Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Light application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2002-04-30
Gibson, Roy (Department: 3739)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Light application
C606S002000, C606S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06379376
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a method and device for affecting growth and proliferation of cells or tissue by light irradiation. The device and method of the invention are useful in increasing the rate of growth and proliferation of skin epithelial cells. Another use of the inventive device and method is the controlling bacterial infections of the skin, e.g. in the case of acne vulganison. The device and method of the invention may thus be employed in the treatment of skin, oral or vaginas wounds or lesions, as well as irradiating keratinocytes in culture to increase the yield of the culture.
In the following, irradiation of light intended to increase rate of growth and proliferation of cells will be referred to herein at times as “light-induced growth acceleration”; treatment for the purpose of control of bacterial infections will be referred to herein at times as “light-induced bacteria control”; treatment of skin or oral wounds or lesions by light irradiation for the purpose of accelerating healing, will be referred to herein at times as “light therapy”.
LIST OF PRIOR ART
The following is a list of prior art considered to be relevant as a background to the invention:
1. Mester, E.: Clinical results of laser stimulation and experimental studies on the mechanism of action
Minerva Med.,
72:2195-2199 (1981).
2. Lyons R. F., Abergel, R. P., White, R. A., Dwyer R. M., Castel, J. C., Uitto, J.: Biostimulation of wound healing in vivo by Helium-neon laser,
Ann. Plast. Surg.,
18:47-50 (1987).
3. Surinchak, J. S., Alago, M. L., Bellamy R. F., Stuck, B. E., Belkin, M.: Effects of low-level energy lasers on the healing of full-thickness skin defects,
Lasers Surg. Med.,
2:267-274 (1983).
4. Chavrier, C., Hartmann, S., Couble M. L., Msloire H.: Laser a infra-rouge et cicatrisation conjunoctive en chirurgie parodontale,
J. Parod.,
5:209-212 (1986).
5. Lubart R., Wollman, Y, Friedman, H: Effects of visible and near IR lasers on cell cultures,
J. Photochem. Photobiol. B. Biol.,
12:305-311 (1992).
6. Lubart, R., Friedman, H., Peled, I, Grossman, N: Light effect on fibroblast proliferation,
Laser Therapy,
5:55-57 (1993).
7. Grossman, N., Reuveni, H., Halevy, S., Lubart, R: Visible light promotes proliferation of normal skin cells,
J. Invest. Dermatol.,
102:649A (1994).
8. Kjeldstad B., Photoinactivation of propionibacterium acnes by near UV light, Z. Naturfersch 39(C):300-302 (1984).
9. Relø, T. B., Reisaeter G., and Johnson, A., Photodestruction of propionibacterium acnes porphysins, Z. Naturfersch, No. C 125-128 (1985).
The above prior art documents will be referred to in the text by indicating their numbers from the above list within brackets. It should be noted that the acknowledgement of these references herein does not amount to an indication that these are by any way relevant to the issue of patent-ability of the appended claims.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Light therapy using low energy visible or near infrared light sources has been known to have a beneficial biological effect on a variety of tissues. Thus, during the last decade, low energy lasers (LEL) were introduced in treatment of wounds or lesions in a variety of tissue. LEL (mainly He—Ne lasers) has been proven effective in patients in promoting epithelization in full thickness skin defects, as well as for gynecological problems and lesions in oral epithelia
(1,2,3,4)
.
In treatment of acute massive burn wounds, particularly such that cover large portions of the body area, it is necessary to bring to regrowth of skin over the burnt area, the standard medical practice of grafting of autologous tissue is very often complicated by the relative shortage of autologous donor sites. A primary advance towards this problem has been the development of an in vitro cultivation technique for human epidermal keratinocytes. The main disadvantage of such cultivation methods is that it requires a period of three to six weeks to obtain sufficiently large quantities of cultured tissue ready for grafting.
Studies with skin derived cultured cells (normal human fibroblasts and keratinocytes) showed that irradiation of visible, near infrared or near ultraviolet (UVA) light at low energy densities, was effective in promoting proliferation of the cells; against this, irradiation at higher energy densities inhibited cell growth
(5,6,7)
. Light in the UVA and in the visible light range was found to destroy bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes
(8,9)
. Radiation sources used hitherto included a variety of monochromatic and non-monochromatic light sources, irradiated at a wavelength of 360 nm (UVA), 540 nm and 600-900 nm, as well as HeNe 632 nm lasers and 780 nm diode lasers. It should be noted that similar light sources are used for selective destruction of tumors by photoactivation of sensitizing drugs, in a technique known as photodynamic therapy (PDT).
A common problem associated with all prior art used light sources is that they are relatively complicated and expensive, and not readily available to physicians.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the invention to provide a method and device for light induced growth modulation of skin or epithelial cells.
It is an object in accordance—with one embodiment of the invention to provide such a method and device for light-induced growth acceleration of skin or epithelial cells, such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes, in culture.
It is an object in accordance with another embodiment of the invention to provide a method and device for light-induced bacteria control on the skin as an epithelium, e.g. and or vaginal epithelium.
It is an object in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention to provide a method and device useful in light therapy of wounds or lesions.
The present invention provides, by a first of its aspects, a method of inducing or promoting growth and proliferation of skin cells or tissue or for controlling bacterial skin infection, comprising irradiating the skin cells with a low-intensity broad spectrum light at a wavelength between about 340 to 3,000 nm.
The present invention provides, by another of its aspects, a device for use in promoting or inducing growth and proliferation of skin cells or for controlling bacterial skin infection, the device comprising a light source which comprises a lamp emitting a broad spectrum light at a wavelength between about 360 to 3,000 nm. The device may further comprise a focusing assembly as well as a light filtration assembly.
For some uses, e.g. irradiation onto wounds or lesions within the mouth or vaginas, the device may be equipped with a fiber optic so as to deliver the light to the desired site.
In accordance with one embodiment, the method and device are used for light-induced growth acceleration cells, e.g. skin cells, in culture, i.e., to induce or promote growth and proliferation of these cells. The device and method in accordance with this embodiment are particularly useful in increasing the rate of cultivation of such cells in order to rapidly obtain skin-like tissue for grafting onto burn wounds. The device in accordance with this embodiment may comprise a lens adapted to diffuse the light onto the entire surface of the culture, or means to move the light skin, periodically across the culture.
In accordance with another embodiment, the method and device are used for light-induced skin bacteria control. Skin bacteria control includes destruction of bacterial cells, as well as arresting growth and proliferation of the bacteria. It was found in accordance with the invention that the destruction of bacteria by light irradiation is improved in an oxygen rich environment; accordingly by a preferred embodiment of the invention the bacteria skin control is a combined irradiation and oxygen flows into the skin. By another preferred embodiment the oxygen is supplied as a peroxide, e.g. H
2
O
2
.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the method and device are utilized for light therapy of skin as epithelium for inducing or promoting healing of skin wounds or lesions.
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