Implantable TTFields Arrays With Deployable Stimulation Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tumor treating field (TTFields) therapies are limited by the need for external transducer arrays, which may not provide optimal localization and can cause discomfort or skin irritation, and there is a need for more effective delivery methods that allow for targeted and localized treatment within the body.
Innovation Solution
Implantable apparatuses with elongate elements, inflatable bodies, and telescopic configurations that allow for selective deployment and positioning of stimulation zones within the body to generate TTFields, providing localized treatment and minimizing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external transducer arrays are used for TTFields therapy, then treatment coverage is provided, but localization precision and patient comfort deteriorate due to skin irritation and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the transducer arrays from the external application and implants them directly into the patient's body (subcutaneously or intraperitoneally). This extraction from external to internal placement eliminates skin irritation while maintaining precise localization of the electric fields at the tumor site, directly resolving the contradiction between treatment coverage and patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a deployable structure with multiple elongate elements as an intermediary mechanism. These elements can be selectively deployed to specific orientations and positions within the body, serving as a mediator between the external controller and the internal tumor target. This allows precise localization without direct external contact, eliminating skin irritation while maintaining accurate field placement.
2Reliability
If conventional external transducer arrays are used, then TTFields are delivered, but treatment efficacy deteriorates due to suboptimal localization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically deployable elongate elements that can be selectively positioned and oriented within the body. Unlike static external arrays, these internal elements can be adjusted to optimal configurations relative to the tumor, with multiple elements deployable in different orientations. This dynamic adaptability ensures maximum treatment efficacy by precisely localizing the electric fields to the tumor while maintaining the ability to adjust positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by placing stimulation zones directly at the tumor site rather than on the skin surface. The electric fields are generated locally within the body cavity or tissue, ensuring that the treatment energy is concentrated exactly where needed. This localized approach maximizes treatment efficacy by eliminating the inefficiency of external field penetration and ensuring precise localization at the tumor boundary.
3Measurement precision
If implantable apparatuses with deployable elements are used, then localization precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the implantable apparatus into multiple separate elongate elements rather than using a single complex structure. Each element can be independently deployed and positioned, simplifying the overall design while achieving superior localization precision. The segmented approach allows each element to be relatively simple in structure while the collective arrangement provides the desired precision, effectively resolving the contradiction between complexity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested configuration where multiple elongate elements can be stored within or alongside each other in a compact form during implantation. Upon deployment, these nested elements expand outward to their functional positions. This nesting principle reduces the initial insertion complexity and allows the complex multi-element structure to be delivered through a minimally invasive approach, thereby reducing the perceived device complexity while maintaining high localization precision.
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
Enables targeted and localized delivery of TTFields directly to tumors, reducing discomfort and skin-related issues while enhancing treatment efficacy by ensuring maximum cell orientation coverage.
Implementation Method 1
Tumor Treating Fields, or TTFields, are low intensity (e.g., 1-3 V/cm) alternating electrical fields within the intermediate frequency range (100-300 kHz). TTFields disrupt cell division through physical interactions with key molecules during mitosis.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for generating an electric field has a plurality of elongate elements, the plurality of elongate elements including at least a first elongate element and a second elongate element. Each elongate element of the plurality of elongate elements has a proximal end, an opposed distal end and at least one stimulation zone. The plurality of elongate elements are coupled together at their respective proximal ends. The plurality of elongate elements are selectively moveable about and between a retracted position and a deployed position. In the retracted position, the respective distal ends of the first and second elongate elements are spaced by a first distance, and in the deployed position, the respective distal ends of the first and second elongate elements are spaced by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.