Phototherapeutic light for treatment of pathogens

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12029914-B2
Application number	US-202117148133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2021
Priority date	Jul 28, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

Methods and related devices for impinging light on tissue, for example within a body of a patient, to induce various biological effects are disclosed. Biological effects may include at least one of inactivating and/or inhibiting growth of one or more pathogens, upregulating a local immune response, stimulating enzymatic generation of nitric oxide to increase endogenous stores of nitric oxide, releasing nitric oxide from endogenous stores of nitric oxide, and inducing an anti-inflammatory effect. Wavelengths of light are selected based on intended biological effects for one or more of targeted tissue types and targeted pathogens. Light treatments may provide multiple pathogenic biological effects, either with light of a single wavelength or with light having multiple wavelengths. Devices and methods for light treatments are disclosed that provide light doses for inducing biological effects on various targeted pathogens and targeted tissues with increased efficacy and reduced cytotoxicity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing light comprising a first peak wavelength in a range from 400 nanometers (nm) to 900 nm; and
administering a dose of the light to mammalian tissue within a body to induce a biological effect, the dose of light comprising providing an average irradiance to the tissue over a time period of at most 1 hour, the average irradiance being no more than 1 watt per square centimeter (W/cm 2 ) delivered in a plurality of discrete pulses, each discrete pulse of the plurality of discrete pulses having an irradiance to the tissue in a range from greater than 1 W/cm 2 to 10 W/cm 2 ;
wherein the biological effect comprises altering a concentration of one or more pathogens within the body and altering growth of the one or more pathogens within the body.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the average irradiance is a range from 0.1 milliwatts per square centimeter (mW/cm 2 ) to 1 W/cm 2 .

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the average irradiance is a range from 5 mW/cm 2 to 200 mW/cm 2 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dose of light is a range from 0.5 joules per square centimeter (J/cm 2 ) to 100 J/cm 2 .

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the dose of light is in a range from 2 J/cm 2 to 50 J/cm 2 .

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discrete pulses comprises a plurality of equal light intensity pulses that is delivered during the time period.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of discrete pulses comprises a plurality of dissimilar light intensity pulses that is delivered during the time period.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the irradiance progressively increases during the plurality of dissimilar light intensity pulses.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the irradiance progressively decreases during the plurality of dissimilar light intensity pulses.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dose of light is repeatably administered to provide a cumulative dose in a range from one joules per square centimeter (J/cm 2 ) to 1000 J/cm 2 over a cumulative time period.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dose of light is provided with a light therapeutic index of greater than or equal to 2, the light therapeutic index being defined as a dose concentration that reduces tissue viability by 25% divided by a dose concentration that reduces cellular percentage of the pathogens by 50%.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the light therapeutic index is in a range from 2 to 250.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biological effect comprises inactivating the one or more pathogens that are in a cell-free environment and inhibiting replication of the one or more pathogens that are in a cell-associated environment.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the biological effect further comprises upregulating a local immune response.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more pathogens comprises at least one of a virus, a bacteria, and a fungus.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more pathogens comprises at least one of coronaviridae and orthomyxoviridae.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peak wavelength is a range of from 400 nm to 490 nm.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peak wavelength is a range of from 410 nm to 440 nm.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mammalian tissue comprises mucosal epithelial tissue.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light is provided by at least one of a light-emitting diode, an organic light-emitting diode, and a laser.

Assignees

• Know Bio Llc

Inventors

• Stasko Nathan
• Emerson David T
• Cockrell Adam
• Hunter F Neal
• Bergmann Michael John
• Mcdonald Rebecca
• Medendorp Jr Nicholas William
• Negley Gerald H
• Reighard Katelyn P

Classifications

• H10H29/10

  Integrated devices comprising at least one light-emitting semiconductor component covered by group H10H20/00 (active-matrix LED displays H10H29/30) · CPC title

• A61N2005/0611

  Vagina · CPC title

• A61N2005/0662

  Visible light · CPC title

• A61N2005/0652

  Arrays of diodes · CPC title

• A61N2005/0647

  the applicator adapted to be worn on the head · CPC title