circular cross section,
in which case each wire 30 has a diameter of approximately 0.025 mm
to 2 mm, preferably 380 .mu.m. Alternatively, each fiber can have a
flat ribbon shape with a thickness approximately in the range 0.025
mm to 0.5 mm and a width of approximately 0.75 mm to 10 mm. Other
suitable shape memory alloys include Ag--Cd, Au--Cd, Au--Cu--Zn,
Cu--Al, Cu--Al--N, Cu--Zn, Cu--Zn--Al, Cu--Zn--Ga, Cu--Zn--Si,
Cu--Zn--Sn, Fe--Pt, Fe--Ni, In--Cd, In--Ti, and Ti--Nb.
[0050] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there are shown graphs of
the time response of wires 30 made from Ni--Ti. Shown in FIG. 3A is
the response of a wire subjected to a strain of nearly 5%. As can
be seen, the contraction time for this wire is about 10 ms. By way
of contrast, FIG. 3B illustrates a wire subjected to faster pulse
than that applied to the wire of FIG. 3A. With the faster pulse,
the fiber experiences a strain of about 1%, with a contraction time
of about 1 ms.
[0051] In use, the device 10 is typically mounted within an
applicator that is held by an operator. The applicator can be
shaped as a pistol, cylinder or any other suitable geometry. An
exemplary applicator is shown in FIGS. 4A through 4D. In one
embodiment, referring to FIG. 4A, a pistol shaped applicator 400
includes a barrel 405 configured to house the device 10. The barrel
405 can be a hollow tube or rectangle having a cavity sized to
accept the device 10. Referring to FIG. 4B, the barrel 405 includes
an aperture 420 at one end sized to accept the head 17 of the
device 10. The head 17 protrudes through the aperture 420 to
facilitate contact with an animal's skin. Further, the applicator
400 includes a handle 410 configured to be grasped by an operator.
The handle 410 is coupled at one end to the barrel 405.
Additionally, the applicator 400 can include a base 415 coupled to
another end of the handle 410. The base 415 can be configured to
house other parts of the needleless injector, such as the power
source and/or control unit. The handle 410 can be similarly
configured (e.g., hollowed out) to also house parts of the
needleless injector. Further, the applicator 400 can include a
switch 420. The switch 420 can be controlled by an operator to
operate the device 10 to initiate an injection and/or a filling of
the device with a drug.
[0052] Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, as well as to FIG. 1A, the
operator positions the applicator to place a surface 60 of the head
17 against the skin, S, of the biological body. Prior to the
placement of the head 17 against the skin, or while the head 17 is
positioned against the skin, the capacitor bank 54 is energized as
described above. The operator then triggers the device 10 through
the controller 50 to discharge the capacitor bank 54, thereby
applying a potential across the wires 30 which causes them to
contract. As the wires 30 contract, they pull the push block 22,
which pushes the piston 18 towards the head 17 to force the drug,
D, from the chamber 12 through the orifice 14 into the body. The
injection pressure can be as low as 1 MPa or lower or as high as
300 MPa. For comparison, a minimum local pressure of approximately
1.91 MPa is required for piercing skin to a depth of 2 mm using a
100 .mu.m diameter needle After the energy in the capacitor bank is
depleted, the potential across the wires 30 is removed which causes
the wires 30 to extend to their original length as the coiled
spring 37 pushes the push block 22 away from the head 17. The
chamber 12 can then be refilled if desired with additional drug to
be injected into another body or the same body.
[0053] Turning now to FIGS. 6A-6D, there are shown various views of
an alternative embodiment of the drug delivery device 10, where
like features are identified by like numerals. Here, the device 10
includes two base portions 70 and 72. The piston 18 extends through
the base portion 72 and through part of the base portion 70, as
shown, for example, in FIG. 9A. As before, the piston 18 is
attached at one end to the push block 22, which slides back and
forth over a surface 76 of the base portion 72, such that the
piston slides back and forth in the base portions.
