Self-Actuating Needle/Biopsy Punch

Self-actuating articles including, for example, self-actuating needles and/or self-actuating biopsy punches, are generally provided. Advantageously, the self-actuating articles described herein may be useful as a general platform for delivery of a wide variety of pharmaceutical drugs that are typically delivered via injection directly into tissue due to degradation in the GI tract. The self-actuating articles described herein may also be used to deliver sensors and/or take biopsies without the need for an endoscopy. In some embodiments, the article comprises a spring (e.g., a coil spring, a beam, a material having particular mechanical recovery characteristics). Those of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the term spring is not intended to be limited to coil springs, but generally encompass any reversibly compressive material and/or component which, after releasing an applied compressive force on the material/component, the material/component substantially returns to an uncompressed length of the material/component (e.g., the within 95% of the length of the material/component prior to compression).

Researchers

Robert Langer / Ester Caffarel Salvador / Niclas Roxhed / Minsoo Khang / Alex Abramson / Taylor Bensel / Giovanni Traverso

Departments: Office of the Institute Professors, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Technology Areas: Biomaterials & Bioelectronics: Health Monitoring / Biotechnology: Biomedical Devices & Systems, Sensors & Monitoring / Sensing & Imaging: Chemical & Radiation Sensing
Impact Areas: Healthy Living

  • self-actuating articles
    United States of America | Granted | 11,712,421
  • self-actuating articles
    United States of America | Published application
  • self-actuating articles
    Japan | Granted | 7,295,811
  • self-actuating articles
    European Patent Convention | Published application
  • self-actuating articles
    China | Granted | 110,891,635
  • self-actuating articles
    Canada | Published application
  • self-actuating articles
    Australia | Granted | 2,018,269,547

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