Systems and methods for enhancing uptake of therapeutic agent from bloodstream into disease site

Abstract

A method, for enhancing uptake, into a disease site, of therapeutic agent administered to the bloodstream, includes sealing a partial enclosure to the patient at the disease site, administering the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream at a first time, and evacuating air from the partial enclosure to produce a partial vacuum in the partial enclosure at a second time that is after the first time by a first delay. A system, for enhancing uptake, into a disease site, of therapeutic agent administered to the bloodstream, includes a first partial enclosure configured to seal to an exposed surface overlying the disease site, a pump configured to produce a partial vacuum in the first partial enclosure to enhance the uptake of the therapeutic agent, and a control module for controlling delay between delivery of the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream and production of the partial vacuum.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for enhancing uptake, into a disease site of patient, of therapeutic agent administered to bloodstream of the patient, comprising:
 sealing a partial enclosure to the patient at the disease site;   administering the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream, said administering including starting delivery of the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream at a first time; and   evacuating air from the partial enclosure to produce a partial vacuum in the partial enclosure, thereby applying negative pressure to the disease site to form pressure differential favorable for transport of the therapeutic agent from the bloodstream into the disease site, said evacuating including starting evacuation of the partial enclosure at a second time that is after the first time and offset from the first time by a first delay.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , the step of sealing comprising sealing the partial enclosure to an exposed surface of the patient, the exposed surface overlying the disease site, the disease site being a non-zero distance away from the exposed surface. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , the partial vacuum being characterized by a negative pressure of magnitude at least as great as magnitude of positive pressure within disease site. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , the partial vacuum being characterized by a negative pressure at least as negative as −38 mmHg. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , the partial vacuum having magnitude greater than magnitude of positive pressure within disease site, to account for distance between partial enclosure and the disease site. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , the step of administering comprising administering the therapeutic agent to a vein. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , the step of administering comprising administering the therapeutic agent to artery upstream of the disease site. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , in the step of evacuating, the first delay matching propagation time of the therapeutic agent from (a) location of delivery of the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream to (b) the disease site. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 further comprising monitoring the bloodstream to determine time of arrival of the therapeutic agent to the disease site; and   in the step of evacuating, the second time being the time of arrival of the therapeutic agent to the disease site.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 ,
 the step of administering comprising administering, together with the therapeutic agent, a reporting agent to the blood stream; and   the step of monitoring comprising detecting the reporting agent.   
     
     
         11 . A system for enhancing uptake, into a disease site of patient, of therapeutic agent administered to bloodstream of the patient, comprising:
 a first partial enclosure with edge configured to interface with an exposed surface, of the patient and overlying the disease site, to seal the first partial enclosure to the exposed surface;   a pump configured to evacuate air from the first partial enclosure to produce a partial vacuum in the first partial enclosure, to apply a negative pressure to the disease site so as to enhance the uptake of the therapeutic agent; and   a control module for controlling delay between (a) delivery of the therapeutic agent to the bloodstream and (b) first production of a partial vacuum in the first partial enclosure.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , the first partial enclosure having size sufficient to apply the negative pressure to all of the disease site. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 ,
 further comprising a magnetometer for detecting magnetic substance propagating through bloodstream together with the therapeutic agent, to determine time of arrival of the therapeutic agent to the disease site; and   the control module being configured to for synchronizing the first production of the partial vacuum with the arrival.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a sensor for measuring property within the disease site;   and a needle for inserting the sensor into the disease site.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , the needle being integrated in the first partial enclosure for insertion into the patient inside the first partial enclosure. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , the sensor being a pressure sensor for measuring pressure within the disease site. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , the sensor being a blood perfusion sensor for measuring blood perfusion within the disease site. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 :
 further comprising a device for detecting reporting agent propagating through bloodstream together with the therapeutic agent, to determine time of arrival of the therapeutic agent to the disease site; and   the control module being configured to synchronize the production of the partial vacuum with the arrival.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , the device being configured to detect change in at least one magnetic property, and the reporting agent including a magnetic substance. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , the device being an optical fluorescence detector, and the reporting agent including a fluorescent substance.