The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 29, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 31, 1995
Ronald R Price, Stevensville, MD (US);
Bruce P Gaber, Bethesda, MD (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a composition for, and a method of, delivering an active agent at a controlled rate. The composition of the invention is a hollow ceramic or inorganic microtubule, where the active agent is contained within the lumen of the microtubules. Typically, the agent is adsorbed onto an inner surface of the microtubule. The method of the invention is disposing this novel composition in a use environment. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a microtubule is a tubule having an inner diameter of less than 0.2 .mu.m, and microtubules are tubules having an average inner diameter less than 0.2 .mu.m. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow ceramic or inorganic microtubule is a mineral microtubule, such as halloysite, cylindrite, boulangerite, or imogolite. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the mineral microtubule has a biodegradable polymeric carrier disposed in its lumen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter of the microtubules varies from about 0.20 .mu.m to about 0.35 .mu.m, or averages about 0.40 .mu.m. In another preferred embodiment, of the invention, the inner diameter of the microtubules varies from about 200 .ANG. to about 1000 .ANG..