Personal Diagnostics, Inc.

Akro-medic Engineering, Inc.

Dusa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Entremed, Inc.

Gamma Biologicals, Inc.

Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh

Schering-plough Healthcare Products Inc.

Kloehn Instrument Inc.

Peter M Meserol

Jesse L Acker

Rita C Prodell

Thomas Palmieri

Philip A Bernstein

Janet G Murnick

Dean Pappas

Gargi Gupta

An apparatus for photodynamic therapy (PDT) includes a cover (,) shaped to engage skin tissue (,) and a fiber optic panel (,) housed within the cover (,). Hydrogel (,) is located within the cover (,) and is in intimate physical and optical contact with the fiber optic panel (,) for optically coupling light from the fiber optic panel (,) to the skin tissue (,). The hydrogel (,) engages the stratum corneum (,) and hydrates and softens the stratum corneum (,) to enhance its optical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission of light therethrough and to enhance its chemical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission therethrough of photopharmaceuticals (,) for treatment of a dermal lesion

Patch, controller, and method for the photodynamic therapy of a dermal lesion

An improved electrode for use in generating an electrical field in a saline solution is provided. In particular, a continuous crystalline metal nitride coated electrode is provided for use in a variety of saline solution applications, such as in an electrophoresis device for separating proteins or nucleic acids or an electroporation apparatus for the encapsulation of biologically-active substances in various cell populations. A method and apparatus are provided for the encapsulation of biologically-active substances in red blood cells, characterized by an optionally automated, continuous-flow, self-contained electroporation system which allows withdrawal of blood from a patient, separation of red blood cells, encapsulation of a biologically-active substances in the cells, and optional recombination of blood plasma and the modified red blood cells thereby producing blood with modified biological characteristics.

Flow electroporation chamber with electrodes having a crystalline metal

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the encapsulation of biologically-active substances in red blood cell, characterized by an optionally automated, continuous-flow, self-contained electroporation system which allows withdrawal of blood from a patient, separation of red blood cells, encapsulation of a biologically-active substances in the cells, and optional recombination of blood plasma and the modified red blood cells thereby producing blood with modified biological characteristics. The present invention is particularly suited for use to encapsulate allosteric effectors of hemoglobin, thereby reducing the affinity of erythrocytes for oxygen and improving the release of oxygen from erythrocytes in tissues.

Flow electroporation chamber and method

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the encapsulation of biologically-active substances in red blood cells, characterized by an optionally automated, continuous-flow, self-contained electroporation system which allows withdrawal of blood from a patient, separation of red blood cells, encapsulation of a biologically-active substances in the cells, and optional recombination of blood plasma and the modified red blood cells thereby producing blood with modified biological characteristics. The present invention is particularly suited for use to encapsulate allosteric effectors of hemoglobin, thereby reducing the affinity of erythrocytes for oxygen and improving the release of oxygen from erythrocytes in tissues.

An article of manufacture for photodynamic therapy of a dermal lesion located at a dermal treatment site on skin including the stratum corneum, transparent hydrogel for covering the dermal treatment site and containing hydration agent and photopharmaceutical, the transparent hydrogel couples the hydration agent to the stratum corneum to hydrate and soften the stratum corneum to enhance its optical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission of light therethrough and to enhance its chemical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission therethrough of the photopharmaceutical for treatment of the dermal lesion; and light delivery means are included for delivering light through the transparent hydrogel and the hydrated stratum corneum to photoactivate the photopharmaceutical to treat the dermal lesion.

Article of manufacture for the photodynamic therapy of dermal lesion

Apparatus for assaying a fluid sample with radiation capable of exciting fluorescence in fluorescent material comprises a totally internally reflecting, unitary elongated substrate transmissive to both the excitation radiation and to the fluorescence. The fluorescent material includes at least a moiety of an antibody-antigen complex that includes a tag that will provide the fluorescence when excited by an evanescent wave generated by the excitation radiation. The substrate includes an elongated fiber and an integral lens formed to guide the optical radiation into the fiber within the bounds of a critical angle to assure total internal reflectance. A hollow elongated enclosure is disposed concentrically about and spaced from the fiber so as to provide an interspace of capillary dimensions. A test implement supports the elongated substrate, has a reservoir for receiving a fluid sample to be assayed, and is selectively movable to an operative position whereat the fluid sample is caused to flow onto the fiber and, by capillary action, into the interspace between the fiber and the enclosure. The apparatus further includes a source of the excitation radiation, refractive element for focusing the radiation toward the lens, detector for detecting fluorescence radiation emitted from an end of the fiber responsively to the excitation radiation, and optics frame for mounting all components in fixed relation to the lens for introducing the excitation radiation into the lens within the critical angle.

Evanescent wave immunoassay system

Method of applying photodynamic therapy to dermal lesion located at a dermal treatment site in skin which includes the stratum corneum, including the steps of hydrating the stratum corneum at the dermal treatment site to enhance the chemical and optical transparency of the stratum corneum at the dermal treatment site and to enhance the passage therethrough of photopharmaceutical and light, introducing photopharmaceutical into the treatment site through the hydrated stratum corneum, and introducing light into the treatment site through the hydrated stratum corneum to photoactivate the photopharmaceutical to treat the dermal lesion.

