Ciba-geigy Corporation

Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Richard Wolf Gmbh

Medlight S.a.

Photoderma Sa

Georges Wagnieres

Hubert Van Den Bergh

Norbert Lange

Philippe Monnier

Max M Cornaz, Heir

Jean-Pierre Cornaz, Heir

Maria I Cornaz, Heir

Peter F Cornaz, Deceased

Matthieu Zellweger

Ulf Zanger

Pavel Kucera

Patrice Jichlinski

Alain Woodtli

Denis Salomon

Nicolas Chauvin

Alexandre Marti

Thomas Glanzmann

Roland Bays

Jérôme Barge

Nora Dögnitz

Andre Studzinski

The present invention relates to photosensitizer compounds for use in cosmetic and therapeutic applications of photodynamic therapy. The compounds of the present invention are designed for topical application and are characterized by a low permeability to the stratum corneum (the outer skin layer of an individual) and/or a low allergenic potential. Surprisingly, such compounds have beneficial properties in the treatment of certain diseases and lack the undesired damages to healthy skin entailed by prior art compounds. ALA (5-aminolevulinic acid)-esters of body-owned, natural compound such as aminoacids, steroids, carbohydrates, alcohols are preferred examples of photosensitizers of the present invention. The compounds of the present invention are used in the treatment of skin diseases such as psoriasis, sebaceous glands related conditions including acne, seborrhoic dermatitis, rosacea, skin cancer and precancer, as well as in cosmetic hair removal.

Compounds useful in therapeutic and cosmetic methods

A method for hair removal from a skin area by selective photo-inactivation of the pilo-sebaceous apparatus using derivatives of ALA with alkylene-glycol chains. Selectivity of the method is further enhanced by treatment of the epidermis by agents reducing PpIX levels in the epidermis. Side effects are diminished by using short drug/light intervals.

Method for hair removal

The invention concerns a 5-aminolevulinic acid ester (E-ALA) solution for producing a pharmaceutical preparation useful for diagnosing and/or treating tissue and/or cell pathologies by local radiation exposure using radiation emitted by a light source energy followed, in the case diagnosis, by detection of fluorescent protoporphyrin IX (Pp1X). The E-ALA concentration in the solution is less than 1% and ranges between 0.01% and 0.5%. The low E-ALA concentration in the solution increases Pp1X synthesis and homogenises its distribution in the cell layers while highly reducing the secondary toxicity for the treated cells.

Solution for diagnosing or treating tissue pathologies

A device for the irradiation of internal cavities of the body includes a flexible catheter, made of a transparent material, containing a fiber optic of which the section at one end is designed to radially diffuse light coming from a source arranged at the other end. An inflatable balloon fixed to one end of the catheter surrounds the diffusing section of the fiber optic. The balloon is made of an elastomeric material that diffuses the light and is prefabricated by molding based on the shape of the cavity to be treated. The balloon presses against the cavity wall and, with the thickness of its surfaces remaining constant after inflation, the pressure needed for inflation is low and cannot damage the cavity tissues.

Device for irradiating internal cavities of the body

The diagnosis apparatus according to the invention for the picture providing recording of fluorescing biological tissue by way of an endoscope contains a stimulation light source which beams spectral components suitable for fluorescence stimulation into the tissue through the endoscope. The fluorescent light reflected by the tissue reaches through the endoscope optics into a head piece where it is split into a green, and spacially separated from this, a red spectral component and falls each on one half of a CCD solid body of a highly sensitive black and white camera. In an electronic and processor component the video signals allocated to the green and to the red spectral component are processed into two separate processing channels in a manner such that the separately processed green-red video signals are simultaneously inputted to a color video monitor and here may be superimposed to a red-green monitor picture, which may show changes of tissue indicating disease, for example dysplasia, carcinomas in situ etc., in all organs which are endoscopically accessible.

Diagnosis apparatus for the picture providing recording of fluorescing

A light diffuser for simultaneous photodynamic therapy and hyperthermic treatment in the oesophagus has an arrangement (14 to 18) which disperses radially the light (10) fed in by way of an optical fiber (6) and has a tube (12) filled with silicone to which are added concentrations, modulated in the axial direction, of quartz grains having a diameter of approximately 40 .mu.m which bring about a refraction having little dependence on the wavelength.

Light diffuser for the photodynamic therapy of tumors in the oesophagus

A bronchoscope has a fibre-optic apparatus for the photodynamic treatment of tumors in the region of the furcate branches of the bronchi, the divergent pencil of rays (13), which emerges from the end face (9) of an optical fibre, striking a lens arrangement consisting of two microlenses (14,15) which, owing to the spherical aberration, deflect edge rays (23) in the divergent pencil of rays (13) of the optical fibre (8) in such a manner that a homogeneous sharp-edged emerging pencil of rays is formed.

Fibre-optic apparatus for the photodynamic treatment of tumors

In a device for injecting the light energy of a laser beam into a multimode fibre-optic optical waveguide (2) a small part of the light emerging from the end face of the optical waveguide (2) is projected through a beam splitting cube (7) and a reproducing lens (21) onto a display screen (1), so that an image (24) of the end face of the optical waveguide (2) can be observed on the display screen (1). The arrangement is such that the system is correctly focused only when the distance between the optical waveguide (2) and a focusing point of the laser beam (12) reaches an intended value. The light spot of the laser beam on the end face of the optical waveguide (2) is clearly visible on the display screen (1) so than an optimum positioning and adjustment can be readily effected.

Device for injecting the light energy of a laser beam into a fibre-optic

An apparatus for precise, homogeneous and sharp-edged irradiation of a large area with the light of a laser beam (5), which can be used especially for large-area photodynamic therapy, is provided with a multimode fibre (10), which is illuminated by the laser beam by way of a microscope objective (4) and has a length of approximately 5 meters, and the end face (13) of which is imaged onto an irradiated area (7) of a working surface (6) by means of a microscope (17).

Apparatus for homogenizing the non-homogeneous light distribution of a

An apparatus for irradiating the bronchi of a patient for the purpose of photodynamic therapy has an optical fibre (11) that feeds the light of a laser into a bronchoscope and is surrounded by a light-guide tube (8) and an outer tube (2). The distal end (13) of the optical fibre (11) is embedded in a silicone composition (17) containing 7 parts per thousand of TiO.sub.2 particles having a particle size of 0.2 .mu.m. The silicone composition (17) fills the front end of the light-guide tube (8) as far as the end face (6) of an aluminium cylinder (5) which acts as a mirror. The light dispersed by the TiO.sub.2 particles is emitted radially through the light-guide tube (8) and the front portion of the outer tube (2) and acts on the patient's bronchi.

Apparatus for irradiating the bronchi of a patient for the purpose of

An optical waveguide plug connection for the transmission of high continuous wave light powers from an incoming optical waveguide into an outgoing optical waveguide comprises a metallic plug housing equipped with a metallic centering element. The incoming optical waveguide and the outgoing optical waveguide project into the centering element, the end faces of the two optical waveguides being arranged opposite each other. The width of the gap is approximately in the range of from 5 to 30 micrometres. The core diameter of the outgoing optical waveguide is approximately one third larger than the core diameter of the incoming optical waveguide. The gap is filled with gas. The plug housing is connected to a housing of large surface area which dissipates heat. Using this plug connection, continuous wave powers of up to some 100's of watts in the case of visible to infrared laser light can be transmitted with a high degree of coupling without danger to the end faces of the coupling connection.

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Lutry, Switzerland

Georges Wagnieres