Handheld transdermal drug delivery and analyte extraction

Abstract

Apparatus (20) for application to skin of a subject is provided. The apparatus includes a board (30) having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface including a plurality of ablation electrodes (41), which are adapted to be applied to the skin, and the second surface including one or more contact pads (32), each one of the contact pads electrically coupled to at least one of the ablation electrodes. The apparatus further includes one or more driving electrodes (28). An energy applicator (e.g., motor 22), coupled to the driving electrodes, is adapted to pass the driving electrodes over the contact pads. A power source (e.g., power unit 102) is adapted to drive a current from the driving electrodes, to the contact pads, and to the ablation electrodes. The current is capable of ablating at least a portion of stratum corneum of the skin in a vicinity of the ablation electrodes, so as to facilitate transdermal transport of a substance.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 374,224, filed Apr. 19, 2002, entitled, “Rotary handheld transdermal drug delivery and analyte extraction,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application and incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to methods and devices for drug delivery and analyte extraction, and specifically to medical methods and devices for puncturing the outer layer of living skin and to methods and devices for transdermal transport of a substance. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] A number of different methods have been developed to perform transdermal drug delivery and / or analyte extraction, including passive diffusion of a drug or analyte between a skin patch and skin, as well as active processes such as iontophoresis, sonophoresis, electroporation, and chemically enhanced diffusion. These methods are...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0130] There is also provided, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for facilitating transport of a substance through an area of skin of a subject, the area defining a set of ablation sites, the method including driving current in a sequence into more than one of the ablation sites, the current being capable of ablating stratum corneum of the skin in the ablation sites, so as to facilitate transdermal transport of the substance, the sequence being configured such that, during successive first, second, and third time periods the current is driven into respective first, second,

Problems solved by technology

These methods are primarily used for generating transdermal movement of small molecules, but generally do not enhance th

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