[0054] Referring also to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a removable and/or
disposable vial 80 is mounted in the base portion 70. For example,
the vial 80 can be screw mounted to the base portion 70. The vial
80 is provided with a nozzle, as described above, at one end
defining the orifice 14. The vial 80 also includes a plunger 82
that moves back and forth in the chamber 12 defined within the vial
80. The plunger 82 abuts the terminal end 84 of the piston 18. As
such, as the piston 18 moves towards the orifice 14, drug, D,
contained in the chamber 12 is expelled through the orifice 14. In
some implementations, the orifice of the drug vial, or the chamber
of the embodiment of FIG. 1A, is sealed with a suitable material
prior to use. The seal may be manually removed, or it may be
removed by the injection pressure of the drug as it ejects from the
vial or chamber.
[0055] A single length wire 30 is positioned on each side of the
base portions 70 and 72 and attached at one end to a lead capstan
90a, wrapped sequentially around intermediate capstans 90b, 90c,
90d, and attached at the other end to a terminal capstan 90e. To
apply the appropriate tension to the wires 30, the coiled spring 37
is positioned about the piston 18 between the base portion 72 and
the push block 22, and a rachet mechanism 92 is employed to adjust
the tension in the wires 30. The capstans 90a, 90c, and 90e are
electrically conductive, and are coupled to respective conductive
bars 94 and 96. The capstans 90b and 90d are also electrically
conductive, and are electrically coupled to respective conductive
plates 98 and 100. The plates 98 and 100 in turn are electrically
connected to each other through the push block 22, but electrically
insulated from the piston 18 and base portion 72. The two bars 94
and 96 are electrically insulated from the base portion 70. As
such, when a potential is applied across the conductive bars 94 and
96, the potential is also applied across the four segments of each
wire 30.
[0056] In one implementation, the device 10 of FIG. 6A is connected
to the controller 50 with the pair of leads 52, and the controller
in turn in connected to the capacitor bank 54 with another pair of
leads 56, as illustrated in FIG. 8. As mentioned above, the
capacitors of the bank 54 are energized through a power source in
the controller 50 or by an external power source. Once energized,
the capacitors, under the direction of the controller 50, discharge
to apply a potential across the wires 30 via the conductive bars 94
and 96 through the leads 52. The wires 30 heat up and contract such
that the piston 18 is pushed towards the orifice 14, thereby
forcing the drug D from the chamber 12 of the vial 80 out the
orifice 14.
[0057] Although shown as blocks, the base portions 70 and 72 can
have any suitable geometry which facilitates the use of the device
10 of FIG. 6A in a particular application. As mentioned before, the
device can be mounted within an applicator that is held by an
operator.
[0058] Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, as well as to FIG. 6A, to use
the device 10, the operator positions the applicator such that a
surface 101 of the vial 80 is placed against the skin, S, of the
body. Prior to the placement of the surface 101 against the skin,
or while the surface 101 is positioned against the skin, the
capacitor bank 54 is energized, as described earlier. The operator
then triggers the device 10 through the controller 50 to discharge
the capacitor bank 54, thereby applying a potential across the
wires 30 which causes them to contract. As the wires 30 contract,
they pull the push block 22 which pushes the piston 18, which in
turn pushes the plunger 82 towards the orifice 14 to force the
drug, D, from the chamber 12 through the orifice 14 into the body.
After the energy in the capacitor bank is depleted, the potential
across the wires 30 is removed which causes the wires 30 to extend
to their original length as the coiled spring 37 pushes the push
block 22 away from the vial 80. The chamber 12 can then be refilled
if desired with additional drug to be injected into another
body.
[0059] The device 10 of FIGS. 1A or 5A can be used as a single-use
device or for multiple uses. When used as a multiuse device, the
cycle time between uses can be 0.5 seconds or less.
[0060] For example, there is shown in FIG. 10 the device 10 of FIG.
1A coupled to a reservoir 100 that supplies the chamber 12 with a
sufficient amount of drug, D, for each injection, and holds enough
drug for approximately 20 to 200 or more injections. Alternatively,
individual doses may be provided in a plurality of reservoirs
sequentially coupled to the delivery device 10. A valve 102 is
associated with a tube 103 connecting the reservoir 100 with an
inlet port 104 of the chamber 12. The valve 102 is opened and
closed under the direction of the controller 50, or an additional
controller, to allow the desired amount of drug into the chamber 12
for each injection. The device 10 of FIG. 6A can also be coupled to
a similar reservoir that is operated in the manner just
described.
