Platelet activation and growth factor release using electric pulses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10383915-B2
Application number	US-201615251990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems for releasing growth factors are disclosed. In certain embodiments, a blood sample is exposed to a sequence of one or more electric pulses to trigger release of a growth factor in the sample. In certain embodiments, the growth factor release is not accompanied by clotting within the blood sample.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for releasing growth factors in blood samples, comprising:
exposing a blood sample to a sensing signal generated by a sensing circuit;
estimating, in processing circuitry coupled to the sensing circuit, one or more electrical properties of the blood sample based on the sensing signal;
parameterizing, in the processing circuitry, based on the one or more electrical properties, a sequence of one or more electric pulses to be applied to the blood sample; and
exposing the blood sample to the sequence of one or more electric pulses to trigger release of a growth factor in the blood sample, wherein the growth factor release is not accompanied by clotting within the blood sample.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
collecting the growth factor; and
treating a patient with the growth factor, wherein the blood sample was acquired from the patient.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) is not added to the blood sample prior to exposing the blood sample to the sequence of one or more electric pulses.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises adding an ADP blocking agent to the blood sample prior to exposing the blood sample to the sequence of one or more electric pulses.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the ADP blocking chemical comprises apyrase.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electric pulses have an electric field strength between about 0.1 kV/cm and about 350 kV/cm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electric pulses have pulse durations between about 1 nanosecond and about 100 microseconds.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the growth factor comprises platelet derived growth factor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blood sample is a whole blood sample or a platelet rich plasma.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing signal comprises a first electric field strength that is smaller than any electric field strength pulse of the one or more electric field pulses.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electrical properties comprise a permittivity or a conductivity of the blood sample.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Neculaes Vasile Bogdan
• Torres Andrew Soliz
• Caiafa Antonio
• Lee Brian Dun-Lan
• Garner Allen Lawrence

Classifications

• G01N33/487 Primary

  of liquid biological material · CPC title

• A61P7/04

  Antihaemorrhagics; Procoagulants; Haemostatic agents; Antifibrinolytic agents · CPC title

• C12N13/00 Primary

  Treatment of microorganisms or enzymes with electrical or wave energy, e.g. magnetism, sonic waves · CPC title

• G01N33/49

  Blood {(chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80)} · CPC title

• A61K35/19

  Platelets; Megacaryocytes · CPC title