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US-12616718-B2 - Photosynthetic cellular substances and methods of use thereof

US12616718B2US 12616718 B2US12616718 B2US 12616718B2US-12616718-B2

Abstract

Systems and methods for developing and applying photosynthetic cellular substances to a human or animal for medical, therapeutic or cosmetic uses are provided. Photosynthetic cells, such as algal cells, can be used in these substances to provide the ability to continuously generate oxygen when exposed to a light source or other oxygen-generating trigger. The substances can be developed as a standalone liquid, gel or cream, or embedded within a bandage, mesh, scaffold or other structure with a light source to promote oxygen production. The substances can be applied topically for medical, therapeutic or cosmetic treatments, or injected internally for generation of oxygen within one or more parts of the body.

Inventors

  • Jose-Tomas Egana-Erazo

Assignees

  • SYMBIOX, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20230424

Claims (8)

  1. 1 . A method for preserving an organ, tumor or other tissue, comprising perfusing the organ, tumor or other tissue with a composition comprising photosynthetically active cells; placing the organ, tumor or other tissue in an interior space of a container, the container comprising one or more light sources to illuminate the interior space of the container, the container including one or more sensors for detecting various aspects of the treatment or the condition of the tissue being treated; and exposing the organ, tumor or other tissue to an illumination from the one or more light sources, wherein the photosynthetically active cells, upon exposure to the illumination, generate oxygen that helps maintain the organ, tumor or other tissue.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light sources are configured to produce light having wavelengths in the range of 380 nm to 780 nm.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein perfusing the organ, tumor or other tissue comprises perfusing the organ, tumor or other tissue ex vivo.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is a cooler.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises a substance including photosynthetically active cells that coats the organ, tumor or other tissue upon placing the organ, tumor or other tissue in the interior space of the container.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substance comprises a gel.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the substance comprises a liquid.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising transporting the organ, tumor or other tissue.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation to U.S. application Ser. No. 17/891,447, filed on Aug. 19, 2022, which is a continuation to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/845,063, filed on Sep. 3, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,523, filed on Sep. 3,2014, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,524, filed on Sep. 3, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,525, filed on Sep. 3, 2014. U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,527, filed on Sep. 3, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,528, filed on Sep. 3, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/045,530 filed on Sep. 3, 2014 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/092,229, filed on Dec. 15, 2014, all of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Field of the Invention The embodiments described herein are concerned with photosynthetic cellular substances that produce and deliver oxygen to a human or animal for use in a variety of medical, therapeutic and cosmetic applications. Related Art The use of oxygen as a therapeutic or healing agent in the medical field is well known but limited in use, primarily due to the difficulty of delivering oxygen to a human or animal. The most widely known application of oxygen is in the use of a hyperbaric chamber, which is a tightly sealed environment where the atmospheric pressure and oxygen concentration can be adjusted to higher than atmospheric levels to provide treatment for wounds and other diseases. However, the expense and difficult of use of the hyperbaric chamber make it a scarce item in health care, limiting its ability for treatment to the vast majority of patients that may benefit from it. Additionally, the hyperbaric chamber primarily increases only the ambient oxygen that interacts with the surface of the patient's skin, and does not generally provide increased delivery of oxygen within the body. It has already been suggested that hypoxia could be partially resolved by the use of oxygen carriers. For example T. Henkel-Honke et al. (Reviewed by Henkel-Honke T., Oleg M. Artificial oxygen carriers: A current review. AANA J. 75, 205-211, 2007) mention the incorporation of oxygen carriers like hemoglobin or perfluorocarbons in scaffolds for tissue engineering. Although these carriers are able to provide oxygen immediately, they do not provide a constant source of oxygen and, thus, are useful only for a short period of time. Moreover, in EP 1351623 implantable devices containing living cells in a chamber are disclosed for the release of substances out of the chamber. The purpose of such device is to carry and maintain functional cells, wherein the functional cells are cells that express and secrete a substance that is necessary for an organism in which the device has been implanted. The functional cells shall produce substances such as insulin or testosterone which are secreted into the organism. In order to maintain the functional cells in the device, photosynthetic cells are provided in a second chamber, separated by a semi-permeable wall that delivers oxygen to the functional cells. To maintain the photosynthetic cells that can grow only in the presence of light the cells are illuminated by a light source in the chamber. Thus, the oxygen level within the chamber can be maintained on a predetermined level. SUMMARY Embodiments described herein provide for systems and methods for developing and applying photosynthetic cellular substances to a human or animal for medical, therapeutic or cosmetic uses. Photosynthetic cells, such as algal cells, may be used in these substances to provide the ability to continuously generate oxygen when exposed to a light source or other oxygen-generating trigger. The substances can be developed as a standalone liquid, gel or cream, or embedded within a bandage, mesh, scaffold, surgical suture or other structure with a light source to promote oxygen production. The substances can be applied topically for medical, therapeutic or cosmetic treatments, or injected internally for generation of oxygen within one or more parts of the body. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The structure and operation of the present invention will be understood from a review of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which: FIG. 1 illustrates how photosynthetically active cells are seeded into a structure for producing oxygen when exposed to a light source, according to an embodiment . FIG. 2 is a series of images of a light-emitting dressing that incorporates the structure of FIG. 1 with a light source for application on a surface of an animal, according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a series of images of an illumination container