[0061] When the device 10 of FIG. 10 is in use, the controller 50
instructs the valve 102 to open to allow the drug to flow from the
reservoir 100 through the inlet port 104 into the chamber 12, and,
after a prescribed period of time, the controller 50 directs the
valve 102 to close so that a desired amount of the drug is held in
the chamber 12 for a single injection.
[0062] Next, or while the chamber 12 is being filled with drug, the
operator positions the applicator to place the surface 60 of the
head 17 against the skin, S, of the body. Meanwhile, the capacitor
bank 54 is energized as described above. The operator then triggers
the device 10 through the controller 50 to discharge the capacitor
bank 54, thereby applying a potential across the wires 30 which
causes them to contract. As the wires 30 contract, they pull the
push block 22 which pushes the piston 18 towards the head 17 to
force the drug, D, from the chamber 12 through the orifice 14 into
the body. After the energy in the capacitor bank is depleted, the
potential across the wires 30 is removed which causes the wires 30
to extend to their original length as the coiled spring 37 pushes
the push block 22 away from the head 17. The controller 50 then
instructs the valve 102 to open to refill the chamber 12 with
additional drug from the reservoir 100 to be injected into another
body.
[0063] When the device 10 is intended for multiple uses, it may be
desirable to provide some type of protective sterile barrier
between the head 17 and the skin of the body to eliminate or at
least minimize exposing a subsequent body with contaminants from a
previous body.
[0064] For example, there is shown in FIG. 11 the device 10
provided with a supply of ribbon from a supply roller 110 mounted
to the device 10 with a support 112. A sheet of ribbon 111 passes
between the face 60 (see, e.g., FIG. 1A) and the skin, S, of the
body. After use, the ribbon 111 is spooled onto a take-up roller
114 that is mounted to the device 10 with a support 116. The ribbon
111 is wide enough to cover the face 60 such that none of the face
60 makes contact with the skin, S. The ribbon 111 is made of any
suitable material that prevents cross-contamination between
biological bodies, such as a non-porous flexible material.
[0065] The operation of the take-up roller 114, and, optionally,
the supply roller 110, can be controlled by the controller 50, or
an additional controller. Thus, when in use, the device 10 ejects
drug from the orifice 14 through the ribbon 111 into the body.
After the drug has been injected into the body, additional drug can
be supplied from the reservoir 100 according to the techniques
described above, while the controller 50 instructs the roller 114
to take up a sufficient amount of ribbon 111 in the direction A, so
that the next body is exposed only to a new sterile portion of the
ribbon 111 during the injection procedure.
[0066] In other implementations, a new sterile head 17 is
positioned on the device 10 after an injection, while the previous
head 17 is disposed in a suitable manner.
[0067] Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 12B, there is shown another
embodiment of the device 10 suitable for multiuse operations. The
device 10 is provided with a series of vials 80 connected together,
for example, with a flexible web 120. Enlarged regions 122 and 124
(see, e.g., FIG. 7A) of the vials 80 engage with a slot 126 of the
base portion 70. Thus, after each injection, a driver 200, separate
from or integral with the device 10, pulls the web 120, and hence
the vials 80, in the direction B until a vial filled with drug and
fed from the top of the base 70 is suitably coupled with the piston
18 for the next injection. The injection procedure proceeds as
described earlier, for example, for the embodiment of FIG. 6A. As
such, the device 10 can be used in a "machine-gun" like manner,
with new vials being fed through the top of the base 70, while
depleted vials are pulled out from the bottom of the base 70. The
driver 200 can be under the control of the controller 50 or another
controller. The vials 80 could be fed and removed from the side of
the base portion 70. Moreover, such an automated arrangement could
be implemented with the device 10 of FIGS. 1-4.
[0068] In some implementations, the controller 50 is coupled with a
sensor that detects skin properties. This information can be used
to servo-control the actuator 28 to tailor the injection pressure,
and, therefore, the depth of penetration of drug into the skin for
a particular application. For instance, when the device 10 is used
on a baby, the sensor detects the softness of the baby's skin, and
the controller 50 uses the properties of the baby's skin and
consequently reduces the injection pressure. The injection pressure
can be adjusted, for example, by controlling the current amplitude
applied to the wires 30 and/or the current pulse rise time and/or
duration. When used on an adult or someone with sun damaged skin,
the controller may increase the injection pressure. The injection
pressure may be adjusted depending on location of the skin on the
body, for example, the face versus the arm of the patient. The
injection pressure can also be tailored to deliver the drug just
underneath the skin or deep into muscle tissue. Moreover, the
injection pressure may be varied over time. For instance, in some
implementations, a large injection pressure is initially used to
pierce the skin with the drug, and then a lower injection pressure
is used to deliver the drug. A larger injection may also be used to
break a seal that seals the chamber or vial.
