Pulsed HIFU Systems for Selective Tissue Lysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) systems struggle to selectively disrupt tissue while preserving extracellular matrix (ECM) structures, such as vessels and stroma, which are essential for maintaining tissue function, especially in treatments like tumor ablation where thermal damage can be detrimental.
Innovation Solution
The use of a HIFU system that delivers pulsed ultrasound waves with controlled parameters like peak positive pressure, pulse length, and duty cycle to mechanically disrupt tissue, inducing boiling or cavitation, thereby lysing cells while maintaining the integrity of the ECM, allowing for the formation of decellularized scaffolds for regenerative medicine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If HIFU is used to thermally damage tissue, then tissue ablation is achieved, but thermal damage to surrounding structures occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical mechanism from thermal to mechanical by adjusting HIFU parameters (pulse duration, intensity, duty cycle) to induce cavitation and mechanical disruption rather than thermal coagulation, achieving tissue ablation without thermal damage to surrounding structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal mechanisms with mechanical mechanisms by using pulsed HIFU to generate cavitation bubbles and shock waves that mechanically disrupt tissue, substituting the thermal ablation process with a mechanical disruption process that spares thermally-sensitive structures
2Quantity of substance
If HIFU is used to mechanically disrupt tissue, then tissue emulsification is achieved, but structural components may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic pulsed HIFU delivery with specific duty cycles (e.g., 10% or lower) to allow tissue cooling between pulses and to control the accumulation of mechanical effects, achieving progressive emulsification while preserving structural components through controlled intermittent action
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different HIFU parameters to different tissue types within the treatment zone, using higher intensities for target tissue emulsification while using lower intensities or different pulse patterns for structural components, achieving selective disruption based on local tissue properties
3Productivity
If continuous HIFU is applied, then treatment efficiency is improved, but thermal accumulation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic pulsed HIFU delivery instead of continuous application, using duty cycles that allow thermal dissipation between pulses while maintaining effective treatment through cumulative mechanical effects, thereby preventing thermal accumulation while preserving treatment efficiency
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
This approach enables the selective disruption of tissue, minimizing thermal damage and preserving ECM structures, facilitating the creation of decellularized scaffolds that can be used for tissue regeneration, with the potential for faster decellularization compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
generating, from nonlinear propagation of the HIFU waves, shock waves in the tissue to induce boiling in the volume of the tissue at a focus of the ultrasound source
Implementation Method 2
The pulsed HIFU waves can lyse cells in the tissue volume
Data Source
AI summary
High intensity focused ultrasound systems for treating tissue are disclosed herein. A system of treating tissue in a patient in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology can include, for example, an ultrasound source having a focal region and configured to deliver high intensity focused ultrasound energy to a target site in tissue of the patient. The system can further include a controller operably coupled to the ultrasound source. The controller comprises a pulsing protocol for delivering the high intensity focused ultrasound energy with the ultrasound source to the target site. The controller is configured to cause the ultrasound source to pulse high intensity focused ultrasound waves to lyse cells in a volume of the tissue of the subject while preserving an extracellular matrix in the volume of the tissue exposed to the high intensity focused ultrasound waves.