Up and down conversion systems for production of emitted light from various energy sources including radio frequency, microwave energy and magnetic induction sources for upconversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9232618-B2
Application number	US-94378710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2010
Priority date	Aug 6, 2007
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems for producing a change in a medium. A first method and system (1) place in a vicinity of the medium at least one upconverter including a gas for plasma ignition, with the upconverter being configured, upon exposure to initiation energy, to generate light for emission into the medium, and (2) apply the initiation energy from an energy source including the first wavelength λ 1 to the medium, wherein the emitted light directly or indirectly produces the change in the medium. A second method and system (1) place in a vicinity of the medium an agent receptive to microwave radiation or radiofrequency radiation, and (2) apply as an initiation energy the microwave radiation or radiofrequency radiation by which the agent directly or indirectly generates emitted light in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet range to produce at least one of physical and biological changes in the medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a change in a medium of a human or animal subject, comprising:
(1) placing in a vicinity of the medium at least one gas-containing upconverter including therein a gas for plasma ignition;
(2) applying initiation energy of a first wavelength λ 1 from an energy source into the human or animal subject and into the gas-containing upconverter including the gas for plasma ignition; and
(3) inside the medium of the human or animal subject, igniting a gaseous plasma within said at least one gas-containing upconverter and thereby generating and emitting light into the medium,
wherein the emitted light directly or indirectly produces the change in the medium of the human or animal subject.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the emitted light produces a biological change in the medium of the human or animal subject.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the emitted light treats a disease or disorder of the human or animal subject.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one gas-containing upconverter is provided proximate the medium of the human or animal subject;
the at least one gas-containing upconverter is provided outside the medium of the human or animal subject;
the at least one gas-containing upconverter is provided within the medium of the human or animal subject, or
plural of the gas-containing upconverters are provided within the medium at a density where the emitted light irradiates a part of the medium of the human or animal subject.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing comprises providing segregated within the medium plural of the gas-containing upconverters.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying comprises:
applying the initiation energy from an external energy source; or
applying the initiation energy from a source that is at least partially in the medium of the human or animal subject.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying comprises applying said initiation energy from a source emitting at least one of x-rays, high energy particles, microwaves, radio waves, or magnetic induction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the initiation energy from an energy source comprises applying at least one of rf energy, microwave energy, or magnetic induction energy to generate light in the visible or ultraviolet wavelength range for said light for emission into the medium of the human or animal subject.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas-containing upconverter comprises a gas container in said vicinity of the medium, said gas container having transparent walls and comprising an ionizable gas which upon receipt of the first wavelength λ 1 of microwave or rf energy emits light in the visible or ultraviolet wavelength range.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas container comprises a gas container filled with at least one of hydrogen, argon, nitrogen, xenon, ammonia, iodine vapor; mercury vapor; an organic gas, and hydrogen-nitrogen mixtures, and mixtures thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas container comprises a gas container filled with at least partially with ammonia.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas container comprises a gas container including at least one of a carbon structure, a carbon nanotube, a single wall carbon nanotube, a double wall carbon nanotube, graphene, and metal materials made of aluminum or copper.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas container comprises a gas container having a containment wall comprising at least one of a silicate glass, an alkali glass, a sodium glass, and a phosphate glass.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the gas container comprises a gas container comprising at least one of a silica gel, a precipitate silicate, a cenosphere, a conductosphere, or a hollow sphere.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
administering to a subject at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent that is capable of activation a predetermined cellular change when activated, and
interacting light from the at least one gas-containing upconverter with the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent to activate the activatable pharmaceutical agent in situ,
thus causing the predetermined cellular change to occur in the medium of the subject, wherein said predetermined cellular change treats a cell proliferation related disorder.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the initiation energy source is at least one of x-rays, high energy particles, microwaves, radio waves, or magnetic induction.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the initiation energy is capable of penetrating completely through the subject.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cell proliferation disorder is at least one member selected from the group consisting of cancer, bacterial infection, viral infection, immune rejection response, autoimmune disorders, aplastic conditions, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is a photoactivatable agent.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is selected from psoralens, pyrene cholesteryloleate, acridine, porphyrin, fluorescein, rhodamine, 16-diazorcortisone, ethidium, transition metal complexes of bleomycin, transition metal complexes of deglycobleomycin organoplatinum complexes, alloxazines, vitamin Ks, vitamin L, vitamin metabolites, vitamin precursors, naphthoquinones, naphthalenes, naphthols and derivatives thereof having planar molecular conformations, porphorinporphyrins, dyes and phenothiazine derivatives, coumarins, quinolones, quinones, and anthroquinones.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is a psoralen, a coumarin, a porphyrin or a derivative thereof.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is 8-MOP or AMT.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is one selected from 7,8-dimethyl-10-ribityl, isoalloxazine, 7,8,10-trimethylisoalloxazine, 7,8-dimethylalloxazine, isoalloxazine-adenine dinucleotide, alloxazine mononucleotide, aluminum (III) phthalocyanine tetrasulonate, hematophorphyrin, and phthadocyanine.

24. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is coupled to a carrier that is capable of binding to a receptor site.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the carrier is one selected from insulin, interleukin, thymopoietin or transferrin.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is coupled to the carrier by a covalent bond.

27. The method of claim 24 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is coupled to the carrier by non-covalent bond.

28. The method of claim 24 , wherein the receptor site is one selected from nucleic acids of nucleated cells, antigenic sites on nucleated cells, or epitopes.

29. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent has affinity for a target cell.

30. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is capable of being preferentially absorbed by a target cell.

31. The method of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined cellular change is apoptosis

Assignees

• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Fathi Zakaryae
• Stanton Ian Nicholas
• Therien Michael J
• Stauffer Paul Rath
• Maccarini Paolo
• Hansen Katherine Sarah
• Fels Diane Renee
• Wyatt Cory Robert
• Dewhirst Mark Wesley
• Immunolight Llc
• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Fathi Zakaryae
• Stanton Ian Nicholas
• Therien Michael J
• Stauffer Paul Rath
• Maccarini Paolo
• Hansen Katherine Sarah
• Fels Diane Renee
• Wyatt Cory Robert
• Dewhirst Mark Wesley

Classifications

• H05B41/2806 Primary

  with semiconductor devices and specially adapted for lamps without electrodes in the vessel, e.g. surface discharge lamps, electrodeless discharge lamps · CPC title

• A61N2/00

  Magnetotherapy · CPC title

• A61N5/10

  X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy (A61N5/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02B20/22

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02W10/37

  using solar energy · CPC title