Instruments and methods for the implantation of cell-seeded ultra-thin substrates
AssigneeUniversity of Southern California
InventorMark S. Humayun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods are described for using a surgical instrument that includes clamp heads that can be nestled within or extended from a tubular sheath by longitudinal movement of the tubular sheath with respect to the clamp heads' tines. One of the tines includes an arch that slides against a mouth and inside wall of the tubular sheath, causing the clamp heads to open or close. The clamp heads close lightly, to within a predetermined (or zero) distance from one another, gently grasp an ultrathin polymer substrate seeded with cells, and hold it while the sheath pulls over such that the substrate curls and folds to protect the cells.
Claims20
A method of loading an instrument for implantation of a substrate, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate with biological cells on one side of the substrate;
- longitudinally moving, by actuating a movement control mechanism, a tubular sheath with respect to a handpiece in order to cause an inner wall of the tubular sheath to interact with an arch of a flexible tine that is anchored to the handpiece, the interaction causing the flexible tine to move toward a fixed tine and clamp the substrate between a clamp head of the flexible tine and a clamp head of the fixed tine, wherein the clamp heads do not move longitudinally with respect to the handpiece;
- further longitudinally moving the tubular sheath, by actuating the movement control mechanism, to induce a curling of the substrate into a U shape around the cells, and
- yet further longitudinally moving the tubular sheath, by actuating the movement control mechanism, to slide the curled substrate within the tubular sheath.
A method of using an instrument for implantation of a substrate, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate with biological cells on one side of the substrate, the substrate curled into a U shape around the cells while being clamped between a clamp head of a flexible tine and a clamp head of a fixed tine, an arch of the flexible tine interacting with an inner wall of a tubular sheath within a handpiece;
- longitudinally moving the tubular sheath with respect to the handpiece, by actuating a movement control mechanism, in order to expose the curled substrate from the tubular sheath, wherein the clamp heads do not move longitudinally with respect to the handpiece;
- further longitudinally moving the tubular sheath, by actuating the movement control mechanism, to induce an unfolding of the substrate by removing an interaction between said substrate and the inner wall of the tubular sheath;
- and
- yet further longitudinally moving the tubular sheath, by actuating the movement control mechanism, to cause a variable contact interaction between the inner wall of the tubular sheath and the flexible tine, allowing the flexible tine to move away from the fixed tine and release the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.