Phosphors and scintillators for light stimulation within a medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9907976-B2
Application number	US-201214131564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2012
Priority date	Jul 8, 2011
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for light stimulation within a medium. The system has a reduced-voltage x-ray source configured to generate x-rays from a peak applied cathode voltage at or below 105 kVp, and a plurality of energy-emitting particles in the medium which, upon radiation from the x-ray source, radiate at a first lower energy than the x-ray source to interact with at least one photoactivatable agent in the medium. The method introduces the plurality of energy-emitting particles into the medium, radiates the energy-emitting particles in the medium with x-rays generated from a peak applied cathode voltage at or below 105 kVp; and emits a lower energy than the x-ray source to interact with the medium or with at least one photoactivatable agent in the medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for light stimulation within a medium, comprising:
an x-ray source positioned at a distance from the medium and configured to generate radiation within an energy band bounded by a lower energy threshold capable of inducing desirable reactions and an upper energy threshold leading to denaturization of the medium;
an x-ray source control device configured to calculate an x-ray exposure condition including said distance and said energy band and to operate said x-ray source within the x-ray exposure condition; and
a plurality of energy-emitting particles in the medium which, upon radiation from the x-ray source with energy above the lower energy threshold, radiate at a first lower energy than the x-ray source to interact with at least one photoactivatable agent in the medium.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray source comprises a reduced-voltage x-ray source configured to generate x-rays from a peak applied cathode voltage at or below 80 kVp.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray source comprises a reduced-voltage x-ray source configured to generate x-rays from a peak applied cathode voltage at or below 120 kVp, at or below 105 kVp, at or below 80 kVp, at or below 70 kVp, at or below 60 kVp, at or below 50 kVp, at or below 40 kVp, at or below 30 kVp, at or below 20 kVp, at or below 10 kVp, or at or below 5 kVp.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of energy-emitting particles comprises a first plurality of energy-emitting particles and a second plurality of energy-emitting particles, and
a combination of emission from the first and second plurality of energy-emitting particles produces a spectrum for illumination of the at least one photoactivatable agent in the medium; and
said spectrum having a wavelength distribution simulating at least a part of an absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the wavelength distribution has a peak position in common with a peak in the absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent or simulates an absorption edge of the absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second plurality of energy-emitting particles comprises a weighted composition of a plurality of different light-emitting particles, where light emitted from the weighted composition simulates a part of an absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the combination of the emission is configured about a target site to form a light source illuminating the target site to treat the target site with the at least one photoactivatable agent.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein an energy distribution emitted from the first and second plurality of energy-emitting particles resembles an absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said energy distribution overlaps with the absorption spectrum of the at least one photoactivatable agent.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a distribution of the plurality of energy-emitting particles concentrated by at least one of an externally applied electric field or a magnetic field.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-emitting particles in the medium self-assembles to form geometrical patterns.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the geometrical patterns include at least one of dendrites, spherical clusters, and rings.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-emitting particles comprises at least one of:
phosphor particles;
ionic doped phosphor particles;
single crystal or poly-crystalline powders;
single crystal or poly-crystalline monoliths;
fluorescent particles;
scintillator particles;
a metallic shell encapsulating at least a fraction of a surface of the particles;
a semiconductor shell encapsulating at least a fraction of a surface of the particles;
an insulator shell encapsulating at least a fraction of a surface of the particles; and
quantum dots of a distributed size.

14. The system of claim 13 , comprising the metallic shell, wherein the metallic shell comprises a plasmonic shell configured to enhance at least one of said absorption or said emission.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-emitting particles comprises particles having a dielectric core.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein a metallic shell covers said dielectric core and comprises at least one of Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Pt, Pd, Co, Ru, Rh, or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-emitting particles comprises at least one of Y 2 O 3 ; ZnS; ZnSe; MgS; CaS; Mn, Er ZnSe; Mn, Er MgS; Mn, Er CaS; Mn, Er ZnS; Mn, Yb ZnSe; Mn, Yb MgS; Mn, Yb CaS; Mn, Yb ZnS:Tb 3+ , Er 3+ ; ZnS:Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ ; Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ , Er3 + ; ZnS:Mn 2+ ; ZnS:Mn,Er 3+ ; CaWO 4 , YaTO 4 , YaTO 4 :Nb, BaSO 4 :Eu, La 2 O 2 S:Tb, BaSi 2 O 5 :Pb, NaI(Tl), CsI(Tl), CsI(Na), CsI(pure), CsF, KI(Tl), LiI(Eu), BaF 2 , CaF, CaF 2 (Eu), ZnS(Ag), CaWO 4 , CdWO 4 , YAG(Ce) (Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (Ce)), BGO bismuth germanate, GSO gadolinium oxyorthosilicate, LSO lutetium oxyorthosilicate, LaCl 3 (Ce), and LaBr 3 (Ce).

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of energy-emitting particles comprise at least one of phosphors, scintillators, fluorescent materials, and combinations and agglomerations thereof with or without plasmonic inducing agents.

19. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mechanism to administer to a subject for the at least one photoactivatable agent at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent that is capable of a predetermined cellular change when activated, wherein
light from the plurality of particles interacts with the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent to activate the activatable pharmaceutical agent in situ,
thus causing a predetermined cellular change to occur in the medium of the subject, wherein said predetermined cellular change treats a cell proliferation related disorder.

20. The system of claim 19 , 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.

21. The system of claim 19 , 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.

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

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

24. The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one activatable pharmaceutical agent is one selected from 7,8-dimethyl-10-ribityl, isoalloxazine, 7,8,10-trimethylisoalloxazine, 7,8-dimethylalloxa

Assignees

• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Walder Harold
• Fathi Zakaryae
• Therien Michael J
• Dewhirst Mark W
• Stanton Ian N
• Ayres Jennifer Ann
• Fels Diane Renee
• Herbert Joseph A
• Immunolight Llc
• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Bourke Jr Frederic A
• Walder Harold
• Fathi Zakaryae
• Therien Michael J
• Dewhirst Mark W
• Stanton Ian N
• Ayres Jennifer Ann
• Fels Diane Renee
• Herbert Joseph A

Classifications

• A61N5/0622

  Optical stimulation for exciting neural tissue · CPC title

• A61N2005/1091

  Kilovoltage or orthovoltage range photons · CPC title

• A61N5/062 Primary

  Photodynamic therapy, i.e. excitation of an agent · CPC title

• A61N2005/1098

  Enhancing the effect of the particle by an injected agent or implanted device · CPC title

• A61N5/1077

  Beam delivery systems · CPC title