Method of applying photodynamic therapy to dermal lesion

Combination controller and patch for photodynamic therapy of a dermal lesion located at a dermal treatment site on skin including stratum corneum, the controller is optically connected to the patch and the patch includes hydrogel containing hydration agent and photopharmaceutical, the patch covers the site and the hydrogel engages and couples the hydration agent to the stratum corneum to hydrate and soften the stratum corneum to enhance its optical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission of light therethrough and to enhance its chemical transmissiveness to facilitate the transmission therethrough of the photopharmaceutical for treatment of the dermal lesion, light delivery apparatus are included in the patch for receiving light from the controller and for delivering light through the hydrogel and the hydrated stratum corneum to the site to photoactivate the photopharmaceutical at the site to treat the dermal lesion.

Combination controller and patch for the photodynamic therapy of dermal

Apparatus for performing immunoassays which is essentially self-contained, requiring only the introduction of a sample and, at appropriate times, washing solution. The apparatus (10) includes: a fluid container (12) having a central platform area with a reaction area (30) which can contain a reactive agent; a sample receiving chamber (22) having a sample conduit (24) located above the porous medium; at least one openable reagent container (46); a conduit (28) for directing reagents onto the porous medium; an opening member (50) attached to the upper unit and positioned to contact and open reagent containers sequentially, by incremental relative rotation of the upper and base units; and a window (34) for viewing the reaction area. The apparatus can also include a sampler member (58) in the nature of a tampon for assays involving samples taken from body cavities.

Apparatus for performing immunoassays

Apparatus and method for depositing reagent only on a specimen contained in a cavity utilizing reagent deposition apparatus under the control of imaging apparatus providing an image of the specimen within the cavity; and an analytic implement including a pair of opposed and spaced apart transparent plates mounted in a frame and providing the cavity therebetween for receiving the specimen.

Slide type analytic device, method, and preparation apparatus

An optical analyzer for determining an analyte in a fluid of interest such as a body fluid of interest satisfying the foregoing need and embodying the present invention may include a housing; combination optically transparent cuvette and lancet mounted removably in the housing, the cuvette may receive an optically transparent reagent test system for reacting with the body fluid to produce a change in at least one optical transmissive characteristic of the system indicative of the analyte; a cuvette carrier mounted slidably in the housing and for removably receiving the cuvette; a spring actuator mounted in the housing and connected to the cuvette carrier, the spring actuator may be compressed and released to advance the carrier and thereby advance the lancet into engagement with a portion of a body to produce the body fluid; depth control apparatus for controlling the depth of penetration of the lancet into the body portion; an electrooptical system mounted in the housing in optical engagement with the cuvette and for passing a light beam through the cuvette and the reagent system and for receiving the light beam modified by the change in optical transmissive characteristic of the system and for transmitting computation signals indicative of the analyte to a computer; a computer mounted in the housing for receiving the computation signals and for comparing the computation signals against predetermined data to produce display signals indicative of the analyte; a display mounted in the housing and for receiving the display signals and for providing a vehicle display indicative of the analyte; and control switches mounted in the housing and connected to the computer for controlling the operation of the computer.

Optical analyzer

A gel body is provided with a reagent system which interacts with a sample portion which diffuses into the gel to change the transmissive properties of the gel. The gel body is used in an assay for various analytes, and preferably has a shape and index of refraction whereby a beam of light can be transmitted through the gel body by total internal reflectance.

Analyte determination using gel including a reagent system reacts with

Apparatus for and process of facilitating reaction between analyte contained in a sample and test reagent system at least one of which sample and test reagent system is a liquid, wherein the liquid one of the sample and test reagent system is placed in a reservoir, the other of the analyte and test reagent system is placed in capillary means dimensioned for entry into the reservoir, the reservoir and capillary means being mounted for at least relative movement towards each other and entry of the capillary means into the reservoir to draw by capillary attraction the liquid one of the sample and test reagent system from the reservoir into the capillary means and to bring the analyte and test reagent system into contact in the capillary means and facilitate the reaction.

Apparatus and processes for facilitating reaction between analyte and

Cuvette with or without a lancet secured thereto and extending therefrom for producing skin puncture to produce body fluid of interest, the cuvette is made of optically transparent material and is provided with a shape and a plurality of optical elements such as integrally formed optical elements for causing a light beam to pass therethrough by total internal reflectance and for causing the beam of light to be reflected back along a line different from the direction of the line of entry of the beam of light into the cuvette such as back along a line generally parallel to the line of entry of the beam of light into the cuvette and in the opposite direction to the direction of entry of the beam of light into the cuvette.

Cuvette

A biological fluid assay system and method for the determination of immunoreactive characteristics of biological specimen and more particularly for the qualitative determination of immunological reactions. The apparatus includes a centrifuge rotor, a disposable belt mountable on the centrifuge rotor, and a plurality of light transmissive chambers as components of the removable belt, each of the chambers having a vertical apex and a horizontal radial apex for accepting a sample comprising a specimen and an appropriate reagent. An illumination system projects an image of the sample while a linear photosensitive array detects the image of the sample for measuring the vertical dimension of the sample and a microprocessor analyzes the vertical dimension of the sample. A sample is radially accelerated to compress the particulate portion of the sample or reagent into a compact mass in the extreme radial portion of the transparent chamber. The centrifugal force on the sample is balanced with the gravitational force acting on the compact mass by decelerating the rotor. The vertical dimension of the compact mass is measured while the sample is rotating. The vertical dimension of the compact mass is again measured after a delay to determine the presence of vertical streaming. The difference between the vertical dimension of the compact mass before streaming and the vertical dimension of the mass after streaming is completed, due to gravitational attraction, is determined.

Growing community of inventors

Montville, NJ, United States of America

Peter M Meserol