Plungerless Ocular Injection Device for Precise Nanoparticle Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for delivering medications to the eye, such as topical drops and syringes, are cumbersome and inefficient, particularly for precise applications like the corneal pocket, anterior chamber, or subretinal space, and lack refinement for sensitive eye structures, necessitating a more controlled plungerless aspiration and injection device.
Innovation Solution
A plungerless aspiration and/or injection device using nanoparticles coated with biocompatible molecules and a DNA editing complex, such as CRISPR/cas9, for targeted cell modification, combined with a bulb portion that allows elastic deformation for precise fluid management, enabling controlled delivery and aspiration without a plunger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a standard syringe is used for injection, then medication can be delivered to the eye, but the device is cumbersome and difficult to control for precise applications
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the plunger component from the syringe, extracting only the essential functions needed for ocular injection. This simplifies the device structure while maintaining injection capability, directly addressing the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plungerless syringe is designed to be self-contained, with the barrel and needle forming a complete injection system. The user can control the injection by directly manipulating the barrel, eliminating the need for a separate plunger mechanism and reducing overall device complexity while improving ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If a syringe is used for aspiration, then fluid can be withdrawn, but both hands are required to stabilize the syringe and withdraw fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the aspiration function from the traditional syringe operation by designing a plungerless system where aspiration can be performed with one hand. The simplified structure allows the user to control both stabilization and fluid withdrawal through direct manipulation of the barrel, reducing operation complexity.
3Ease of operation
If topical drops are used for medication delivery, then application is simple, but the medication is rapidly washed away by the tear film
Solution Approach 1:
The plungerless syringe acts as an intermediary device that bridges the simplicity of topical application with the reliability of sustained medication delivery. It enables direct injection into the ocular tissue, bypassing the tear film washout issue while maintaining ease of administration through its simplified design.
4Manufacturing precision
If a plungerless aspiration and injection device is used, then precise and controlled delivery is achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential precision delivery function from complex automated injection systems by creating a plungerless manual device. The simplified structure relies on direct user manipulation of the barrel to achieve precise control, reducing device complexity while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The plungerless syringe is designed as a self-contained precision delivery system where the user directly controls the injection by manipulating the barrel. This self-service design eliminates the need for complex automated mechanisms while achieving precise and controlled fluid delivery through intuitive manual operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of using a plungerless aspiration and/or injection device is disclosed herein. The method includes providing a plungerless aspiration and/or injection device; administering to a patient in need thereof, using the plungerless aspiration and/or injection device, a plurality of nanoparticles coated with a biocompatible molecule for cell uptake, the nanoparticles conjugated with at least one gene, an antibody that targets the nanoparticles to a target cell, and a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) editing complex forming a complex of coated nanoparticle-gene-DNA editing complex; delivering the coated nanoparticle-gene-DNA editing complex to the target cell using the nanoparticle of the complex as a carrier of the complex to the target cell without using a viral vector and without using a plasmid vector; and stimulating the coated nanoparticle-gene-DNA editing complex with one or more energy sources under conditions sufficient to introduce the at least one gene into the target cell.