Reversible Electroporation System with Middle Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electroporation systems face challenges in accurately and stably applying pulses and injecting drugs to lesion sites inside the body, while also restricting operator movement and complicating the treatment environment with intertwined connection lines.
Innovation Solution
A reversible electroporation system incorporating a middle connector combined with a cradle, which includes a pulse generator, an electroporator with a needle having an internal drug channel and electrode pattern, and a middle connector with a pump and ampoule mounting parts, allowing for precise angle and depth adjustments and stable fixation of the electroporator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional electroporation systems use separate handpiece-type electrode applicators with long power lines and drug injection tubes, then the basic electroporation function is achieved, but operator movement is restricted and the treatment environment becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electrode applicator, drug injection system, and power connection into an integrated needle assembly. The electroporator needle includes both electrode patterns on its outer surface and an internal drug channel, eliminating the need for separate handpieces, long power lines, and intertwined drug tubes. This merging of functions directly resolves the contradiction by simplifying the system structure while maintaining full electroporation capability.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional systems use separate electrode and needle components, then flexibility in component selection is maintained, but accurate positioning and stable fixation at the lesion site cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode applicator and drug injection needle are merged into a single integrated electroporator needle. The electrode patterns are formed directly on the outer surface of the needle, while the drug channel is embedded internally. This integration ensures that the electrode and drug delivery paths are precisely aligned at the lesion site, achieving accurate positioning and stable fixation without the complexity of assembling separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drug channel is nested within the needle structure, with the electrode patterns formed on the external surface of the same needle body. This nesting arrangement allows both functions (electrical stimulation and drug delivery) to be achieved through a single inserted component, ensuring precise spatial alignment and eliminating the need for separate positioning of multiple components.
3Loss of substance
If conventional systems use separate ampoule and pump components with long connection tubes, then component modularity is maintained, but drug waste increases and injection control becomes less precise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the drug delivery function from separate ampoule and pump components and integrates it directly into the needle structure. The drug channel is built into the needle body, allowing the drug to be delivered directly at the lesion site without traveling through long external tubes. This extraction of the drug delivery path eliminates drug waste and reduces the complexity of external drug delivery components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drug channel is nested within the needle structure, creating a direct pathway from the drug source to the injection site. This nested configuration eliminates the need for external drug tubes and separate pump mechanisms, reducing drug waste through direct delivery and simplifying the overall drug delivery system while maintaining precise injection control.
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 system enables precise and stable treatment by allowing the electroporator to be accurately positioned, reducing drug waste through controlled injection, and simplifying the connection lines to enhance operator mobility and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Electroporation is a technique that creates nanometer-sized pores on the surface of a cell membrane by applying electric pulses of nanosecond to millisecond duration to cells at a certain range of intensity using electrical stimulation.
Implementation Method 2
The middle connector includes a pump mounting part (130) to which a pump is coupled, thereby supplying a drug solution to the electroporator (200) placed on the middle connector (100) by pneumatic pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a reversible electroporation system including a middle connector combined with a cradle, the system using an electroporation needle including an internal drug channel and an electrode pattern formed on the external surface thereof, so as to allow the application of electric pulses and the formation of electric fields at a lesion site of a patient and enable a corresponding drug to be delivered, thereby enabling an accurate and stable procedure for a diseased part of the body of the patient, wherein the middle connector has a seating part so as to be stably fixed on the body without slipping, and has a first mesh-type fixing part placed therein so that, when the needle is inserted into a certain part of the body, an electroporator can be inserted at an accurate position together with the mesh-type fixing part, and when more stable fixation is required according to the convenience and need of an operator, an electroporator cradle including a second mesh-type fixing part is further provided so that a quick and safe procedure is performed.