Lumen-traveling delivery device
View Patent ↗Lumen-traveling devices capable of controlled material release and associated methods and systems are described. Lumen-traveling devices capable of traveling within a body lumen may include a propelling mechanism to produce movement of the lumen-traveling device within the lumen, as well as additional components such as a sensor, a material release portion, and/or control circuitry. In some embodiments, a sensor may be used to detect a local condition, and a material may be released from the device in response.
1. A lumen-traveling delivery device comprising:
a propelling mechanism;
a material release portion configured to release a deliverable material;
a capture portion distinct from the material release portion and capable of capturing the deliverable material released from the material release portion;
an expanding or extending portion positioned downstream of the material release portion and the capture portion and configured to at least temporarily seal with a wall of a body lumen in the vicinity of a treatment target to completely block a flow of fluid through the body lumen to keep the deliverable material released from the material release portion in the vicinity of the delivery device to be captured by the capture portion; and
control circuitry located at least in part on the delivery device, the control circuitry capable of controlling the operation of the propelling mechanism to move the delivery device through the body lumen to the treatment target, controlling the material release portion to release a deliverable material and controlling the capture portion.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is capable of controlling the material release portion to release the deliverable material when the delivery device is in the vicinity of the treatment target.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the delivery device includes a sensor capable of generating a sense signal upon detection of a condition of interest, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive the sense signal and control at least one of the operation of the propelling mechanism and the material release portion based upon receipt of the sense signal.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the sensor is capable of generating a sense signal upon detection of a local condition of interest.
5. The device of claim 1 , including at least a first lumen-wall-engaging structure and a second lumen-wall-engaging structure, wherein the propelling mechanism produces lengthening and shortening of the delivery device between the first lumen-wall-engaging structure and the second lumen-wall-engaging structure in coordination with alternate engagement and disengagement of the first lumen-wall-engaging structure and the second lumen-wall-engaging structure.
6. The device of claim 1 , including a steering mechanism capable of modifying the movement of the delivery device.
7. The lumen-traveling delivery device of claim 1 , including an exterior region having at least a perimeter configured to seal against a lumen wall to form a chamber between the lumen wall and the exterior portion, and including a material release portion configured to release a material into the chamber.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the delivery device includes a structural element sized to fit within a body lumen in the vicinity of a treatment target, the structural element including at least one of a substantially tubular structure, multiple openings in fluid communication with the body lumen, a capsule-like structure, a self-expanding material, a resilient material, a mesh-like material, a biocompatible material, or a slotted structure.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the propelling mechanism includes at least one of a peristaltic propelling mechanism, two or more alternately activated limbs, or at least one rotating lumen-wall-engaging structure.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the material release portion includes at least one of a reservoir containing the deliverable material and including a rupturable barrier, a reservoir containing the deliverable material and including a barrier having a controllable permeability, or the deliverable material in a carrier material.
11. The device of claim 1 , including a flow-modulating element configured to at least temporarily alter the flow of fluid within the body lumen.
12. The device of claim 1 , including a permeability enhancer for enhancing the permeability of the wall of the lumen in the vicinity of the treatment target.
13. The device of claim 1 , including a permeability enhancer for enhancing the permeability of the wall of the lumen in the vicinity of the treatment target, wherein the permeability enhancer includes at least one of a mechanical permeability enhancer, a chemical permeability enhancer, an electrical permeability enhancer, an acoustic permeability enhancer, a magnetic permeability enhancer, or a permeability enhancer capable of enhancing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in the vicinity of the treatment target.
14. A lumen-traveling delivery device comprising:
a structural element sized to fit within a body lumen in the vicinity of a treatment target;
at least two wall-engaging structures operable to alternately engage and disengage a wall of the body lumen;
a propelling mechanism capable of producing relative extension and retraction of the at least two wall-engaging structures with respect to each other in combination with alternate engagement and disengagement of the body lumen wall to produce movement of the lumen-traveling delivery device with respect to the body lumen wall;
a material release portion configured to release a deliverable material;
a capture portion distinct from the material release portion and capable of capturing the deliverable material released from the material release portion; and
an expanding or extending portion positioned downstream of the material release portion and the capture portion and configured to at least temporarily seal with a wall of the body lumen in the vicinity of the treatment target to completely block a flow of fluid through the body lumen to keep the deliverable material released from the material release portion in the vicinity of the delivery device to be captured by the capture portion.
15. The lumen-traveling delivery device of claim 14 , wherein the material release portion is configured to release a deliverable material when the lumen-traveling delivery device is located in the vicinity of the treatment target.
16. The lumen-traveling delivery device of claim 14 , including at least one of a sensor for detecting a condition of interest indicative of the proximity of the lumen-traveling delivery device to the treatment target, a permeability enhancer for enhancing the permeability of the wall of the lumen in the vicinity of the treatment target, or a flow-modulating element configured to at least temporarily alter the flow of fluid within the body lumen.
