Non-Invasive Tissue Characterization for Therapy Efficacy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the efficacy of therapies for human diseases is challenging due to limited pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information, especially in cases involving compounded medications and complex treatments like nontuberculous mycobacteria infections, where conventional methods face issues with invasive sampling and high variability in patient responses.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive biological tissue characterization method using techniques like X-ray diffraction to measure molecular structure changes over time, allowing for the determination of therapy efficacy by observing changes in biological tissues such as collagens, keratins, or glycoproteins, which can be analyzed using digital image processing and pattern recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional pharmacometric methods and therapeutic drug monitoring are used to determine therapy efficacy, then pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information can be obtained, but the methods require invasive sampling and have limited applicability to compounded medications and complex treatment regimens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive mechanical sampling methods with non-invasive optical measurement techniques. Specifically, it uses Raman spectroscopy and other optical methods to characterize molecular structures of biological tissues without requiring blood draws or tissue biopsies, thereby eliminating the invasive sampling requirement while maintaining efficacy assessment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces optical signals as an intermediary medium to indirectly assess therapy efficacy. Instead of directly measuring drug concentrations or tissue samples through invasive means, the system uses optical interactions with biological tissues to obtain molecular structural information that serves as a proxy for therapy response, enabling non-invasive monitoring
2Reliability
If therapeutic drug monitoring is applied to optimize treatment for nontuberculous mycobacteria infections, then treatment failure rate can be reduced, but the complexity of multi-drug regimens and long duration of therapy makes implementation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex treatment monitoring process into discrete, manageable measurement points. By using non-invasive optical methods, it enables monitoring at multiple time points during the long therapy duration without requiring complex invasive sampling protocols, thereby simplifying the implementation of monitoring for complex multi-drug regimens
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring molecular structural changes in biological tissues using optical methods. This provides real-time information about therapy response that can be used to adjust treatment regimens, improving reliability while the non-invasive nature of the method simplifies the feedback loop compared to traditional invasive monitoring
3Adaptability or versatility
If compounded medications are used to address individual patient needs, then therapy customization is improved, but concerns about therapeutic failure and adverse events increase due to lack of pharmacokinetic information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the therapy monitoring system to serve itself by using the patient's own biological tissue as the measurement medium. The non-invasive optical methods allow the system to directly characterize the molecular structure of tissues affected by the compounded medication, providing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information specific to that patient without requiring external reference samples or complex laboratory procedures
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 provides a reliable and accurate method to assess therapy efficacy non-invasively, enabling personalized dosing regimens and optimizing treatment outcomes by monitoring structural changes in biological tissues, thereby improving treatment effectiveness and reducing toxicity.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a molecular structure of a biological tissue of a patient at a first time and at a second time using a non-invasive biological tissue characterization technique
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to determining a therapy efficacy. A method for determining an efficacy of a therapy for a disease in a human patient can include measuring a molecular structure of a biological tissue of a patient at a first time and at a second time using a non-invasive biological tissue characterization technique. The method can further include observing a change of the molecular structure of the biological tissue between the first time and the second time, and determining the efficacy of the therapy based on the observed change in the molecular structure of the biological tissue. Before the first time, or between the first time and the second time, the patient received the therapy.