Implantable Electrode Arrays for Localized Brain TTFields Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tumor treating fields (TTFields) therapy is challenging due to high skull resistivity and surface obstructions, particularly when delivering treatment to brain tumors, and there is a need for more effective and localized delivery methods.
Innovation Solution
Implantable electrode arrays are inserted into the patient's body, proximate to the target site, generating TTFields through multiple electrodes to provide localized and varied electric field directions for enhanced tumor cell killing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external transducer arrays are placed on the patient's scalp, then TTFields can be delivered non-invasively, but high skull resistivity and surface obstructions reduce treatment efficacy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a burr hole as an intermediary access point through the skull, allowing electrode arrays to be placed in the subdural space. This mediator bypasses the high-resistivity skull barrier while maintaining a minimally invasive approach, resolving the contradiction between non-invasive delivery and treatment efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical constraint of external array placement on the skull surface with a direct placement system in the subdural space. This substitution eliminates the interfering mechanical barrier of the skull while preserving the benefits of array-based field delivery.
2Reliability
If implantable electrode arrays are inserted into the patient's body, then localized TTFields with varied directions can be generated, but the procedure becomes invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the skull into multiple discrete burr hole sites, allowing electrode arrays to be placed at specific locations in the subdural space. This segmentation enables targeted delivery to specific brain regions while minimizing the overall invasive burden compared to a single large incision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses thin-film electrode arrays that can be flexibly positioned and conform to the curved subdural space. These flexible arrays minimize tissue disruption during insertion and placement while maintaining effective electrical contact, reducing the invasiveness of the procedure.
3Reliability
If multiple electrode arrays are used to maximize field strength and direction changes, then tumor cell killing efficacy is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple electrode arrays into a single implantable system with integrated leads and connection interfaces. This merging approach maintains the therapeutic benefits of multiple arrays for enhanced field strength and directionality while simplifying the implantation procedure and reducing the number of separate surgical interventions required.
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 implantable apparatus effectively delivers TTFields with improved efficacy by maximizing field strength and direction changes, addressing the limitations of external arrays and enhancing treatment outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, are low intensity (e.g., 1-6 V/cm) alternating electrical fields within an intermediate frequency range (e.g. 50-500 kHz). TTFields disrupt cell division through physical interactions with key molecules during mitosis.
Data Source
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AI summary
An implantable apparatus which can be positioned in a body of a patient. The implantable apparatus can comprise a plurality of stimulation zones that are configured to provide tumor treating fields to a target site in one or a plurality of sequences that apply differential stimulation amplitudes and electric field directions relative to the target region in the body, thereby optimizing the treatment efficacy to kill tumor cells in a solid tumor or stray tumor cells in the peripheral area surrounding the tumor.