[0069] Skin is a non-linear, viscoelastic material. Microscopic
changes in cellular mechanical properties or adhesion between
tissue can be observed as macroscopic changes in static or dynamic
mechanical tissue properties. These factors combine to determine
the behavior of skin in response to outside stimulants. For small
force perturbations about an applied static force, the skin
mechanical dynamics can be approximated as a linear mechanical
system relating the applied force F(t) to skin deformation x(t) as:
1 F ( t ) = I 2 x ( t ) t 2 + B x ( t ) t + K x ( t ) , ( 1 )
[0070] where I is the inertia in kg, B is the viscosity in kg/s,
and K is the stiffness in N/m of skin. After taking the Laplace
transform of equation (1), the equivalent transfer function
representing the mechanical compliance of the skin as a function of
frequency, .omega., is: 2 x ( ) F ( ) = G n 2 2 + 2 ??? n + n 2 , (
2 ) where G = 1 K , ( 3 ) n = K I , ( 4 ) and ??? = 1 2 B I K . ( 5
)
[0071] A Bode plot (gain vs. freq.) can be obtained for the above
mechanical system, illustrating a decrease in compliance with
increase skin stiffness. A tailored stochastic sequence can also be
performed by tuning F(t) to pull out the relevant parameters. As
such, skin properties can be determined with system identification
techniques. Such techniques are described in the article "The
Identification of Nonlinear Biological Systems: Volterra Kernel
Approaches," by Michael J. Korenberg and Ian W. Hunter, Annals of
Biomedical Engineering, Vol. 24, pp. 250-269, 1996, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0072] Referring now to FIG. 13, there is shown a skin property
sensor 200 associated with the drug delivery device 10. The sensor
200 includes an electromagnetically driven voice coil 202 coupled
to a force transducer 206 with a flexure 204. The force transducer
206 in turn is coupled to a linear variable differential transducer
(LVDT) 208 with a sensor tip 201. In the implementation shown, the
voice coil 202, the force transducer 206, and the LVDT 208 are
connected to a controller such as the controller 50, which drives
the sensor 200 as well as receives signals from the sensor 200. The
sensor 200 can be integrated with the device 10, or it can be a
separate unit. As shown, the sensor is positioned within the device
10, with the sensor tip 201 located near the orifice 14 (see also
FIGS. 1A, 5A, and 6A).
[0073] Accordingly, when the device 10 is used with the sensor 200,
the device 10 is initially placed against the skin, S, of the body
such that the sensor tip 201 also rests against the skin. The
controller 50 then drives the voice coil 202, for example, up to 20
kHz, to perturb the skin, while the force transducer 202 detects
the force the tip 201 applies to the skin, and the LVDT 208 detects
the displacement of the skin. This data is fed back to the
controller 50 which then evaluates the skin properties with the
system identification techniques described earlier. Based on the
detected skin properties, the controller 50 directs the actuator 28
to eject the drug, D, contained in the chamber 12, through the
orifice 14 with the desired injection pressure. Alternatively, a
body portion 210 in which the chamber 12 is defined can function as
the sensor tip 201. In such implementations, the body portion 210
would be coupled to the LVDT 208 and force sensor 206 so that the
chamber 12, body portion 210, and sensor 200 would be positioned in
line.
