Encapsulation device, medical capsules, and encapsulation method
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorsTaki Hashimoto, Yoshiki Fukui
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An encapsulation device includes: a fluid injection device that injects a first liquid forming a core; a liquid film holder that holds in film form a second liquid forming a shell containing the core; and a liquid contact device that makes the shell in contact with a third liquid, in which the first liquid is injected toward a liquid film of the second liquid retained by the liquid film holder to form a core, the core is wrapped with the second liquid on passing through the liquid film of the second liquid, thereby forming the shell, and the shell is made in contact with the third liquid to induce chemical reaction.
Claims8
A drug encapsulation device configured to form drug containing capsules of under 100 microns in diameter, the drug encapsulation device comprising:
- a liquid injection device that injects a first liquid to form a core;
- a liquid film holder that holds a second liquid in film form, wherein a shell of the second liquid containing the core is formed when the core passes through the second liquid wherein at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid comprises a drug;
- and
- a fluid contact device that makes the shell come into contact with a third liquid,
- wherein the first liquid is injected toward a liquid film of the second liquid retained by the liquid film holder,
- wherein the core is wrapped with the second liquid on passing through the liquid film of the second liquid,
- wherein a chemical reaction is induced in the shell when the shell is in contact with the third liquid;
- a distance from the fluid injection device to a surface of the liquid film of the liquid film holder is from 10 to 10,000 μm;
- and
- wherein a distance from the surface of the liquid film of the liquid film holder to a liquid surface of the fluid contact device is from 0.1 to 50 mm.
A drug encapsulation method to form drug containing capsules of under 100 microns, the method comprising:
- forming a core by injecting a first liquid toward a liquid film of a second liquid retained in film form;
- wrapping the core with the second liquid by passing the core through the liquid film of the second liquid, thereby forming a shell containing the core;
- and
- making the shell come into contact with a third liquid to induce a chemical reaction;
- and
- controlling a contact time between the core and the second liquid and a contact time between the shell and the third liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.