Non-invasive energy upconversion methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9526914-B2
Application number	US-201514716394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 6, 2007
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

Products, compositions, systems, and methods for modifying a target structure. The methods may be performed in a non-invasive manner by placing a nanoparticle having a metallic shell on at least a fraction of a surface in a vicinity of a target structure in a subject and applying an initiation energy thus producing an effect on or change to the target structure directly or via a modulation agent. The nanoparticle is configured, upon exposure to a first wavelength λ 1 , to generate a second wavelength λ 2 of radiation having a higher energy than the first wavelength λ 1 . The methods may further be performed by application of an initiation energy to activate a photoactivatable agent directly or via an energy modulation agent, optionally in the presence of one or more plasmonics active agents, thus producing an effect on or change to the target structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for energy upconversion inside a medium, comprising:
an up-converter particle disposed in the medium and configured, upon exposure to a first wavelength λ1 of radiation, to generate a second wavelength λ2 of radiation having a higher energy than the first wavelength λ1; and
a metallic structure disposed in relation to the up-converter particle and inside the medium,
wherein the second wavelength λ2 of radiation comprises visible light emission generated within the medium surrounding the up-converter particle and the metallic structure, and said visible light emission produces a biological change to an entity in the medium.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metallic structure comprises a metallic shell encapsulating at least a fraction of the up-converter particle in the metallic shell and a physical characteristic of the metallic structure is set to a value where a surface plasmon resonance in the metallic structure resonates at a frequency which provides spectral overlap with either the first wavelength λ1 or the second wavelength λ2 or which provides spectral overlap with both the first wavelength λ1 and the second wavelength λ2.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metallic structure comprises at least one of a conducting material including at least one or more of a metal, a doped glass, a doped semiconductor.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the conducting material comprises at least one of more of an elemental metal, an alloys of an element metal, or layers of the conducting materials.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises at least one of a dielectric, a glass, or a semiconductor.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein: the up-converter particle comprises a dielectric particle; and the dielectric particle comprises at least one of Y2O3, Y2O2S, NaYF4, NaYbF4, YAG, YAP, Nd2O3, LaF3, LaCl3, La2O3, TiO2, LuPO4, YVO4, YbF3, YF3, Na-doped YbF3, or SiO2 or alloys or layers thereof.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises an alloy of two or more dielectric materials, an alloy of two or more glasses, or an alloy of two or more semiconductors.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises a nanoparticle having a size less than 1000 nm.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises an alloy of two or more materials, wherein the alloy has a composition between the two or materials set to a compositional value where excitation of the alloy at the first wavelength λ1 produces emission at the second wavelength λ2.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the alloy comprises at least one of: a zinc sulfide and zinc selenide alloy; or a zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide alloy.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the alloy comprises at least one of: said zinc sulfide and zinc selenide alloy having a zinc sulfide concentration from 65 to 75%; or said zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide alloy having a zinc sulfide concentration from 65 to 75%.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the alloy has said emission of the second wavelength λ2 at 365 nm.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises at least one of: a dielectric or semiconductor configured to generated said wavelength λ2; or multiple dielectrics or semiconductors respectively configured to emit at different wavelengths for λ2.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metallic structure comprises at least one of: a metallic shell comprises at least one of a spherical shell, an oblate shell, a crescent shell, or a multilayer shell.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein said metallic structure comprises at least one of Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, Co, Ru, Rh, Al, Ga, or a combination or alloys or layers thereof.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises at least one of Y2O3, Y2O2S, NaYF4, NaYbF4, YAG, YAP, Nd2O3, LaF3, LaCl3, La2O3, TiO2, LuPO4, YVO4, YbF3, YF3, Na-doped YbF3, or SiO2 or alloys or layers thereof.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises a dopant including at least one of Er, Eu, Yb, Tm, Nd, Tb, Ce, Y, U, Pr, La, Gd and other rare-earth species or a combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the dopant includes at a concentration of 0.01%-50% by mol concentration.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises a plurality of particles including at least one of a first group which exhibits a visible light emission upon interaction with the first wavelength λ1 and a second group which exhibits said ultraviolet light emission upon interaction with the first wavelength λ1.

20. The system of claim 19 , where the first group comprises a diagnostic group for producing imaging light showing a position of the first group in said medium, and the second group comprises a reaction-stimulating group producing a photostimulated reaction in said medium.

21. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a recipient of the visible light emission which is linked to the up-converter particle by a chemical moiety.

22. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary agent disposed in the medium, wherein the secondary agent comprises a photoactivatable polymer and the second wavelength λ2 crosslinks the polymer or interacts with a surface of the polymer to produce a hydrophilic surface.

23. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a recipient disposed in the medium in proximity to the up-converter particle which, upon activation by ultraviolet light of the second wavelength λ2, generates a photostimulated reaction to produce a physical or biological change in the medium.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises a dielectric material including elements having energy states for absorption of the first wavelength λ1 and recombination states for emission of the second wavelength λ2.

25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises at least one of: a dielectric or semiconductor configured to generated said wavelength λ2; or multiple dielectrics or semiconductors respectively configured to emit at different wavelengths for λ2.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the metallic structure comprises at least one of a spherical or elliptical shell covering at least a part of said dielectric or semiconductor.

27. The system of claim 23 , wherein said metallic structure comprises at least one of Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, Co, Ru, Rh, Al, Ga, or alloys or layers thereof.

28. The system of claim 23 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises at least one of Y2O3, Y2O2S, NaYF4, NaYbF4, YAG, YAP, Nd2O3, LaF3, LaCl3, La2O3, TiO2, LuPO4, YVO4, YbF3, YF3, Na-doped YbF3, or SiO2 or alloys or layers thereof.

29. The system of claim 28 , wherein the up-converter particle includes a dopant including at least one of Er, Eu, Yb, Tm, Nd, Tb, Ce, Y, U, Pr, La, Gd and other rare-earth species or a combination thereof.

30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the dopant has a concentration of 0.01%-50% by mol concentration.

31. The system of claim 23 , wherein the up-converter particle comprises a plurality of particles including at least one of a first group which exhibits a visible emission upon interaction with the first wavelength λ1 and a second group which exhibits said ultraviol

Assignees

• Immunolight Llc
• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Vo-Dinh Tuan
• Scaffidi Jonathan P
• Chada Venkata Gopal Reddy
• Lauly Benoit
• Zhang Yan
• Gregas Molly K
• Stanton Ian Nicholas
• Stecher Joshua T
• Therien Michael J
• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Walder Harold
• Fathi Zak
• Ayres Jennifer A
• Zhang Zhenyuan
• Simmons Joseph H
• Norton Stephen John

Classifications

• A61P9/10

  for treating ischaemic or atherosclerotic diseases, e.g. antianginal drugs, coronary vasodilators, drugs for myocardial infarction, retinopathy, cerebrovascula insufficiency, renal arteriosclerosis · CPC title

• A61P9/06

  Antiarrhythmics · CPC title

• A61P9/14

  Vasoprotectives; Antihaemorrhoidals; Drugs for varicose therapy; Capillary stabilisers · CPC title

• A61P9/08

  Vasodilators for multiple indications · CPC title

• A61P37/02

  Immunomodulators · CPC title