Cervicouterine Copper Device for HPV Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Uterine cervical cancer remains a significant public health issue in emerging countries like Mexico, primarily due to the high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, with existing solutions like vaccines having incomplete protection and accessibility issues, and current intrauterine devices being underutilized due to dimensional incompatibility, leading to high mortality rates, especially among low-income women in remote areas.
Innovation Solution
A uterine cervical device with increased and redistributed copper surface area, specifically designed with a T-shaped frame and coiled copper strands to enhance the release of copper ions, providing enhanced protection against HPV by leveraging the antiviral properties of copper, particularly in the endocervical region, thus reducing the risk of cervical cancer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the standard 380 A copper-T intrauterine device is used, then the risk of cervical cancer is reduced by 50%, but only 7% of women of childbearing age use it due to dimensional incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the dimensional parameters of the intrauterine device by reducing the horizontal arm length from 38mm to 22mm and adjusting the vertical post length to 32mm, making it compatible with nulliparous and brevilineas women while maintaining the copper surface area for cancer protection
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into distinct functional segments: a T-shaped frame with specific dimensional characteristics for anatomical compatibility, and copper windings distributed at specific locations (horizontal arms and lower third of vertical post) to provide both contraception and cancer protection
2Reliability
If more copper surface area is added to increase protection, then the antiviral effect against HPV is enhanced, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The copper is not uniformly distributed but concentrated in specific locations: both horizontal arms and the lower third of the vertical post, where the cervix is located. This local concentration maximizes the antiviral effect at the target site while minimizing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The copper protection is extended from a single-plane design to a three-dimensional distribution across multiple surfaces (both horizontal arms and vertical post), creating a comprehensive protective barrier around the cervix without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If the copper concentration is increased in the endocervical region, then the protective effect against HPV is enhanced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The copper windings are pre-positioned on the frame during manufacturing at standardized locations (horizontal arms and lower third of vertical post), ensuring correct placement before the device is inserted into the uterus. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for complex adjustment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies precise parameters for copper placement: windings on horizontal arms of 22mm length and on the lower third of the vertical post of 32mm length, with defined wire diameters (0.5-0.8mm). These standardized parameters simplify manufacturing while ensuring effective copper concentration at the target site
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device significantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer development by increasing copper ion release over the cervix, offering a preventive solution that is accessible and affordable, even in areas with limited healthcare access, and has been shown to halve the risk of HPV-related cervical cancer with a sustained protective effect for 10 years.
Implementation Method 1
the bactericidal, fungicidal and antiviral properties of copper were corroborated, since in the space of two hours, it kills 99.9% of these, including Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to methicillin
Implementation Method 2
increased copper 418 mm ions
Data Source
AI summary
A uterine cervical device is provided whose antiviral properties of copper have been directed, broadened and extended to reduce the risk of contracting uterine cervical cancer and act as a preventive factor in cervical carcinogenesis. This is achieved by concentrating, increasing and distributing the copper adjacent the female reproductive apparatus, consisting of the lower part of the uterine cavity and the endocervix, an incubation site of the human papillomavirus, the leading cause of uterine cervical cancer. The device as presented increases the ionic capacity of copper by increasing its surface to 418 mm, and spacing out coils of the winding, incorporating a length of the same material, and positioning it directly in the cervix, which is shaped like a coil, Solomon Bar, bracelet or Celtic Knot, having assembled the copper filaments on a plastic frame of sizes that correspond to the proportions of the uterine cavity according to its parity.