Pulse Applicator With Movable Arms For Nanosecond Electric Field Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a device with better control over electrical characteristics for safe and effective studies and treatments of cancer using nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF).
Innovation Solution
A pulse applicator is designed with independently movable arms and a spacer to control the positioning of electrodes relative to a gap, allowing for precise delivery of nsPEF across the gap for variable durations less than 1 ns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical excision is used to remove tumors, then tumors can be removed, but it results in infection risk, scarring, and is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surgical excision with nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) to achieve non-contact tumor ablation. The electrical pulses induce intracellular voltage changes that cause membrane rupture and cell death, eliminating the need for physical cutting and suturing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic nsPEF pulses delivered at specific frequencies (e.g., 10 Hz, 100 Hz) to accumulate thermal and non-thermal effects in tumor cells. The pulsed delivery allows for controlled energy deposition while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue through selective heating and electroporation.
2Reliability
If multiple tumors are individually excised, then all cancerous tumors can be removed, but it increases treatment time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The nsPEF applicator is designed with multiple electrodes that can be configured to treat multiple tumors simultaneously or sequentially. The system provides universal applicability for treating various tumor types and locations without requiring different surgical approaches for each tumor, thereby improving treatment efficiency while maintaining complete tumor removal.
3Reliability
If high peak voltage nsPEF is applied, then apoptosis is induced in tumor cells, but it may affect normal cells in surrounding tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs interstitial electrodes that are inserted directly into the tumor tissue to deliver nsPEF locally. This localized delivery creates high electric field gradients concentrated within the tumor boundaries, inducing apoptosis in tumor cells while minimizing electric field exposure and damage to surrounding normal cells through spatially selective treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses tissue-selective properties as an intermediary mechanism to differentiate between tumor and normal cells. By exploiting differences in cellular membrane properties, conductivity, and thermal characteristics between tumor and healthy tissue, the nsPEF system selectively targets tumor cells for apoptosis while sparing normal cells even when they are exposed to the electric field.
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 pulse applicator enables controlled and effective delivery of nsPEF, potentially inducing apoptosis in cancerous tumors while minimizing impact on surrounding normal cells.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitor configured to store electrical energy and release the electrical energy through the first and second electrodes in the form of nanosecond pulsed electric fields
Implementation Method 2
nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) for electrotherapy... NsPEFs have been found to trigger apoptosis in cancerous tumors... Treatment of biological cells with nsPEF technology often uses a multitude of periodic pulses at a frequency ranging from 0.1 per second (Hz) to 10,000 Hz
Data Source
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AI summary
The pulse applicator includes a first arm, including a first electrode, a second arm, including a second electrode, and a spacer. The first arm, the spacer, and the second arm are movably connected, and define a gap between the first arm and the second arm. The first electrode, the gap, and the second electrode are selectively alignable, and the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to deliver an electrical field across the gap in response to an electrical pulse received across the first and second electrodes.