IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,251,553
Granted Patent B2
US 10,251,553 · App. 13/489,136 · Granted Apr 9, 2019

Dispensing drugs from a companion diagnostic linked smart pill

Inventors: James R. Kozloski (New Fairfield, CT); Clifford A. Pickover (Yorktown Heights, NY)
Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
A61B5/0031A61B5/073A61M31/00A61B5/07A61B5/14539A61B5/6861A61B2562/162
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,251,553
App. No.
13/489,136
Granted
Apr 9, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mechanism is provided. The mechanism includes a user device and a smart pill within a host. The smart pill is communicatively connected to the user device for transmitting and receiving secure communications. Settings of the smart pill while in the host are configured to be changed based on patient category data of the host.

Claims (29)

1. A method for a smart pill system, comprising:

communicatively connecting a smart pill to a user device for transmitting and receiving secure communications data of a host in a clinical study executed by an application program interface (API) of a remote testing server, the smart pill configured to be swallowed by the host;

wherein the smart pill comprises a controller swallowable in the smart pill;

providing a plurality of smart pills configured to be swallowed by a plurality of hosts in the clinical study executed by the API of the remote testing server;

wherein each of the plurality of smart pills and the smart pill comprises drugs being tested on the plurality of different hosts in the clinical study;

providing another controller in each of the plurality of smart pills, the another controller and the controller configured to control release of the drugs, the another controller configured to be in communication with the API of the remote testing server;

causing a release and a non-release of the drugs in the plurality of smart pills and the smart pill to be blind via the API of the remote testing server, the release and the non-release being blind is defined as no humans including a doctor and the plurality of hosts being unware of which of the plurality of hosts have swallowed the plurality of smart pills that release and do not release the drugs, such that none of the plurality of hosts knows whether the drugs are administered or not;

controlling the release and the non-release of the drugs in the plurality of smart pills and the smart pill according to patient categories in a database, wherein the patient categories comprise predefined genetic information, such that the host and the plurality of hosts are matched to the patient categories;

modifying the another controller and the controller, of the plurality of smart pills and the smart pill for a subpopulation of the plurality of hosts, via the API given results of the clinical study, the another controller and the controller being modified to target the release of the drugs for the subpopulation according to the patient categories of the remote testing server, the subpopulation being defined as one of the patient categories in a database of the remote testing server;

wherein the smart pill comprises:

separate reservoirs configured to separately house three or more drugs, the smart pill having a longitudinal direction such that a first reservoir containing a first one of the three or more drugs and a second reservoir containing a second one of the three or more drugs are on an opposite side of the smart pill in the longitudinal direction from a third reservoir containing a third one of the three or more drugs, the first, second, and third reservoirs occupying longitudinal ends of the smart pill;

a plurality of dispensers individually controlled by the controller in which a first dispenser is directly adjacent to the first reservoir and is configured to expel the first one of the three or more drugs through a biocompatible shell, a second dispenser is directly adjacent to the second reservoir and is configured to expel the second one of the three or more drugs through the biocompatible shell, and a third dispenser is directly adjacent to the third reservoir and is configured to expel the third one of the three or more drugs through the biocompatible shell;

the first and second dispensers configured to expel the first one and the second one of the three or more drugs out of the first and second reservoirs at one longitudinal end of the smart pill, the third dispenser configured to expel the third one of the three or more drugs out of the third reservoir at another longitudinal end of the smart pill opposite the one longitudinal end, wherein the first dispenser, the second dispenser, and the third dispenser are each a spring, wherein the spring is configured to be extended a first increment through a last increment in order to expel the first one, the second one, and the third one of the three or more drugs into the host, wherein the first increment is a minimum dosage amount and the last increment is a maximum dosage amount to individually expel the first one, the second one, and the third one of the three or more drugs into the host;

a first bus connecting the first dispenser to the controller, a second bus connecting the second dispenser to the controller, and a third bus connecting the third dispenser to the controller;

wherein the combination of the three or more drugs that are to be dispensed in the host include options of: dispensing no drugs of the three or more drugs, dispensing a specific combination of the three or more drugs without dispensing some drugs, and dispensing all of the three or more drugs.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to utilize companion diagnostic data of the host to determine a combination of the three or more drugs that are to be dispensed in the host;

wherein the companion diagnostic data corresponds to test results of the host, the test results comprising genetic results, proteomic results, and gene expression tests results.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein when determined that a drug of the three or more drugs is to be dispensed, the smart pill is configured to determine a dosage amount of the drug to dispense in the host.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the three or more drugs at least comprise drug A, drug B, and drug C; and

wherein the plurality of dispensers are piezoelectric devices.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart pill receives instructions from the user device to control energy usage of the smart pill.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user device is eyeglasses.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a medical report of the host is displayed on the user device;

wherein the medical report of the host comprises current medical information, and past collected medical information for a predefined time interval.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the smart pill comprises a plurality of dispensers individually controlled by the controller;

wherein based on the companion diagnostic data of the host, the controller is configured to cause respective ones of the plurality of dispensers to dispense multiple drugs of the three or more drugs in a specified combination.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart pill is configured to release at least one of stem cells, viruses, parasite eggs, parasites, and bacteria.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smart pill further comprises an onboard testing unit comprising a tissue and fluid sampler device, the controller and onboard testing unit positioned in a middle portion of the smart pill.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to a user holding a user device in proximity to the host having swallowed the smart pill, the user device displays a danger condition such that the user selects an option on the user device to improve drug delivery characteristics of the smart pill.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 6, 2012
From: KOZLOSKI, JAMES R.; PICKOVER, CLIFFORD A.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028326/0468 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 13476147 · May 21, 2012
Related Publication 20130310664A1 · Nov 21, 2013