# US 11,304,893 B2 · Low power, chemically amplified, electrically removable barrier > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,304,893 B2 - Document ID: US11304893B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/044,124 - Filed: 2018-07-24 - Published: 2019-02-28 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-24 - Assignees: California Institute of Technology - Applicants: California Institute of Technology - Inventors: Samson Chen; Axel Scherer; Richard Daniel Smith, Jr. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304893B2 ## CPC - A61K 9/0009: {involving or responsive to electricity, magnetism or acoustic waves; Galenical aspects of sonophoresis, iontophoresis, electroporation or electroosmosis} - A61B 5/14532: {for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement} - A61B 5/4839: {combined with drug delivery} - A61B 5/686: {Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips (A61B5/6861 takes precedence)} - A61J 1/1412: {Containers with closing means, e.g. caps} - A61J 1/1468: {Containers characterised by specific material properties} - A61K 9/0024: {Solid, semi-solid or solidifying implants, which are implanted or injected in body tissue (compositions for intravenous administration, normal injectable solutions or dispersions for, e.g. subcutaneous administration A61K9/0019; brain implants A61K9/0085; (coated) prostheses, catheters or stents A61L)} - A61K 9/0097: {Medicinal compositions released by microdevices, e.g. microelectromechanical systems [MEMS], microdevices comprising chips or microdevices on silicon} - A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61J: CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE ## Abstract An implantable device contains a drug or biosensing compound, protected from the external environment within a human body by several barriers which are broken upon activation of the device through electrothermal, chemical, and mechanical processes. The device allows accurate and repeated dosing within a human body, thus reducing the number of implantation procedures required. This device extends the lifetime of a biosensor, reducing the number of implantation procedures required. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device comprising: a container having an opening; a plurality of barriers closing the opening; a chemical compound or biological material within the container, wherein: the device is configured to be implantable within a human body or other organism, the plurality of barriers are configured to electrochemically or electrothermally unseal, upon application of an electric potential or current to at least one barrier of the plurality of barriers, thereby allowing interaction between the chemical compound or biological material and the human body or other organism; a reference electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the reference electrode is electrically connected to a first barrier through a control circuit, wherein: the plurality of barriers comprises the first barrier, and the first barrier is not reactive to the human body or other organism and is configured to electrochemically unseal when the electric potential is applied to the first barrier; wherein the plurality of barriers comprises a second barrier configured to electrochemically or mechanically unseal upon contact with the human body or other organism, wherein the second barrier is placed between the first barrier and the chemical compound or biological material; and a cathode electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the second barrier through a control circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the chemical compound or biological material comprises at least one of: a drug, a biosensing material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a counter electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the counter electrode is electrically connected to the first barrier and reference electrode through a control circuit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device of claim 3, wherein the counter electrode is made of a material comprising at least one of: Pt, and C. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first barrier comprises at least one of: gold, electrochemically degrading materials, and a polymer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein, upon contact with the human body, the second barrier electrochemically or mechanically unseals with no additional power dissipation by the device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the second barrier comprises magnesium. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of barriers further comprises an auxiliary compound configured to facilitate dissolution of the first barrier. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of barriers further comprises an auxiliary barrier placed between the second barrier and the compartment, wherein the auxiliary barrier is configured to protect the chemical compound or biological material within the container. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of barriers further comprises an auxiliary layer, wherein the auxiliary layer is configured to reduce an immune response to the device upon implantation in the human body or other organism. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising a galvanic cell controller or an energy harvesting unit, the galvanic cell controller or the energy harvesting unit being electrically connected to the cathode electrode and to the second barrier. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the applied electric current is less than one microAmpere and an area of a barrier of the plurality of barriers is smaller than 0.01 mm2. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein at least one region of the first barrier is configured to be individually targeted for electrochemical dissolution. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one region is a crevice configured to dissolve at a rate higher than remaining areas of the first barrier. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one region is a grain boundary. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the reference electrode comprises at least one of: Pt, and Ag/AgCl. ### Claim 17 A device comprising: a container having an opening; a plurality of barriers closing the opening; a chemical compound or biological material within the container, wherein: the device is configured to be implantable within a human body or other organism, the plurality of barriers are configured to electrochemically or electrothermally unseal upon application of an electric potential or current to at least one barrier of the plurality of barriers, thereby allowing interaction between the chemical compound or biological material and the human body or other organism; a reference electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the reference electrode is electrically connected to a first barrier through a control circuit; wherein: the plurality of barriers comprises the first barrier, and the first barrier is not reactive to the human body or other organism and is configured to electrochemically unseal when the electric potential is applied to the first barrier; wherein the plurality of barriers comprises a second barrier configured to electrochemically or mechanically unseal upon contact with the human body or other organism, wherein the second barrier is placed between the first barrier and the chemical compound or biological material, wherein the plurality of barriers comprises a third barrier placed between the second barrier and the chemical compound or biological material, wherein the third barrier is not reactive to the chemical compound or biological material and is configured to mechanically break upon dissolution of the second barrier. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, wherein the third barrier comprises at least one of: gold, platinum, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, and aluminum oxide. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, further comprising a cathode electrode within the container, thereby being in contact with the chemical compound, wherein the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the second barrier. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A system comprising an array of devices, each device of the array of devices as described in claim 1, wherein the system is configured to unseal the plurality of barriers of any one device of the array of devices, independently from adjacent devices of the array of devices, by means of electrochemical or electrothermal dissolution. ### Claim 21 A device comprising: a container having an opening; a plurality of barriers closing the opening; a chemical compound or biological material within the container, wherein: the device is configured to be implantable within a human body or other organism, the plurality of barriers are configured to electrochemically or electrothermally unseal upon application of an electric potential or current to at least one barrier of the plurality of barriers, thereby allowing interaction between the chemical compound or biological material and the human body or other organism; a reference electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the reference electrode is electrically connected to a first barrier through a control circuit, wherein: the plurality of barriers comprises the first barrier, and the first barrier is not reactive to the human body or other organism and is configured to electrochemically unseal when the electric potential is applied to the first barrier; wherein the plurality of barriers comprises a second barrier configured to electrochemically or mechanically unseal upon contact with the human body or other organism, wherein the second barrier is placed between the first barrier and the chemical compound or biological material; and a cathode electrode on an external surface of the device, thereby being in contact with the human body or other organism upon implantation of the device, wherein the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the second barrier through a control circuit; and the plurality of barriers comprises a third barrier placed between the second barrier and the chemical compound or biological material, wherein the third barrier is not reactive to the chemical compound or biological material and is configured to mechanically break upon dissolution of the second barrier.