Implantable Device Negatively Charged Surface Bacterial Repulsion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical implants face challenges with bacterial colonization and biofilm formation, leading to infections, and current solutions involving pharmacologically active substances can cause unintended effects and classification issues as combination products, increasing regulatory burdens and safety concerns.

Innovation Solution

A surface-bound substance with a permanent excess negative charge, such as phosphonic or sulfonic acids covalently bonded via a peptide bond, is used to create a negatively charged surface that is inert to human cells and bacteria, stabilizing the charge through resonance formation, avoiding pharmacological effects and ensuring long-term stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If pharmacological agents are bound to the surface of implantable medical devices, then bacterial colonization is reduced, but unintended pharmacological effects occur and regulatory complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanti-bacterial effectivenessVSAvoidunintended pharmacological effects
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential anti-bacterial mechanism (electrostatic repulsion via negative charge) from complex pharmacological agents. By using simple negatively charged substances like phosphonic or sulfonic acids bound to the surface, the patent eliminates unnecessary pharmacological effects while preserving the core anti-bacterial function through electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged bacterial cells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the fundamental parameter from pharmacological activity to electrostatic charge. Instead of using molecules that exert biological effects through complex interactions, the patent employs substances that create a permanent negative charge on the surface, utilizing electrostatic repulsion as the anti-bacterial mechanism. This parameter change from chemical reactivity to electrostatic property eliminates unintended pharmacological effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If pharmacological agents are bound to the surface of implantable medical devices, then bacterial colonization is reduced, but device classification complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanti-bacterial effectivenessVSAvoidregulatory classification
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential anti-bacterial mechanism (electrostatic repulsion via negative charge) from complex pharmacological agents. By using simple negatively charged substances like phosphonic or sulfonic acids bound to the surface, the patent eliminates unnecessary pharmacological effects while preserving the core anti-bacterial function through electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged bacterial cells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the fundamental parameter from pharmacological activity to electrostatic charge. Instead of using molecules that exert biological effects through complex interactions, the patent employs substances that create a permanent negative charge on the surface, utilizing electrostatic repulsion as the anti-bacterial mechanism. This parameter change from chemical reactivity to electrostatic property eliminates unintended pharmacological effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If glycosaminoglycans like heparin are used to create negative charge, then bacterial repulsion is achieved, but anticoagulant effects cause increased bleeding tendency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrostatic repulsion of bacteriaVSAvoidanticoagulant effect
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential anti-bacterial mechanism (electrostatic repulsion via negative charge) from complex pharmacological agents. By using simple negatively charged substances like phosphonic or sulfonic acids bound to the surface, the patent eliminates unnecessary pharmacological effects while preserving the core anti-bacterial function through electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged bacterial cells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the fundamental parameter from pharmacological activity to electrostatic charge. Instead of using molecules that exert biological effects through complex interactions, the patent employs substances that create a permanent negative charge on the surface, utilizing electrostatic repulsion as the anti-bacterial mechanism. This parameter change from chemical reactivity to electrostatic property eliminates unintended pharmacological effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If heparin is used to create negative charge on catheter surface, then bacterial colonization is reduced, but bleeding risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanti-bacterial effectivenessVSAvoidbleeding tendency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential anti-bacterial mechanism (electrostatic repulsion via negative charge) from complex pharmacological agents. By using simple negatively charged substances like phosphonic or sulfonic acids bound to the surface, the patent eliminates unnecessary pharmacological effects while preserving the core anti-bacterial function through electrostatic repulsion of negatively charged bacterial cells.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the fundamental parameter from pharmacological activity to electrostatic charge. Instead of using molecules that exert biological effects through complex interactions, the patent employs substances that create a permanent negative charge on the surface, utilizing electrostatic repulsion as the anti-bacterial mechanism. This parameter change from chemical reactivity to electrostatic property eliminates unintended pharmacological effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 effectively repels bacteria without causing adverse effects, maintaining implant functionality and avoiding regulatory complexities, as demonstrated by significant reduction in bacterial accumulation and biofilm formation on coated medical devices.

Implementation Method 1

Bacteria also possess a negative charge, electrostatic repulsion occurs from the glycosaminoglycan-coated surface. The negative charge of bacteria comes, in the case of Gram-negative bacteria, from the strongly negatively charged lipopolysaccharides in the cell wall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrostatic repulsion: Ion Repulsion/Attraction

Implementation Method 2

the resulting negative charge is stabilized by the formation of mesomerism

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMesomerism: Resonance

Data Source

PatentEP3613446B1Implantable medical device with permanently negatively charged surface
Publication Date: 2023.05.17 URONOVA GMBH MEDIZINISCHE IMPLANTATE

AI summary

A fully or partially implantable medical device with a negatively charged surface for repelling bacteria has a surface-bound substance with a permanent negative charge excess, which substance is inert to cells of the human body and bacteria located therein.