Method and system for delivering therapeutic agents

A method for internally delivering therapeutic material into a patient, comprising the steps of:

• supporting a patient on a patient support which is relatively movable with respect to an injection tool mounted on a computer controlled manipulator arm to permit the tool to be inserted into select regions of the patient's body under control of a computer wherein said injection tool comprises an injection needle having a conduit therein for flowing a fluid medium containing a therapeutic agent into tissue in which the needle is inserted and an injector for forcing the medium through said conduit;
• scanning a select portion of the patient's body with a scanning device so as to generate scanning information relating to select regions of the patient's body;
• sensing the relative positions of said patient support, said injection tool, and said scanning imaging device, and generating and feeding coded signals representing the sensed positions to a computer in digitized form;
• operating the computer to calculate location coordinates of a select body region requiring treatment and defined by select pixels making of the images produced by said scanning imaging device, using the coded signals to predeterminately and relatively position of said patient support means and said scanning device;
• designating and inputting to a computer information defining select pixels of images produced by said scanning device which information represents select regions of the patient's body to which it is desired to deliver select therapeutic material;
• calculating location coordinates of said injection device and determining if an operating end of said injection tool is properly located at a select body region into which it is desired to deliver said therapeutic material;
• and, when so located,
• operating said injection tool to deliver a select amount of said therapeutic material into said select body region and injecting a medicinal agent into said select body region through a second conduit extending through said injection needle.

A system for delivering a therapeutic agent to a patient comprising:

• a computer;
• an injector assembly comprising an injection needle having a conduit therein for flowing a fluid into tissue in which the needle is inserted and an injector for forcing, a therapeutic agent through said conduit wherein said therapeutic agent is a transplant medium containing cellular transplants;
• an automatic manipulator including a manipulator arm assembly for supporting and operating said injection needle and a power driving device for moving said manipulator arm along multiple axes;
• a patient support structure having a support surface;
• a power driven device operable under computer control for moving said support surface and said manipulator arm assembly relative to one another to cause the manipulator arm assembly to controllably move said injection needle into select regions of the patient's body;
• a scanning system including an imaging device for generating image information of select anatomical regions of the patient's body;
• a plurality of sensors for sensing the relative positions of said patient support, said manipulator arm assembly, and said scanning imaging device, and generating and feeding coded signals representing the sensed positions to said computer;
• a first computer program for calculating location coordinates of select body regions defined by pixels of images produced by said scanning imaging device and using the coded signals representing the sensed relative positions of said patient support means and said imaging device;
• and
• a second computer program for calculating location coordinates of said injection needle and determining when said injection needle is located at said select body region into which it is desired to deliver a therapeutic agent.