Electrostatic Pinning for Bioactive Agent Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, particularly those using inkjet printing, face challenges in efficiently removing excess carrier fluid without subjecting bioactive agents to heat, leading to potential degradation and high energy consumption, making it difficult to produce customized or variable doses of medications.
Innovation Solution
A device and method utilizing cold fluid removal, involving a charge generating device to draw bioactive agents to an ingestible substrate and a contact roller to remove excess carrier fluid, reducing the need for additional equipment and energy, while preventing bioactive agent degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If thermal evaporation is used to remove excess carrier fluid, then fluid removal is achieved, but energy consumption increases and bioactive agents may degrade
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal evaporation system with an electrostatic pinning system. Instead of using heat to evaporate carrier fluid, the invention uses electrostatic fields to attract and pin bioactive agents to the substrate. This substitution eliminates thermal degradation risks and significantly reduces energy consumption while achieving the same fluid removal effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter from thermal energy to electrostatic energy. By using electrostatic pinning instead of thermal evaporation, the system operates at ambient or controlled temperatures, preventing bioactive agent degradation while maintaining effective carrier fluid removal through electrostatic attraction forces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing processes are used, then standardized doses are produced, but customization and flexibility of dosing are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic control capabilities to the manufacturing process. The electrostatic pinning system allows real-time adjustment of dosing parameters, enabling customization of medication doses without requiring complex retooling. The system can dynamically adjust the amount of bioactive agent deposited based on patient-specific requirements, making the manufacturing process adaptable while remaining relatively simple to operate.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If electrostatic pinning is used to transfer bioactive agents, then carrier fluid removal is improved and energy consumption is reduced, but additional equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the electrostatic pinning functionality into the existing substrate handling system. The substrate itself serves dual purposes: as the carrier for bioactive agents and as the pinning surface. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate, complex equipment while achieving effective carrier fluid removal and low energy consumption.
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
This approach significantly reduces energy consumption and equipment costs, allows for precise control over bioactive agent dosing, and prevents thermal degradation, enabling the production of customized pharmaceutical doses with reduced power usage and equipment requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a charge generating device to draw bioactive agents to an ingestible substrate
Implementation Method 2
a contact roller to remove excess carrier fluid
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for producing a controlled dosage of bioactive agent is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a print device to eject a drop of a mixture onto an ingestible substrate, wherein the drop of mixture includes a bioactive agent within an ingestible carrier fluid and is between 50 ng and 1000 ng in size; a charge generating device adjacent to the print device to generate charge on the bioactive agent to draw the bioactive agent to the ingestible substrate; a cold fluid removal device adjacent to the charge generating device to remove a portion of the ingestible carrier fluid from the bioactive agent; an application device adjacent to the cold fluid removal device to apply an ingestible layer on top of the ingestible substrate encapsulating the bioactive agent or to fold the ingestible substrate on top of the bioactive agent encapsulating the bioactive agent; and a transfer device adjacent to the print device, the charge generating device, the cold fluid removal device, and the application device to move the ingestible substrate from one device to the next.