Claims
- 1. A system for detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the system comprising:
a substance that is administered to the patient, the substance having affinity for at least one of a lipid, a clotting factor, or an apoptotic factor associated with the vulnerable plaque; and a device that detects the substance.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the substance comprises a label selected from a group consisting of a radioactive label, a fluorescent label, a radiopaque label, a paramagnetic label, a detectable heavy element, or a detectable rare earth ion.
- 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the label is activated upon association of the substance with the vulnerable plaque.
- 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the lipid comprises a molecule including at least one non-polar moiety.
- 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the lipid comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of apolipoproteins, saturated lipids, (poly-)unsaturated lipids, triglycerides, trans-fatty acids, and cholesterol.
- 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the clotting factor comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of a platelet associated molecule, fibrin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, thrombin, plasmin, plasminogen, serotonin, thromboxane A2, a kallikrein, thromboplastin, calcium ion, proaccelerin, proconvertin, antihemophilic factor, plasma thromboplastin component, Stuart-Prower factor, plasma thromboplastin antecedent, Hageman factor, and fibrin stabilizing factor.
- 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the apoptotic factor comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of cytokines, growth factors, caspases, serine-threonine protein kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase B, cytochrome c, NF-κB, forkhead, Bcl-2, Bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD), Bcl-xL, annexins, Fas ligands, and tumor necrosis factor.
- 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the device comprises an endovascular device.
- 9. A system for detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the system comprising:
a particle that is administered to the patient; an emitter that emits infra-red or near infra-red radiation on the particle; and a detector that detects light fluorescence from the particle.
- 10. The system of claim 9 wherein the particle comprises a micro-particle of about 0.5 to 10.0 micrometers in diameter.
- 11. The system of claim 9 wherein the particle comprises a nano-particle of about 10 to 200 nanometers in diameter.
- 12. The system of claim 9 wherein the particle is sized to provide a unique light fluorescence wavelength.
- 13. The system of claim 9 wherein the particle comprises a surface molecule with affinity for the vulnerable plaque.
- 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the surface molecule comprises a C-reactive protein binding molecule.
- 15. The system of claim 9 wherein the emitter and detector comprise an optical coherence tomography device.
- 16. A system for detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the system comprising:
a substance that is administered to the patient, the substance having affinity for the vulnerable plaque and including a substance radiopaque characteristic that activates upon association of substance with the vulnerable plaque; and a device that detects the substance radiopaque characteristic.
- 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the substance radiopaque characteristic is activated at a predetermined temperature.
- 18. The system of claim 16 wherein the substance radiopaque characteristic is activated at a predetermined pH.
- 19. The system of claim 16 wherein the device comprises an endovascular device.
- 20. A method of detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the method comprising:
administering a substance to the patient; binding the substance to at least one of a lipid, a platelet, or an apoptotic factor associated with the vulnerable plaque; and detecting the bound substance.
- 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the substance comprises a label selected from a group consisting of a radioactive label, a fluorescent label, a radiopaque label, a paramagnetic label, a detectable heavy element, or a detectable rare earth ion.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the label is activated upon the binding of the substance.
- 23. The method of claim 20 wherein the lipid comprises a molecule including at least one non-polar moiety.
- 24. The method of claim 20 wherein the lipid comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of an apolipoprotein, a saturated lipid, a (poly-)unsaturated lipid, a triglyceride, a trans-fatty acid, and cholesterol.
- 25. The method of claim 20 wherein the clotting factor comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of a platelet associated molecule, fibrin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, thrombin, plasmin, plasminogen, serotonin, thromboxane A2, a kallikrein, thromboplastin, calcium ion, proaccelerin, proconvertin, antihemophilic factor, plasma thromboplastin component, Stuart-Prower factor, plasma thromboplastin antecedent, Hageman factor, and fibrin stabilizing factor.
- 26. The method of claim 20 wherein the apoptotic factor comprises a molecule selected from a group consisting of a cytokine, a growth factor, a caspase, a serine-threonine protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase B, cytochrome c, NF-κB, forkhead, Bcl-2, Bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD), Bcl-xL, an annexin, Fas ligand, and tumor necrosis factor.
- 27. The method of claim 20 wherein the device comprises an endovascular device.
- 28. A method of detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the method comprising:
administering a particle to the patient; emitting infra-red or near infra-red radiation on the particle; and detecting light fluorescence from the particle.
- 29. The method of claim 28 wherein the particle comprises a micro-particle of about 0.5 to 10.0 micrometers in diameter.
- 30. The method of claim 28 wherein the particle comprises a nano-particle of about 10 to 200 nanometers in diameter.
- 31. The method of claim 28 wherein the particle is sized to provide a unique light fluorescence wavelength.
- 32. The method of claim 28 wherein the particle comprises a surface molecule with affinity for the vulnerable plaque.
- 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the surface molecule comprises a C-reactive protein binding molecule.
- 34. The method of claim 28 wherein the emitter and detector comprise an optical coherence tomography device.
- 35. A method of detecting a vulnerable plaque associated with a blood vessel of a patient, the system comprising:
administering a substance to the patient; binding the substance to the vulnerable plaque; activating a substance radiopaque characteristic upon the binding; and detecting the activated substance radiopaque characteristic.
- 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the substance radiopaque characteristic is activated at a predetermined temperature.
- 37. The method of claim 35 wherein the substance radiopaque characteristic is activated at a predetermined pH.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/465,158, “Systems and Methods for Detecting Vulnerable Plaques” to Mark Brister et. Al., filed Apr. 24, 2003, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60465158 |
Apr 2003 |
US |