Systems and methods to facilitate delivery of a therapeutic agent into the skin of a subject

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11413092-B2
Application number	US-201716069951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2017
Priority date	Jan 13, 2016
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that facilitate delivery of a therapeutic agent into the skin of a subject. A first mechanism can create a first angled channel through a first location on a surface of a subject's skin at a first angle relative to the surface of the subject's skin. A second mechanism, associated with the first mechanism, can create a second angled channel through a second location on the surface of the subject's skin at a second angle relative to the surface of the subject's skin. The first angled channel and the second angled channel intersect to form a connected channel under the surface of the subject's skin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of dermal drug delivery into skin of a subject beneath the subject's stratum corneum, the method comprising the steps of:
emitting, by a radiation source, a laser beam;
splitting, by a scanner at an output of the radiation source, the laser beam into a first portion and a second portion;
directing, by a first mirror, the first portion to a first location on the skin of the subject, the first mirror being configured to be positioned at a first angle relative to the surface of the subject's skin;
forming, by the first portion, a first channel at the first angle from the first location to a point in the skin of the subject beneath the subject's stratum corneum;
directing, by a second mirror, the second portion to a second location on the skin of the subject, different from the first location, the second mirror being configured to be positioned at a second angle different from the first angle and not normal to the surface of the subject's skin;
forming, by the second portion, a second channel at the second angle from the second location to the point to form a connected channel under the skin of the subject beneath the subject's stratum corneum by an intersection of the first channel and the second channel at the point;
applying the dermal drug to the subject's skin topically; and
delivering the dermal drug into the subject's stratum corneum through the connected channel through the first angled channel and/or the second angled channel, wherein the connected channel permits fluid flow of the dermal drug within the first angled channel, the second angled channel, and the connected channel with reduced back pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pulling the subject's skin into a vacuum chamber and forming the first angled channel and the second angled channel in the pulled skin.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid flow of the dermal drug is permitted with reduced back pressure because of the presence of fewer air bubbles in the connected channel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the dermal drug blocks at least one side of the connected channel.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising removing the dermal drug blocking the at least one side of the connected channel by swiping the dermal drug away from the connected channel.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the swiping is performed with at least one finger of a person.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Gen Hospital

Inventors

• Farinelli William
• Anderson Richard Rox

Classifications

• A61B2018/2283

  with pivotable mirrors · CPC title

• A61M37/00

  Other apparatus for introducing media into the body (for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30); Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin (salt baths A61H33/04) · CPC title

• A61B2018/00452

  Skin · CPC title

• A61K9/0021

  Intradermal administration, e.g. through microneedle arrays or needleless injectors · CPC title

• A61B2217/002

  Auxiliary appliance · CPC title