# US 11,298,124 B2 · Tissue anchor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,298,124 B2 - Document ID: US11298124B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/341,199 - Filed: 2017-10-16 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-14 - Assignees: Univ. College Dublin, National Univ. of Ireland - Applicants: University College Dublin, National University of Ireland - Inventors: Nicky Bertollo; Seamus Morris; Eoin O'Cearbhaill - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298124B2 ## CPC - A61B 17/064: Surgical staples, {i.e. penetrating the tissue} - A61B 5/6839: {Anchoring means, e.g. barbs} - A61B 17/0466: {Suture bridges} - A61B 17/0643: {with separate closing member, e.g. for interlocking with staple} - A61B 17/08: Wound clamps {or clips, i.e. not or only partly penetrating the tissue (suture bridges A61B17/0466); Devices for bringing together the edges of a wound} - A61B 90/06: {Measuring instruments not otherwise provided for} - A61M 37/0015: {by using microneedles} - A61B 5/14532: {for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement} - A61B 2017/00004: {(bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable or resorptive} - A61B 2017/00022: {Sensing or detecting at the treatment site} - A61B 2017/0496: {for tensioning sutures} - A61B 2017/0641: {having at least three legs as part of one single body} - A61B 2017/0645: {being elastically deformed for insertion} - A61B 2017/081: {Tissue approximator (A61B2017/1103, A61B17/8866 take precedence)} - A61B 2017/086: {having flexible threads, filaments, laces or wires, e.g. parallel threads, extending laterally from a strip, e.g. for tying to opposing threads extending from a similar strip} - A61B 2505/05: Surgical care - A61M 2037/0023: {Drug applicators using microneedles} - A61M 2037/0046: {Solid microneedles} - A61N 1/0456: {Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract The present invention provides a tissue anchor and a system and method employing same, the anchors including a body having a first section and a second section reversibly engagable with one another, each section including a plurality of barbs in the form of microneedles projecting from the underside therefore, the barbs on one section being inclined towards barbs on the other section, such that tissue may be captured and deformed between the barbs through displacement of the first section relative to the second section in order to achieve robust retention of the tissue anchor at a deployment site. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A tissue anchor comprising a body having a first section and a second section displaceable in a first “X” direction relative to one another to translate the tissue anchor between an undeployed state and a deployed state; at least one first protrusion projecting from the first section and at least one second protrusion projecting from the second section, one of the at least one first protrusion and the at least one second protrusion being inclined towards the other of the at least one first protrusion and the at least one second protrusion; and wherein the at least one first protrusion on the first section and the at least one second protrusion of the second section overlap in the first “X” direction and a second “Z” direction substantially A perpendicular to the first “X” direction when the anchor is in the undeployed and deployed state. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which each protrusion comprises a root and a tip, each protrusion being aligned from the root to the tip in a direction substantially parallel to the first direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which each protrusion comprises a barb. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which the first section and the second section each comprise a plurality of protrusions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A tissue anchor according to claim 4 in which the first section and the second section comprise equal numbers of the plurality of protrusions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) A tissue anchor according to claim 4 in which the plurality of protrusions on both the first and second sections are arranged in a rectangular array. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) A tissue anchor according to claim 4 in which the plurality of protrusions on the first and the second section are arranged in concentric circular arrays. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which the plurality of protrusions comprise micro features. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which the first section and the second section each define a tissue contacting surface from which the respective at least one first protrusion and/or the at least one second protrusion extend respectively. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A tissue anchor according to claim 9 in which the tissue contacting surface of the first section and/or the second section comprises a recess located at or adjacent a root of the first protrusion and/or the at least one second protrusion respectively. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which the first section comprises a first set of the at least one first protrusions and a second set of the at least one protrusions spaced from the first set of at least one first protrusions, the second section being displaceable relative to the first section along a path between the first and second set of the first protrusions of the first section. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which one or more of the first protrusions on the first section extends obliquely with respect to the first “X” direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 comprising a lock operable to fix the first and second sections relative to one another. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 in which the first section defines a channel adapted to at least partially receive the second section therein. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A tissue anchor according to claim 14 in which the channel is open at one end. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A tissue anchor according to claim 1 comprising at least one micro-needle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A tissue anchor according to claim 16 in which at least one of the at least one first protrusion and the at least one second protrusions comprises a micro-needle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A wound closure system comprising an array of the tissue anchors according to claim 1; and at least one tensile member tethered between at least two of the tissue anchors. ### Claim 19 A method of securing a tissue anchor to tissue, the method comprising the steps of inserting at least one first protrusion projecting from a first section of a body of the anchor and at least one second protrusion projecting from a second section of the body into the tissue; displacing in a first “X” direction the first section relative to the second section to translate the tissue anchor from an undeployed state to a deployed state, wherein the at least one first protrusion on the first section and the at least one second protrusion on the second section overlap in the first “X” direction and a second “Z” direction substantially perpendicular to the first “X” direction when the body is in the undeployed and deployed state; such as to effect localised deformation of the tissue surrounding the at least one first protrusion and the at least one second protrusions when the body is in the deployed state. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method according to claim 19 in which the step of displacing the first section relative to the second section is effected in two stages, a first stage in which the relative displacement primarily effects insertion of the at least one first protrusion and the at least one second protrusions into the tissue, and a second stage which primarily effects the localised deformation of the tissue surrounding the protrusions.