Systems and methods for imploding leukemia cells

Abstract

A system for imploding leukemia cells of a patient includes (a) a first vessel for containing a volume of blood received from the patient, and (b) drive circuitry cooperatively coupled with at least one transducer to produce ultrasound energy that spatially decoheres and disperses throughout the volume, to implode the leukemia cells throughout the volume via absorption of the ultrasound energy by the leukemia cells. The transducer may be an immersible transducer configured to be immersed in the blood. The system may include a second vessel for containing a liquid, within which the ultrasound energy is decohered and dispersed and from which at least a portion of the ultrasound energy is transmitted to the first vessel to implode the leukemia cells.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for imploding leukemia cells, comprising:
 a vessel including a bent wall with first and second planar portions, an angle between the first and second planar portions and inside the vessel being less than 180 degrees; and   first and second transducers affixed to the first and second planar portions, respectively;   such that first and second ultrasound energies, when generated by the first and second transducers, spatially decohere, disperse, and intersect within a volume of blood contained in the vessel to implode leukemia cells in the volume of blood via absorption of the first and second ultrasound energies.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first transducer is affixed to an outer surface of the first planar portion; and   the second transducer is affixed to an outer surface of the second planar portion.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , each of the first and second transducers being selected from the group consisting of a piezoelectric transducer and a Langevin transducer. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , a frequency of each of the first and second ultrasound energies being between 20 kHz and 15 MHz. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising drive circuitry that electrically connects to the first and second transducers. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , the drive circuitry being configured to drive the first and second transducers at the same frequency. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , the drive circuitry being configured to drive the first transducer out of phase with the second transducer such that the first ultrasound energy is out of phase with the second ultrasound energy. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the vessel includes a top wall opposite to the bent wall; and   the first and second planar portions form the angle such that the first and second ultrasound energies intersect after reflecting off of the top wall.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second surfaces form the angle such that the first and second ultrasound energies intersect after reflecting off of a blood-to-air interface. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , a thickness of the plate being equal to an integer number of half wavelengths of the first and second ultrasound energies. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , the plate comprising stainless steel. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , each of the first and second surfaces being curved. 
     
     
         13 . A method for imploding leukemia cells, comprising:
 directing first ultrasound energy into a volume of blood by driving a first transducer affixed to a first planar portion of a bent wall of a vessel containing the volume of blood; and   directing second ultrasound energy into the volume of blood by driving a second transducer affixed to a second planar portion of the bent wall, wherein an angle between the first and second planar portions and inside the vessel is less than 180 degrees;   such that the first and second ultrasound energies spatially decohere, disperse, and intersect within the volume of blood to implode leukemia cells in the volume of blood via absorption of the first and second ultrasound energies.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising receiving the volume of blood from a patient. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said driving the first transducer includes driving the first transducer at a frequency; and   said driving the second transducer includes driving the second transducer at the frequency.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said driving the first transducer includes driving the first transducer with a first drive signal having a first polarity; and   said driving the second transducer includes driving the second transducer with a second drive signal having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity;   such that the first and second ultrasound energies are out-of-phase.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said directing first ultrasound energy includes reflecting the first ultrasound energy off of a top wall of the vessel opposite the bent wall; and   said directing second ultrasound energy includes reflecting the second ultrasound energy off of the top wall;   such that the first and second ultrasound energies intersect within the volume after said reflecting.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 said directing first ultrasound energy includes reflecting the first ultrasound energy off of a blood-to-air interface; and   said directing second ultrasound energy includes reflecting the second ultrasound energy off of the blood-to-air interface;   such that the first and second ultrasound energies intersect within the volume after said reflecting.   
     
     
         19 . A method for imploding leukemia cells of a patient, comprising:
 directing first ultrasound energy along a first direction into a volume of blood by driving, with a first drive signal having a first polarity, a first transducer affixed to a vessel at a first location, the vessel containing the volume of blood; and   directing second ultrasound energy along a second direction into the volume of blood by driving, with a second drive signal having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity, a second transducer affixed to the vessel at a second location, the second direction being parallel to the first direction, a distance between the first and second directions being selected to couple the first and second ultrasound energies;   wherein the first and second ultrasound energies spatially decohere and disperse throughout the volume of blood to implode the leukemia cells in the volume of blood via absorption of the first and second ultrasound energies.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first and second drive signals have the same frequency. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising generating the first and second drive signals to have the first and second polarities, respectively. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising receiving the volume of blood from a patient. 
     
     
         23 . A method for imploding leukemia cells of a patient, comprising:
 directing first ultrasound energy along a first direction into a volume of blood by driving, with a first drive signal at a first frequency, a first transducer affixed to a vessel at a first location, the vessel containing the volume of blood; and   directing second ultrasound energy along a second direction into the volume of blood by driving, with a second drive signal at a second frequency different from the first frequency, a second transducer affixed to the vessel at a second location, the second direction being parallel to the first direction, a distance between the first and second directions being selected to couple the first and second ultrasound energies;   wherein the first and second ultrasound energies spatially decohere and disperse throughout the volume of blood to implode the leukemia cells in the volume of blood via absorption of the first and second ultrasound energies.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising receiving the volume of blood from a patient.