17. The lumen-traveling delivery device of claim 14 , including a permeability enhancer for enhancing the permeability of the wall of the lumen in the vicinity of the treatment target, the permeability enhancer including at least one of a mechanical permeability enhancer, a chemical permeability enhancer, an electrical permeability enhancer, an acoustic permeability enhancer, a magnetic permeability enhancer, or a permeability enhancer capable of enhancing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in the vicinity of the treatment target.
18. A method of delivering a material to a subject, comprising:
moving a self-propelling delivery device through a body lumen toward a target site;
detecting the arrival of the delivery device in the vicinity of a target site;
stopping movement of the delivery device in the vicinity of the target site;
completely blocking the flow of fluid through the body lumen in the vicinity of the target site by extending or expanding a portion of the delivery device to at least temporarily seal with a wall of the body lumen;
after blocking the flow of fluid, releasing a material into the body lumen from a material release portion of the delivery device; and
capturing at least a portion of the material released from the material release portion with a capture portion of the delivery device distinct from the material release portion;
wherein blocking the flow of fluid through the body lumen causes the material released from the material release portion to remain in the vicinity of the delivery device to be captured by the capture portion.
19. The method of claim 18 , including completely blocking the flow of fluid through the body lumen by extending or expanding a downstream portion of the delivery device and releasing a material into the body lumen from an upstream portion of the delivery device, wherein the body lumen contains fluid having a primary flow direction at the target site, and wherein the downstream portion and the upstream portion of the delivery device are defined relative to the primary flow direction of fluid flow through the body lumen at the target site.
20. The method of claim 19 , including at least one of breaking down at least a portion of the material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device, converting at least a portion of the material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device from an active form to a substantially inactive form, or capturing at least a portion of the material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device with a capture portion of the delivery device.
21. The method of claim 19 , capturing at least a portion of the material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device with a capture portion of the delivery device and performing at least one of at least one of breaking down at least a portion of the captured material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device with the capture portion of the delivery device, converting at least a portion of the captured material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device from an active form to a substantially inactive form with the capture portion of the delivery device, storing at least a portion of the captured material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device, binding at least a portion of the captured material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device, or sequestering at least a portion of the captured material released from the upstream portion of the delivery device.
22. The method of claim 18 , including moving the delivery device through the body lumen toward the target site under the control of a control system located on board the delivery device.
23. The method of claim 18 , including:
detecting a branch point including two or more branches in the body lumen;
selecting a preferred branch from among the two or more branches; and
causing the delivery device to enter the preferred branch.
24. The method of claim 18 , wherein detecting the arrival of the delivery device at the target site includes at least one of sensing a local condition with a sensor on the delivery device or sensing the position of the delivery device with a remote monitoring system.
25. The method of claim 18 , including increasing the permeability of a wall of the body lumen to the material by at least one of electroporation, iontophoresis, mechanical disruption of the wall of the body lumen, or chemical permeability enhancement.
26. The method of claim 18 , wherein the body lumen includes at least one of a blood vessel, a CSF space, a portion of the respiratory tract, a portion of the urinary tract, a portion of a reproductive tract, or a portion of a digestive tract.
27. The method of claim 18 , wherein the material includes at least one of an adhesive, a filler, a hydrogel, an antibiotic, a pharmaceutical compound, a nutrient, a hormone, a growth factor, a medication, a therapeutic compound, an enzyme, a protein, a genetic material, a cell, a fraction of a cell, a vaccine, a vitamin, a neurotransmitter, a neurotropic agent, a neuroactive material, a cytokine, a cell-signaling material, a pro-apoptotic agent, an anti-apoptotic agent, an immunological mediator, an anti-inflammatory agent, a salt, an ion, an antioxidant, an imaging agent, a labeling agent, a diagnostic compound, a nanomaterial, an inhibitor, a blocker, or a material previously collected within the body of the subject.
28. A lumen traveling device comprising:
a structural element sized to fit within a body lumen;
a propelling mechanism;
an exterior region of the structural element having a perimeter configured to seal against a lumen wall to form a chamber between the lumen wall and the exterior region, the perimeter including at least one tissue adhesive;
a material release portion configured to release a deliverable material into the chamber;
a capture portion capable of capturing the deliverable material released from the material release portion; and
control circuitry located at least in part on the delivery device, the control circuitry capable of controlling the operation of the propelling mechanism to move the delivery device through the body lumen to a treatment target, controlling the material release portion to release the deliverable material and controlling the capture portion.
29. A method of delivering a material to a subject, comprising:
moving a self-propelling delivery device through a body lumen toward a target site;
detecting the arrival of the delivery device in the vicinity of a target site;
stopping movement of the delivery device in the vicinity of the target site;
forming a chamber between a lumen wall and an exterior region of the delivery device, the exterior region having at least a perimeter including at least one tissue adhesive configured to seal against the lumen wall;
releasing a material into the chamber from a material release portion of the delivery device; and
capturing at least a portion of the material released from the material release portion with a capture portion distinct from the material release portion.