University of Virginia Patent Foundation

Virginia Commonwealth University

Other

Ut-battelle, Inc.

Stereotaxis, Inc.

Creative Science Solutions, Inc.

William C Broaddus

George T Gillies

Helen L Fillmore

Zhi-Jian Chen

John Kucharczyk

Roger Noel Hastings

Jeffrey M Garibaldi

Raphael M Ottenbrite

Stephen W Allison

Matthew R Begley

Marcel Utz

Boyd M Evans, Iii

Robert K Yu

Richard Latchaw

Rahul Mahajan

John A Jane

Shelley Hoover

Erhard Bieberich

John S Shurm, Jr

A system and related method for delivering the anti-tumoral agent carmustine or other types of diagnostic or therapeutic agents into the brain of a patient with a brain tumor includes an insertion device, a skull mount, and a reformulated geometry of the carmustine compound (or other material) optimized for use in the insertion device and for maximized biodegradation time. The insertion device may be front loaded with the carmustine material (or other material) and inserted through the mount on a skull, to the location of the brain tumor, where the carmustine (or other material) is then released. It should be appreciated that the diagnostic and/or therapeutic system and related method thereof are not necessarily limited to the brain of a subject. It may also be used in the organ structures or tubular structures, as well as portions and locations thereof.

System and method for intracranial implantation of therapeutic or diagnostic agents

Systems and methods for use in monitoring treatment of pressure-related conditions, such as hydrocephalus, include an implantable vessel, and a meter including one or more microfluidic channels connected to the vessel. The microfluidic channels may be configured to detect at least one of pressure and fluid flow rate through the vessel and to be read out remotely by a wirelessly coupled external device. The meter may include a passive resonant (LC) circuit. A dynamic flap may be included in the microfluidic channel that may act as part of the LC circuit. An external device may also be configured to inductively couple remotely to the LC circuit, with-out physical connections to the implantable vessel or pressure meter, and to display a pressure acting on the pressure meter and/or a fluid flow through the meter.

Meters for in-vivo monitoring

A method, technique and system is disclosed for the delivery of therapeutic agents and/or into the bulk brain tissues and other parts, tissues and organs of the body, including vasculature. A novel form of coaxial catheter provides a means for implanting an outer tube into the brain, then inserting an inner tube into the outer tube and aligning them such that port holes on both of the tubes will overlap and permit a flux of the therapeutic agent to flow into the brain in such a way as to minimize the effects of trapped air, virtually eliminate backflow of the agent, and avoid the potential for additional damage to the brain since only one surgical placement of the outer tube is needed. Similarly, the method, technique system may be utilized to remove fluids or other medium from the brain, tissues, and organs to minimize the effects of escaped air or negative pressure.

Coaxial catheter systems for transference of medium

A functionalized tip is incorporated into catheters for the cytometric delivery of cells into the brain and other body parts. For use in the brain, the tip forms part of a neurosurgical probe having a proximal end and a distal end. In addition to the functionalized tip, the probe has at least one cell slurry delivery lumen and a plurality of optical fibers configured along the probe, terminating in the tip to provide the photo-optical capability needed to monitor the viability and physiological behavior of the grafted cells as well as certain characteristics of the cellular environment. Details are also presented of the use of a neurocatheter having a cytometric tip of the type disclosed in the invention, as employed within the context of a feedback and control system for regulating the number of cells delivered to the brain of a patient.

Means and methods for cytometric therapies

A method and means of cranial bone flap fixation that provides, among other things, the re-opening, resetting and/or repositioning of the bone flap during neurosurgical procedures. The instrumentation central to this method and means is MR and CT-visible to aid in imaging-based localization of it. The method and means can also be used in other types of medical procedures where certain kinds of hard or firm tissue fixation is desirable according to the method of the invention.

Closure device for skull plates and related method thereof

A cell delivery catheter having one of more apearutres is used to positon and deliver cells to an implant site in a patient.

Cell delivery catheter and method

Cells are generated from skin biopsies for use in cell implantation by identifying a source of skin cells that have a surface concentration of at least one cell selected from the group consisting of keritinocytes and/or melanocytes; taking a sample of tissue from the surface area; mechanically disaggregating the tissue samples; collecting the disaggregated cells; washing the disaggregated cells; filtering the washed disaggregated cells; providing a cell suspension with filtered and washed keritinocytes and/or melanocytes; and suspending the cell suspension in a medium. In greater particularity, the method may comprise a) identifying a source of skin cells that have a surface concentration of at least 400 cells per square millimeter of surface area of at least one cell selected from the group consisting of keritinocytes and/or melanocytes; b) taking a sample of those skin cells and culturing them to enrich for cells selected from the group consisting of keritinocytes and melanocytes to form cultured cells for transplantation purposes c) concentrating the cells selected from the group consisting of keritinocytes and/or melanocytes from the cultured mass of cells; and d) differentiating the concentrated cells selected from the group consisting of keritinocytes an/or melanocytes.

Differentiation of specialized dermal and epidermal cells into neuronal cells

A method of magnetically manipulating a medical device within a body part of a human patient in conjunction with MR imaging includes applying a navigating magnetic field with magnets from the MR imaging device, and changing the magnetic moment of the medical device to change the orientation of the medical device within the body part.

Catheter navigation within an MR imaging device

The present invention provides methods for treating disease conditions associated with abnormal cellular proliferation, inflammation and viral infection or proliferation by the administration of ceramic analogs. The ceramic analogs appear to be specific for modulation of the enzyme PKC&zgr;.

Hydroxyalkyl amide analogs of ceramide

The present invention provides a vector for stably transforming cells. The vector comprises the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from,as a marker. The invention also provides stably transfected cell lines which may be used to assess real-time biological processes, including tumor cell migration.

Establishment of cell lines with persistent expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) using a pIRES/EGFP DNA vector construct

A method of sequential consensus region-directed amplification comprising, (a) amplifying a first segment of at least one target DNA in a DNA mixture, using a first and second oligonucleotide primer, each of which hybridizes to the target DNA, and a nucleic acid polymerase, under conditions in which DNA amplification is achieved, resulting in a first segment of double-stranded DNA; (b) amplifying a second segment of the first segment of double-stranded DNA, using a third and fourth oligonucleotide primer, each of which hybridizes to the first DNA segment, and a nucleic acid polymerase, under conditions in which DNA amplification is achieved, resulting in a second segment of double-stranded DNA.

Sequential consensus region-directed amplification of known and novel members of gene families

The present invention comprises a device and method for targeted drug delivery, and especially intracranial inflsion or retroperfusion drug delivery using nonlinear magnetic stereotaxis in combination with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and/or X-ray visualization. An MR-visible and/or X-ray visible drug delivery device is positioned by non-linear magnetic stereotaxis at a site such as an intracranial target site, its location is verified via MR imaging, and it is then used to deliver a biologically active material such as a diagnostic or therapeutic drug solution into that site (such as the brain) at constant or variable rates. The spatial distribution kinetics of the injected or infised drug agent may be monitored quantitatively and non-invasively using real-time MR-imaging such as water proton directional diffusion MR imaging, to establish the efficacy of targeted drug delivery.

Growing community of inventors

Midlothian, VA, United States of America

William C Broaddus