Devices and methods for light delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11571586-B2
Application number	US-201917056094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2019
Priority date	May 18, 2018
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

Provided are conformable light delivery devices for increasing light penetration depth and related methods. The device may comprise a microarray of tissue penetrating members, each member having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the tissue penetrating members are at least partially optically transparent to provide optical transmission through a surface that extends between the distal and proximal ends of each tissue penetrating member and a substrate that supports the tissue penetrating members, wherein the substrate is optionally a flexible substrate.

First claim

We claim:

1. A conformable light delivery device for increasing light penetration depth into a tissue, comprising:
a microarray of tissue penetrating members, each tissue penetrating member having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the tissue penetrating members are at least partially optically transparent to provide optical transmission through a surface that extends between the distal and proximal ends of each tissue penetrating member;
a substrate that supports the tissue penetrating members; and
an optical source in optical communication with the microarray of tissue penetrating members,
wherein the microarray and the optical source are integrated or removably connected to each other; and
wherein the microarray of tissue penetrating members are configured to penetrate the tissue during use and to increase the penetration depth of light into the tissue.

2. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the optical source delivers at least 0.1 mW/cm 2 and/or at least 10 mJ/cm 2 to the tissue during use.

3. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the optical source is at least partially encapsulated in a transparent encapsulation layer.

4. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the penetration depth of said light into the tissue is increased by at least a factor of 1.1 compared to said light exposed to skin without the microarray of tissue penetrating members.

5. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein each tissue penetrating member transmits at least 90% of ultraviolet light or a desired subrange thereof.

6. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the tissue penetrating members have an optical property that is optically matched to the optical source, wherein the optical property is selected from the group consisting of: optical transmission/output light spectrum; index of refraction; scattering, absorption, emissivity, fluorescence, heat generation; and thermal relaxation time of tissue.

7. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein said light is transmitted from the tissue penetrating members through all side surfaces.

8. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the light delivery device is flexible with a bulk bending stiffness selected so that the device is capable of conforming to a tissue surface during a light therapy application to reduce surface reflection and increase light delivery to a target.

9. The light delivery device of claim 8 , wherein the reduced surface reflection is by the substrate having a composition that provides an index of refraction that is within 10% of an index of refraction of a material from which the tissue penetrating members are formed.

10. The light delivery device of claim 1 , further comprising an optical dispersion element in optical communication with the tissue penetrating members to increase light dispersion and increase light intensity uniformity to the tissue that surrounds the tissue penetrating members during use, wherein the optical dispersion element comprises one or more of: a roughened tissue penetrating member surface; an optical coating; a diffraction grating; a waveguide; a chemically-modified tissue penetrating member surface; a patterned optically opaque layer; lenses; or upconverting or downconverting phosphors.

11. The light delivery device of claim 1 , having a light transmission footprint that is greater than or equal to 0.2 cm 2 .

12. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a bottom surface that supports the microarray of tissue penetrating members and a top surface that supports a plurality of optical sources.

13. The light delivery device of claim 12 , wherein the microarray of tissue penetrating members are optically aligned with the plurality of optical sources to provide substantially uniform light intensity to the tissue that surrounds the microarray of tissue penetrating members.

14. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate.

15. The light delivery device of claim 1 , wherein said light is transmitted from the tissue penetrating members through the distal end to tissue surrounding the tissue penetrating members.

16. A conformable light delivery device for increasing light penetration depth into a tissue, comprising:
a microarray of tissue penetrating members, each member having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the tissue penetrating members are at least partially optically transparent to provide optical transmission through a surface that extends between the distal and proximal ends of each tissue penetrating member; and
a substrate that supports the tissue penetrating members,
wherein the microarray of tissue penetrating members is formed from a microarray material having an index of refraction that is matched to an index of refraction of the substrate; and
wherein the tissue penetrating members have an effective Young's modulus selected to withstand stresses during insertion through a tissue surface without substantial deformation in a direction that decreases the penetration depth into the tissue.

17. The light delivery device of claim 16 , having a tissue penetrating member occupancy fraction (area of member base to area of substrate) equating to n*(proximal member surface area)/(surface area of substrate bottom surface), wherein n is the number of penetrating members in the microarray of microneedles.

18. The light delivery device of claim 16 , wherein the light delivery device is integrated in a stent, a guidewire, a catheter, a balloon catheter for use in a blood vessel; a subdermal implant; an orthopedic implant, a prosthesis, or a neurological implant.

19. The light delivery device of claim 18 , wherein the light delivery device is a conformable intra-arterial or intra-venous device and comprises a plurality of LEDs in optical communication with the microarray of tissue penetrating members.

20. The light delivery device of claim 19 , wherein the LEDs are UV-emitting LEDs.

21. The light delivery device of claim 20 , wherein UV light emitted by the UV-emitting LEDs is configured to vasodilate a blood vessel.

22. The light delivery device of claim 16 , further comprising a light intensity modulator for controlling light intensity as a function of depth from the tissue surface.

23. The light delivery device of claim 22 , wherein the light intensity output is focused toward or at the distal end of the tissue penetrating members.

24. A method of providing light to the tissue, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a device of claim 16 ;
conformally contacting the microarray with a tissue surface;
inserting at least a portion of the microarray of tissue penetrating members into skin;
transmitting light through the substrate and the microarray of tissue penetrating members to the tissue that surrounds the microarray of tissue penetrating members,
wherein the transmitting step comprises:
energizing a plurality of LEDs connected to the substrate surface, wherein the LEDs have an emission maximum in an UV range, an IR range or a visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

25. A conformable light delivery device for increasing light penetration depth in a tissue, comprising:
a microarray of tissue penetrating members, each member having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the tissue penetrating members are at least partially optically transparent to provide optical transmission through a surface that extend

Assignees

• Univ Northwestern

Inventors

• Xu Shuai
• Xu Chenkai
• Zhang Hao
• Zhao Hangbo
• Rogers John A

Classifications

• A61M2037/003

  having a lumen · CPC title

• A61N2005/0602

  for treatment of blood vessels · CPC title

• A61M2025/0093

  wherein at least one needle is a microneedle · CPC title

• A61N2005/0652

  Arrays of diodes · CPC title

• A61N2005/0661

  ultraviolet · CPC title