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Technologies Available for License

2006-017: Electrodeposition of a Radioactive Material on Medical Implants

Invention: 2006-017

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Number 8,114,264 was issued on February 14, 2012

For technical and licensing related questions, email tcp@bnl.gov.

Summary

There is a need to address the limitations of current intravascular radiotherapy technology, including inconsistent dose administration, excessive irradiation of beta emitter therapy, and various procedural shortcomings in designing and preparing implants to deliver radiation to a subject. To overcomes these shortcomings, this invention describes methods of electrodeposition of a radioactive material coating of a conversion electron emitting source (CEES) upon an implant wherein the coating provides radiation from conversion electrons at a specific emission distance from the surface of the implant.

Description

The typical method for preparing an implant coated with a CEES includes cleaning the surface of the implant; placing the implant in an activating solution comprising hydrochloric acid to activate the surface; reducing the surface by H2 evolution in H2SO4 solution; and placing the implant in an electroplating solution that includes ions of the CEES, HCl, H2SO4, and resorcinol, gelatin, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, before tin plating, a seed layer is formed on the surface. The electroplated CEES coating can be further protected and stabilized by annealing in a heated oven, by passivation, or by being covered with a protective film. Any suitable CEES or combinations of CEESs capable of being electroplated can be used. A preferred example of such CEES is 117mSn, which delivers conversion electrons at a short range and monoenergetic radiation that has significant anti-neoplastic properties in high concentrations. The invention further describes a holding device for holding an implant, wherein the device selectively prevents electrodeposition on the portions of the implant contacting the device.

Benefits

In small doses, conversion electrons from 117mSn produce an anti-inflammatory cellular response to inhibit excess accumulation of cells around the implant plated with 117mSn. 117mSn has a half-life of 14 days and emits conversion electrons with energies of 0.13 MeV and 0.15 MeV, with no average because of the discrete energy delivery from conversion electrons. 117mSn conversion electrons are delivered to a distance between 0.22 mm and 0.29 mm in tissue. Advantageously, such limited energy delivery prevents excessive cell growth at either end of the implant, which is observed with a conventional radioactive stent.

Applications and Industries

The potential application of this technology includes medical devices such as implants and use of such devices in treatments of inflammatory diseases such as the vulnerable plaques.

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