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

[0024] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the electrode board or contact board, as the case may be, comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), preferably a multi-layered PCB. Contact pads on the upper surface of the PCB are electrically coupled to at least one contact board contact or ablation electrode, as the case may be, over one or more traces, as is known in the art of PCB design and fabrication. The use of a PCB, particularly a multi-layered PCB, allows contact board contacts or ablation electrodes, as the case may be, to be readily placed at locations other than in the vicinity of the respective contact pads to which they are electrically coupled.

[0163] In an embodiment, the handle includes two or more snaps, and the floating element is adapted to be removably coupled to the electrode cartridge by the snaps. In this case, the snaps are typically arranged to: (a) prevent the electrode cartridge from separating from the floating element, and (b) avoid causing a displacement of the floating element sufficient to cause the control unit to drive current through the electrodes.

Problems solved by technology

These methods are primarily used for generating transdermal movement of small molecules, but generally do not enhance the motion of large molecules through the 10-50 micron thick outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum epidermidis.

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