Systems and methods for immersion mechanotherapy
AssigneeMechanobiologics, Inc.
InventorsLinda Jean Kenney, Michael P. Sheetz, Felix Margadant
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Abstract
Provided is a method for treating metastatic disease or any other tumor that cannot easily or readily localized or localized at all using immersion mechanotherapy. The method includes providing a vessel containing an amount of medium for immersing at least a portion of a subject, and applying one or more programmed cycles of ultrasound waves to the subject through the medium for a pre-determined period of time. Also provided is a device for implementing the immersion mechanotherapy.
Claims38
A device for treating tumor cells in a subject, the device comprising:
- an immersion element containing a liquid medium to immerse a body part of the subject, and
- one or more ultrasound transducers configured to generate a sequence of programmed cycles of waves to the body part through the liquid medium, the sequence of programmed cycles of waves being generated with a modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency sufficient to apply periodic forces to the tumor cells and non-tumor cells for a period of time that trigger a mechanically-induced apoptotic process in the tumor cells without mechanically damaging the tumor cells and the non-tumor cells, wherein the mechanically-induced apoptotic process is triggered by periodic stretching of the tumor cells, rather than by heat or high temperature, and wherein the modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency are configured to cause stretching and relaxation of the tumor cells sufficient to activate the mechanically-induced apoptotic process.
A method for treating tumor cells in a subject, comprising:
- providing an immersion element containing a liquid medium for immersing a body part of the subject;
- and
- generating, by one or more ultrasound transducers, a sequence of programmed cycles of waves to the body part through the liquid medium, the sequence of programmed cycles of waves being generated with a modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency sufficient to apply periodic forces to the tumor cells and non-tumor cells for a period of time that trigger a mechanically-induced apoptotic process in the tumor cells without mechanically damaging the tumor cells and the non-tumor cells, wherein the mechanically-induced apoptotic process is triggered by periodic stretching of the tumor cells, rather than by heat or high temperature, and wherein the modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency causes stretching and relaxation of the tumor cells sufficient to activate the mechanically-induced apoptotic process.
A device for treating tumor cells, the device comprising:
- an immersion element containing a liquid medium to immerse a plurality of cells comprising the tumor cells and non-tumor cells, and
- one or more ultrasound transducers configured to generate a sequence of programmed cycles of waves to the plurality of cells through the liquid medium, the sequence of programmed cycles of waves being generated with a modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency sufficient to apply periodic forces to the tumor cells and non-tumor cells for a period of time that trigger a mechanically-induced apoptotic process in the tumor cells without mechanically damaging the tumor cells and the non-tumor cells, wherein the mechanically-induced apoptotic process is triggered by periodic stretching of the tumor cells, rather than by heat or high temperature, and wherein the modulation pattern, intensity, and frequency are configured to cause stretching and relaxation of the tumor cells sufficient to activate the mechanically-induced apoptotic process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.