Claims
- 1. An apparatus for delivering a compound through an epithelial tissue layer, the apparatus comprising
a reservoir for containing a coupling medium suitable for mixing with the compound, wherein the reservoir is arranged to enable the coupling medium to directly contact a surface of the epithelial tissue layer; and an energy source arranged and controlled to propagate an impulse transient within the coupling medium when in the reservoir.
- 2. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a laser, and the apparatus further comprises a target material arranged between the laser and the reservoir, and wherein the reservoir is configured to enable the target material to directly contact the coupling material in the reservoir.
- 3. An apparatus of claim 2, wherein the target material is a metal foil or plastic sheet.
- 4. An apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transparent material bonded to a surface of the target material and interposed between the surface and the laser, and arranged to confine pressure forces resulting from ablation of the target material within the reservoir.
- 5. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a lithotriptor.
- 6. An apparatus of claim 3, wherein the metal foil comprises aluminum or copper.
- 7. An apparatus of claim 2, wherein the target material comprises a polymer.
- 8. A system for delivering a compound through an epithelial cell layer in an animal, the system comprising
an apparatus of claim 1; and a coupling medium suitable for mixing with the compound.
- 9. A method of delivering a compound through an epithelial tissue layer, the method comprising:
(a) mixing the compound with a coupling medium to form a compound-coupling medium mixture; (b) contacting a surface of the epithelial tissue layer with the compound-coupling medium mixture; and (c) propagating one or more impulse transients through the compound-coupling medium mixture to contact and enter the epithelial tissue layer, whereby the compound passes through the epithelial tissue layer.
- 10. A method of claim 9, wherein each impulse transient is a broad-band compressive wave having a rise time of at least 1 ns and a peak pressure of at least 300 bar and no more than 2000 bar.
- 11. A method of claim 9, wherein the impulse transient is generated by exposing a target material to a pulsed laser beam.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein a transparent material is bonded to a surface of the target material.
- 13. A method of claim 9, wherein the compound is a nucleic acid.
- 14. A method of claim 9, wherein the compound is an anti-neoplastic agent.
- 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the target material comprises a metallic foil or a plastic sheet, and wherein the impulse transient is generated by a laser-induced plasma formed by ablation of the target material.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the metallic foil comprises aluminum or copper.
- 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the target material comprises a polymer.
- 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the target material comprises an absorbing material, and wherein the impulse transient is generated by laser-induced rapid heating of said absorbing material.
- 19. A method of claim 9, further comprising a step of applying hydrostatic pressure.
- 20. A method of claim 9, wherein the epithelial tissue layer is stratum corneum.
- 21. A method of claim 9, wherein said coupling medium further comprises a surfactant.
- 22. A method of claim 21, wherein said surfactant is sodium lauryl sulfate.
- 23. A method of claim 11, wherein the impulse transient has a peak pressure of 550-650 bar.
- 24. A method of claim 11, wherein the impulse transient has a rise time of about 75-125 ns.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/031,882, filed Nov. 27, 1996, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
STATEMENT AS TO FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] This invention was made with Government support from funding awarded through the Department of Defense Medical Free Electron Laser Program, N00014-94-I-0927. The Government therefore has rights in the invention.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60031882 |
Nov 1996 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08978954 |
Nov 1997 |
US |
Child |
09891096 |
Jun 2001 |
US |