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AssigneeThe Governors of the University of Alberta
InventorsWarren H. Finlay, Andrew R. Martin, Helen Orzanska, Richard Thompson
Estimating the term…
Small airway deposition of orientable drug particles in the lung due to interception is increased through alignment of these particles with an externally applied force such as a magnetic field. Drug particles in one embodiment are made magnetically responsive by loading them with magnetic nanoparticles. Elongated particles have a natural tendency to align parallel to the direction of flow through an airway, and therefore also parallel to airway walls; accordingly, alignment with a magnetic field to any other orientation increases interception, with a maximum increase for alignment perpendicular to airway walls. By positioning a magnetic field across a specific site within the lung, for example in the area of a tumor, the increase in deposition by interception allows localized targeting of inhaled drug particles to that area.
A particle comprising a combination of orienting element and drug, and the orienting element is distributed in the particle to provide a torque on the particle in response to an external field.
A method for delivery of a drug to a lung, the method comprising the steps of:
Apparatus for targeted delivery of drug to the lung, the apparatus comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.