Vaccine generation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529153-B2
Application number	US-202117244610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2021
Priority date	Aug 21, 2020
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for vaccine generation includes a syringe with a cavity that includes a solution with photosensitizers. Microbial particles are added to the solution. A light source is capable of emitting one or more wavebands of light that are effectively absorbed by the one photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution and other radical species that rapidly react with and damage lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA of the microbial particles. This damage produces immunogens that can be applied as a vaccine to viruses and other infectious microbial particles. A plunger that fits within a proximal opening in the syringe is used for forcing the solution including the immunogens through the filter and out of the syringe while the photosensitizers, debris and unwanted microbial particles are trapped within the filter.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An apparatus for vaccine generation, comprising:
a syringe defining a cavity for containing a solution that includes one or more photo sensitizers;
one or more light sources capable of emitting light at one or more wavebands that activate the one or more photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution, wherein a plurality of immunogens are created in the solution by interaction of the singlet oxygen with a plurality of microbial particles that are added to the solution, wherein the one or more light sources are configured to expose the one or more photosensitizers in the solution in the cavity of the syringe for a period of time long enough to generate the singlet oxygen that causes inactivation of the microbial particles and generation of the immunogens;
a plunger that fits within an opening at a proximal end of the syringe, wherein advancement of the plunger from the proximal end to another position at the distal end of the syringe causes evacuation of the solution with the plurality of the immunogens through the other opening at the distal end, the plunger is removable from the syringe to introduce the solution; and
one or more filters capable of trapping one or more of debris and the plurality of microbial particles during evacuation of the solution, wherein the one or more filters are positioned within one or more internal portions of the cavity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more photosensitizers includes one or more of erythrosine, riboflavin, or methylene blue.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the solution includes one or more aqueous solutions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more filters include a pore size from 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more filters, further comprise enabling removal of the one or more photosensitizers from the evacuated solution.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a microneedle patch to which the photodynamically treated solution is applied.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a needle that is capable of attaching to an external outlet for the other opening at the distal end of the syringe, wherein the needle is capable of delivering the evacuated solution for one or more of an intradermal, intramuscular, or intravenous injection into a user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cavity of the syringe further comprises a transparent material or a translucent material that is made from plastic, glass or polymer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light sources are disposed inside the cavity of the syringe, external to the cavity of the syringe, or incorporated into a wall of the cavity of the syringe.

10. A method for vaccine generation, comprising:
providing a solution that includes one or more photosensitizers into a syringe that defines a cavity for containing the solution;
adding a plurality of microbial particles to the solution;
employing one or more light sources to emit light at one or more wavebands that activate the one or more photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution, wherein one or more types of immunogens are created by the singlet oxygen interacting with the plurality of microbial particles in the solution;
after light exposure of the one or more photosensitizers in the solution in the cavity of the syringe for a period of time long enough to generate singlet oxygen that causes inactivation of the microbial particles and generation of immunogens, advancing a plunger that fits within an opening at a proximal end of the syringe towards a distal end of the syringe to cause evacuation of the solution with the plurality of immunogens through another opening at the distal end; and
employing one or more filters to trap one or more of debris or the plurality of microbial particles during evacuation of the solution from the syringe, wherein the one or more filters are positioned within one or more internal portions of the cavity.

11. A method for generating a vaccine, comprising:
filling a syringe that defines a cavity with a solution including one or more photo sensitizers;
adding a plurality of microbial particles to the solution in the syringe;
exposing the solution to light while inside the cavity of the syringe, wherein the light is effectively absorbed by the one or more photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution, wherein the singlet oxygen inactivates the plurality of microbial particles and produce a plurality of immunogens in the solution; and
after light exposure of the one or more photosensitizers in the solution in the cavity of the syringe for a period of time long enough to generate singlet oxygen that causes inactivation of the microbial particles and generation of immunogens, pressing a plunger within the cavity of the syringe to force the solution through one or more filters to produce a fluid containing the plurality of immunogens for use as a vaccine, wherein the one or more filters are positioned within one or more internal portions of the cavity.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of microbial particles include one or more a virus, viroid, bacteria, archaea, protist, protozoa, prion, fungus, or toxin.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the light exposes the solution to one or more of sunlight, ambient light, or artificial light at one or more wavebands or wavelengths of light that are effectively absorbed by the one or more photosensitizers to generate the singlet oxygen.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more photosensitizers further comprise methylene blue derivatives, methylene blue, chlorophyll derivatives, tetrapyrrole structures, porphyrins, chlorins, bacteriochlorins, phthalocyanines, texaphyrins, prodrugs, aminolevulinic acids, phenothiaziniums, squaraine, boron compounds, transition metal complexes, hypericin, riboflavin, curcumin, psoralens, tetracyclines, flavins, riboflavin, or titanium dioxide.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising applying the fluid containing the plurality of immunogens to a microneedle patch.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the syringe further comprises locating the one or more filters proximal to an end of the syringe, wherein a needle is attached to a syringe tip for intradermal, intramuscular, or intravenous injection of the fluid into a patient.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising filtering the one or more photosensitizers from the fluid.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising filtering one or more of debris or the plurality of microbial particles from the fluid.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising collecting a sample of the plurality of microbial particles from a patient and transferring the sample to the cavity of the syringe.

20. The method of claim 11 , comprising a filter that removes the one or more photosensitizers.

Assignees

• Univ Washington
• Seattle Childrens Hospital

Inventors

• Chen James
• Clark Tanner
• Lendvay Thomas

Classifications

• A61M2209/04

  Tools for specific apparatus · CPC title

• A61K9/0021

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

• A61M2205/7509

  for virus · CPC title

• B01L3/5029

  using swabs · CPC title

• B01L2400/0478

  pistons · CPC title