Flexible and/or elastic brachytherapy seed or strand
A flexible or elastic brachytherapy strand that includes an imaging marker and/or a therapeutic, diagnostic or prophylactic agent such as a drug in a biocompatible carrier that can be delivered to a subject upon implantation into the subject through the bore of a brachytherapy implantation needle has been developed. Strands can be formed as chains or continuous arrays of seeds up to 50 centimeters or more, with or without spacer material, flaccid, rigid, or flexible.
1. A flexible non-radioactive strand for implantation into a subject, comprising:
a marker component configured to allow for the determination of the position of the strand within a target tissue, the marker component having a length extending along a centerline of the marker component between a first end and a second end and having a substantially continuous wall bounding a hollow interior; a biocompatible component; and
a therapeutic, prophylactic, and/or diagnostic agent, wherein the marker, biocompatible component and agent are disposed within the hollow interior;
wherein the length of the marker component is greater than the diameter of the hollow interior, and
wherein the substantially continuous wall includes at least one opening adapted to allow the agent to pass out of the hollow interior wherein the strand do not contain a radioisotope.
2. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the marker component has a maximum length of between one and 50 cm.
3. The flexible strand according to claim 2 , wherein the marker component has a maximum length of 40 mm and a diameter between about 0.8 and 3 mm.
4. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the marker component and the agent is imageable.
5. The flexible strand according to claim 4 wherein the marker component is imageable.
6. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the substantially continuous wall comprises one or more biodegradable structures effective to maintain orientation in tissue, one or more compliant setal or hair structures which impart adhesive properties upon implantation into a target tissue, or combinations thereof.
7. The flexible strand of claim 6 , wherein the structures to maintain location or orientation comprise a smart polymer, a shape memory polymer, or other substrate to achieve configuration modification.
8. The flexible strand according to claim 6 wherein the structures include an anchor.
9. The flexible strand according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow interior comprises a biocompatible component, and wherein the marker component and the agent are dispersed in the biocompatible component.
10. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the agent is intermixed with the marker component.
11. The flexible strand according to claim 10 wherein the marker component is biodegradable.
12. The flexible strand according to claim 9 wherein the biocompatible component is configured to degrade over time at the implantation site and release the agent by controlling the rate of degradation and/or release rate at the implantation site.
13. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the marker component comprises a high Z material.
14. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the at least one opening comprises the first and/or second ends of the substantially continuous wall.
15. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the agent is selected from the group consisting of an anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulant, cytostatic, antibiotic, anti-neoplastic, vasodilator, anti-viral, immunosuppressive, growth factor, pro-agent, hormone, radiotherapeutic, radiopaque, peptide, protein, enzyme, or combinations thereof.
16. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the strand is configured to release the agent over three years.
17. The flexible strand according to claim 1 wherein the strand is configured to release the agent in less than three years.
18. The flexible strand of claim 1 , wherein the agent exerts an effect on the subject's physiology following release.
19. The flexible strand of claim 1 , wherein the strand is configured to be implanted into a target tissue in the subject using one or more implantation needles.
20. A flexible, non-radioactive strand comprising a marker component and a therapeutic, prophylactic, and/or diagnostic agent, the agent, marker, or both, being imageable,
the marker component having a length extending along a centerline of the marker component between a first end and a second end and having a substantially continuous wall along the length, the substantially continuous wall bounding a hollow interior and at least partially enveloping the agent within the hollow interior, and
wherein the length of the marker component is greater than an average diameter of the hollow interior and the substantially continuous wall includes at least one opening adapted to allow the agent to pass out of the hollow interior wherein the strand do not contain a radioisotope.
21. The flexible strand according to claim 20 , wherein the marker component comprises an imageable substrate and the agent is dispersed in the substrate.
22. The flexible strand according to claim 20 , further comprising a substrate comprising a biodegradable material, the marker and the agent.
23. The flexible strand according to claim 20 wherein the strand is configured to release the agent over three years or less.
24. The flexible strand of claim 20 , wherein the agent exerts an effect on the subject's physiology following release.
25. The flexible strand of claim 20 , wherein the strand is configured to be implanted into a target tissue in the subject using one or more implantation needles.