Needleless syringe for the subcutaneous injection of droplets of liquid substances

A needleless syringe for injecting a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, comprising:

• a generator of high velocity jet of gas;
• a generator of droplets of the liquid substance having an outlet for supplying the droplets of the liquid substance into the high velocity jet of gas whereby the droplets of the liquid substance are conveyed within the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• a channel for guiding the high velocity jet of gas toward a surface of the target biological tissue to thereby inject the conveyed droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• wherein the generator of the droplets of the liquid substance comprises:
• a reservoir containing the liquid substance;
• a perforated membrane interposed between the reservoir of the liquid substance and the channel for guiding the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• a source of pressurization of the reservoir containing the liquid substance to force the liquid substance from the liquid reservoir through the perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance that transforms into a stream of the droplets;
• and
• wherein the perforated membrane is interposed between the liquid reservoir and the channel for guiding the flow of the high velocity jet of gas along a face of the perforated membrane on a side of the perforated membrane opposite to the liquid reservoir, whereby the jet of the liquid substance and the generated droplets of the liquid substance are supplied within the high velocity jet of gas laterally of the direction of the flow of said high velocity jet of gas.

A method for needleless injection of a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, the method comprising:

• generating droplets of the liquid substance;
• accelerating the droplets of the liquid substance at a velocity sufficiently high to inject the droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• and
• directing the droplets of the liquid substance toward a surface of the target biological tissue at the sufficiently high velocity to inject the droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• wherein generating the droplets of the liquid substance comprises injecting a pressurized gas from a pressurized source into a reservoir containing the liquid substance to force the liquid substance from the liquid reservoir through at least one micro-orifice of a perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, wherein the jet of the liquid substance transforms into a stream of the droplets.

A needleless syringe for injecting a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, comprising:

• a generator of droplets of the liquid substance;
• and
• a droplet accelerator for accelerating the droplets of the liquid substance toward a surface of the target biological tissue in order to inject the accelerated droplets into the target biological tissue;
• and
• wherein the generator of droplets comprises:
• a reservoir of the liquid substance to be injected;
• a perforated membrane comprising at least one micro-orifice through which the liquid substance from the reservoir is supplied;
• a source of pressurized gas;
• and
• a valve for connecting the source of pressurized gas to the reservoir of the liquid substance, wherein opening of the valve causes pressurized gas from the source to be supplied to the reservoir for pressurizing the reservoir of the liquid substance and forcing the liquid substance through the at least one micro-orifice of the perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, wherein the jet of the liquid substance transforms into a stream of the droplets.

A method for needleless injection of a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, the method comprising:

• generating droplets of the liquid substance;
• accelerating the droplets of the liquid substance, at a velocity sufficiently high to inject the droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• and
• directing the droplets of the liquid substance toward a surface of the target biological tissue at the sufficiently high velocity to inject the droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• wherein generating the droplets of the liquid substance comprises:
• supplying pressurized gas to a gas-tight chamber;
• applying, by means of the pressurized gas in the gas-tight chamber, a pressure to a slidable piston interposed between the gas-tight chamber and a reservoir of the liquid substance to be injected;
• compressing the liquid substance in the liquid reservoir by means of the pressure applied to the slidable piston to force the liquid substance through at least one micro-orifice of a perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, wherein the jet of the liquid substance transforms into a stream of the droplets.

A needleless syringe for injecting a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, comprising:

• a generator of droplets of the liquid substance;
• and
• a droplet accelerator for accelerating the droplets of the liquid substance toward a surface of the target biological tissue in order to inject the accelerated droplets into the target biological tissue;
• and
• wherein the generator of droplets comprises:
• a source of pressurized gas;
• a gas-tight chamber connected to the source of pressurized gas through a valve;
• a reservoir of the liquid substance to be injected;
• a slidable piston interposed between the liquid reservoir and the gas-tight chamber;
• a perforated membrane comprising at least one micro-orifice through which the liquid substance from the reservoir is supplied;
• and
• wherein opening of the valve to supply pressurized gas from the source to the gas-tight chamber applies a pressure on the slidable piston to compress the liquid substance in the liquid reservoir and force the liquid substance through the at least one micro-orifice of the perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, wherein the jet of the liquid substance transforms into a stream of the droplets.

A method for needleless injection of a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, the method comprising:

• generating a high velocity jet of gas;
• generating droplets of the liquid substance;
• supplying and conveying the droplets of the liquid substance into the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• guiding the high velocity jet of gas through a channel toward a surface of the target biological tissue for injecting the conveyed droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• wherein generating the droplets of the liquid substance comprises containing the liquid substance in a cylindrical reservoir positioned coaxial within the channel, the cylindrical reservoir comprising a downstream perforated membrane and an upstream slidable piston and the liquid substance being contained in the cylindrical reservoir between the perforated membrane and the slidable piston;
• wherein generating the high velocity jet of gas comprises releasing upstream of the channel pressurized gas to produce the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• wherein pressurized gas released in the channel applies a pressure to the slidable piston to compress the liquid substance in the liquid reservoir and force the liquid substance through the perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, the jet of the liquid substance transforming into a stream of the droplets supplied in the high velocity jet of gas.

A needleless syringe for injecting a liquid substance into a target biological tissue, the syringe comprising:

• a generator of high velocity jet of gas;
• a generator of droplets of the liquid substance having an outlet for supplying the droplets of the liquid substance into the high velocity jet of gas whereby the droplets of the liquid substance are conveyed within the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• a channel for guiding the high velocity jet of gas toward a surface of the target biological tissue to thereby inject the conveyed droplets of the liquid substance into the target biological tissue;
• wherein the generator of the droplets of the liquid substance comprises a cylindrical reservoir containing the liquid substance and positioned coaxial within the channel, the cylindrical reservoir comprising a downstream perforated membrane and an upstream slidable piston and the liquid substance being contained in the cylindrical reservoir between the perforated membrane and the slidable piston;
• wherein the generator of the high velocity jet of gas comprises a source of pressurized gas positioned upstream of the channel to release in the channel pressurized gas to produce the high velocity jet of gas;
• and
• wherein pressurized gas released form the source applies a pressure to the slidable piston to compress the liquid substance in the liquid reservoir and force the liquid substance through the perforated membrane to thereby produce a jet of the liquid substance, the jet of the liquid substance transforming into a stream of the droplets supplied in the high velocity jet of gas.