Therapeutic Agent Disruption of Neuronal Elements for Discogenic Pain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for discogenic pain, such as spine surgeries, are invasive, costly, and often ineffective in reducing pain, with many patients experiencing persistent discomfort post-surgery.
Innovation Solution
Administration of a therapeutic agent that disrupts neuronal and/or vascular elements in the degenerating disc, using active ingredients like neurotoxins, growth factor modulators, and anti-angiogenic agents, delivered through localized controlled administration systems or systemic targeted delivery, to reduce or eliminate pain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional spine surgery is performed to remove the disc and fuse vertebrae, then structural stability is improved, but invasiveness and recovery time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surgical intervention (disc removal and fusion) with a chemical/biological system (therapeutic agents). Instead of physically removing the disc and fusing vertebrae through surgery, the invention uses administered compounds to disrupt neuronal elements and modulate pain pathways, substituting a mechanical structural solution with a pharmacological approach that achieves pain relief without invasive surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces therapeutic agents as intermediaries between the degenerated disc and the pain sensation. These agents (such as neurotoxins, growth factor modulators, or anti-angiogenic agents) act as mediators that disrupt the communication pathway from the disc to the nervous system, blocking pain signals without requiring physical removal of the disc or fusion of vertebrae
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional spine surgery is performed, then pain relief is attempted, but cost and recovery time increase while pain relief effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by administering therapeutic agents that proactively disrupt neuronal elements before they can transmit pain signals. The treatment works by pre-emptively blocking pain pathways through chemical disruption of nerve endings, growth factor modulation, or anti-angiogenic effects, rather than waiting for surgical intervention and recovery to achieve pain relief
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of pain management by using pharmacological agents that modify the biochemical and physiological parameters of neuronal elements. Instead of mechanical removal, the treatment alters the chemical state of nerve endings, growth factors, and blood vessels in the disc, achieving pain relief through parameter modification rather than structural removal
3Ease of operation
If therapeutic agents are administered to disrupt neuronal elements, then invasiveness is reduced, but the ability to provide structural support may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selectively extracts only the pain-generating components (neuronal elements, vascular elements) from the disc while preserving the structural components. The therapeutic agents specifically target and disrupt sensory nerve endings and blood vessels that cause pain, while leaving the disc's structural framework intact to maintain spinal support and stability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method for alleviating discogenic pain by administering a therapeutic agent that disrupts neuronal and/or vascular elements in the disc, which is typically a degenerated disc. Disruption of neuronal elements in the disk includes destroying nerve endings without substantially affecting the central body of the nerve, suppressing activation of the nerve endings, and inhibiting the growth of nerve endings into the disk. Disruption of vascular elements includes causing the vascular extensions to retract from the disk, or suppressing the formation of such extensions. The therapeutic agent may be administered locally via an interbody pump, a bolus or a depot, or may be administered systemically.