Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Infrared – visible light – ultraviolet – x-ray or electrical...
Patent
1997-10-08
1998-09-22
Getzow, Scott M.
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-ray or electrical...
604 49, 607145, A61N 130
Patent
active
058107622
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the treatment of ailments in humans and other manmmals, and more particularly, to an improved apparatus for the application of controlled electric fields for delivering pharmaceutical compounds and genes into live cells of a patient by electroporation.
BACKGROUND ART
Electroporation has recently been suggested as one approach to the treatment of certain diseases such as cancer. For example, in the treatment of certain types of cancer with chemotherapy it is necessary to use a high enough dose of a drug to kill the cancer cells without killing an unacceptable high number of normal cells. If the chemotherapy drug could be inserted directly inside the cancer cells, this objective could be achieved. However, some of the best anti-cancer drugs, for example, bleomycin, normally cannot penetrate the membranes of certain cancer cells.
Similarly, certain diseases could be treated by introducing desired genes into the specific cells of the patient. At present, most gene therapy experiments have utilized retroviruses as the carrier of the gene into the cells. When a retrovirus enters a target cell, it integrates essentially randomly in the genome and thus has the potential for introducing mutational damage by the mere fact of its insertion. If the virus integrates adjacent to an oncogene, malignant transformation of the target cell can result.
In the 1970's it was discovered that electric fields could be used to create pores in cells without causing permanent damage to them. This discovery made possible the insertion of large molecules into cell cytoplasm. It is known that genes and other molecules such as pharmacological compounds can be incorporated into live cells through a process known as electroporation. The genes or other molecules are mixed with the live cells in a buffer medium and short pulses of high electric fields are applied. The cell membranes are transiently made porous and the genes or molecules enter the cells. There they can modify the genome of the cell.
One therapeutic application of electroporation is for cancer treatment. Experiments on laboratory mammals have been carried out and reported as follows: Okino, M., E. Kensuke, 1990. The Effects of a Single High Voltage Electrical Stimulation with an Anticancer Drug on in vivo Growing Malignant Tumors. Jap. Journal of Surgery. 20: 197-204. Mir, L. M., S. Orlowski, J. Belehradek Jr., and C. Paoletti. 1991. Electrochemotherapy Potentiation of Antitumor Effect of Bleomycin by Local Electric Pulses. Eur. J. Cancer. 27: 68-72. Clinical trials have been conducted and reported by Mir, L. M., M. Belehradek, C. Domenge, S. Orlowski, B. Poddevin, et al. 1991. Electrochemotherapy, a novel antitumor treatment: first clinical trial. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris. 313: 613-618.
This treatment is carried out by infusing an anticancer drug directly into the tumor and applying an electric field to the tumor between a pair of electrodes. The field strength must be adjusted reasonably accurately so that electroporation of the cells of the tumor occurs without damage to any normal or healthy cells. This can normally be easily carried out with external tumors by applying the electrodes to opposite sides of the tumor so that the electric field is between the electrodes. The distance d between the electrodes can then be measured and a suitable voltage according to the formula E=V/d can then be applied to the electrodes.
When internal tumors are to be treated, it is not easy to properly locate electrodes and measure the distance between them. It would be desirable to have an apparatus that provides information as to the distance between electrodes in a therapeutic apparatus.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus that provides information as to the distance between electrodes in a therapeutic apparatus.
It is another principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus that provides information feedback of the distance betw
REFERENCES:
patent: 5389069 (1995-02-01), Weaver
patent: 5439440 (1995-08-01), Hofmann
patent: 5507724 (1996-04-01), Hofmann et al.
patent: 5688233 (1997-11-01), Hofmann et al.
patent: B15019034 (1995-08-01), Weaver et al.
Genetronics Inc.
Getzow Scott M.
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