[0074] Other skin property sensor arrangements can also be used
with the device 10, such as the sensor configuration 300 shown as a
block diagram in FIG. 14. The sensor 300 includes a linear
electromagnetic actuator 302 (e.g., model no. 4910, available from
Bruel and Kjaer) vertically mounted to a rigid frame. A strain
gauge type load cell 304 (e.g., model no. ELF-TC13-15, available
from Entran, of Fairfield, N.J.) is mounted to the actuator
platform for the purpose of measuring the DC offset of the system
corresponding to the static loading, as measured with a multimeter
303 (e.g., model no. HP 972A, available from Hewlett Packard, or
Palo Alto, Calif.) via a signal conditioning amplifier 305. Below
the load cell 304 is an impedance head 306 (Bruel and Kjaer model
no. 8001) consisting of a piezoelectric accelerometer 306a and a
piezoelectric force transducer 306b. The two outputs from the
accelerometer record the force applied to the skin and its
resulting acceleration. Two charge amplifiers 308', 308" (generally
308) (Bruel and Kjaer model no. 2635) transform the force to a
proportional voltage and doubly integrate the acceleration to give
the skin displacement. The actuator 302 is driven by an algorithm,
such as a Visual BASIC program, that simulates a Dynamic Signal
Analyzer through a power amplifier 310. The algorithm outputs a
swept sinusoidal signal within a range of pre-determined
frequencies. This modulation is a small perturbation on top of an
initial static load, which is determined from the output voltage of
the load cell 304. The measured force and displacement of the
actuator are then input to two separate channels of a data
acquisition board 312 and used to calculate the compliance transfer
function gain and phase with a computer or the controller 50. In
one implementation, there is a 50 kHz per channel of the data
acquisition board, which can be increased to 100 kHz per channel
when multiplexed. The A/D is 18 bits with .+-.4.5 V, while the D/A
is 18 bits with .+-.3.0 V. Like that shown in FIG. 13 for the
sensor 200, the sensor 300 is preferably associated with the device
10 through the controller 50. Accordingly, properties of the skin
are analyzed by the controller 50 based on the data from the sensor
300. The controller 50 then directs the device 10 to eject drug
into the body with the appropriate injection pressure.
[0075] Although the sensors 200 and 300 are shown in combination
with the device 10, the sensors can be combined with other types of
medical devices. For example, the sensor can be combined with other
types of needleless injectors such as those using magnetic,
chemical, hydraulic, and spring actuators, and those described in
U.S. application Ser. No. 10/200,574 filed Jul. 19, 2002, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 60/409,090 filed Sep. 6, 2002,
incorporated by reference in their entireties. Additionally, the
sensor can be combined with injectors that use needles, such as
microneedle injectors, and those described in U.S. application Ser.
Nos. 10/238,844 filed Sep. 9, 2002 and 10/278,049 filed Oct. 21,
2002, also incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Advantageously, the sensed properties can be used to control the
depth and/or insertion force of the needles.
[0076] Furthermore, the sensors 200, 300 can be used to measure
skin properties of a subject, as described above, or they can be
used, to measure properties of other body surfaces. For example,
the sensor can be used to measure properties of the internal
anatomy of subject, such as the surface of an internal cavity or
organ during a surgical procedure.
[0077] In some embodiments, the sensors 200 and 300 can be
configured as stand alone units. Thus, the system components
discussed in relation to FIGS. 13 and 14 can be packaged within a
single housing. The housing can be tethered to an external power
source, or can include an internal power source, such as a battery.
Additionally, a stand alone unit can be configured as a wearable
device that can attach to a patient's body using a bandage, or an
adhesive. For example, a small force transducer and an
accelerometer can be packaged in an adhesive bandage that is placed
on the skin. The transducer first resonates at a resonant frequency
(e.g., 50 Hz) for a period of time (e.g., several seconds). The
transducer stimulates the local skin and the accelerometer detects
the displacement of the skin. A controller can then record the
resulting skin displacement in a memory and calculate the
compliance gain of the skin. The controller can further determine
the mechanical behavior of the skin (e.g., stiffness) using the
calculated compliance gain. Still further, the controller can
further identify the type of skin using its calculated mechanical
behavior and/or compliance gain (e.g., that of a baby or of an
adult). The sensor can ultimately generate a signal or command used
as an indicator to an operator and/or a control signal to a medical
device.
[0078] While this invention has been particularly shown and
described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the
scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. For
example, contractile polymers, or any other suitable contracting
material, can be used instead of the shape memory alloy. The device
10 may include multiple chambers or may accommodate multiple drug
vials. Thus, the device 10 is able to deliver drug sequentially or
simultaneously. For example, the device 10 is able to deliver two
or more drugs at once to the body.
* * * * *