Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/87—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/0012—Galenical forms characterised by the site of application
  • A61K9/0019—Injectable compositions; Intramuscular, intravenous, arterial, subcutaneous administration; Compositions to be administered through the skin in an invasive manner
  • A61K9/0021—Intradermal administration, e.g. through microneedle arrays, needleless injectors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M37/00—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin
  • A61M37/0015—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin by using microneedles
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12M—APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS
  • C12M35/00—Means for application of stress for stimulating the growth of microorganisms or the generation of fermentation or metabolic products; Means for electroporation or cell fusion
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/87—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation
  • C12N15/89—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation using microinjection
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/87—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation
  • C12N15/89—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation using microinjection
  • C12N15/895—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation using microinjection using biolistic methods
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M37/00—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin
  • A61M37/0015—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin by using microneedles
  • A61M2037/0046—Solid microneedles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M37/00—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin
  • A61M37/0015—Other apparatus for introducing media into the body; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin by using microneedles
  • A61M2037/0053—Methods for producing microneedles

Definitions

• This invention relates to ways of transferring materials into cells, and also to a microneedle array.
• nucleic acids or nucleic acid constructs such as vectors or plasmids, etc.
• chemicals may also need to be transferred into cells, e.g. nucleotides or stains, and chemicals to affect the physiology of a cell.
• a number of chemical and mechanical processes have been developed to convey materials into cells. These techniques include :-
• electroporation - the cell membrane is made permeable to some molecules by application of a high voltage shock
• An aim of one aspect of the present invention is to use a new material to assist in the transfer of substances to cells.
• the invention comprises a method of transferring a substance into the cell.
• resorbable or bioerodable porous silicon is used.
• the invention comprises a vehicle for transferring material into a cell, the vehicle comprising, at least in part, porous silicon, and material to be transferred into the cell.
• the porous silicon is resorbable.
• the vehicle may comprise a porous silicon biolistic bullet.
• the vehicle may comprise a substance which in use will co-precipitate with a co-precipitate substance that is taken into the cell.
• the vehicle may comprise an electrically-conducting bioactive porous silicon electrode.
• porous silicon is biocompatible, and it has now been discovered that porous silicon can be corroded in, or resorbed into, a mammalian body without significant detrimental effect. Porous silicon can be used to locate and substantially immobilise biological material (or any substance to be introduced into a cell) , with the substance being free enough once in the cell to combine with cell DNA, or otherwise be released to have an effect.
• US 5 591 139 discloses a silicon microneedle that is formed in the plane of a silicon wafer.
• US 4 969 468 discusses solid metal needles for electrical contact with nerves.
• the invention comprises a cell-penetrating member or micropiercer made of porous silicon.
• the invention comprises a cell penetrating member or a micropiercer comprising at least a region of porous silicon.
• the substance comprises DNA or RNA, a fragment of DNA or RNA, or a construct of DNA or RNA.
• the cell penetrating member or micropiercer is preferably adapted to have a substance to be introduced to a cell carried by porous silicon.
• the porous silicon region is adapted to immobilise a substance
• the cell penetrating member or micropiercer may have a coating of porous silicon, or it may be porous throughout its cross-section, at least at its tip (or other substance delivery region if that is not the tip) . Substantially the whole exterior surface of the cell penetrating member or micropiercer that penetrates a cell in use may comprise porous silicon.
• the cell penetrating member or micropiercer may be a bulk silicon microtip with a porous silicon coating.
• porous silicon has another great advantage as the choice of material for a cell penetrating member or micropiercer in that micromachining techniques for fabricating small scale devices from silicon exist, e.g. in the electronics industry.
• microtips for a completely different purpose - for field emission cathodes used in vacuum microelectronic applications.
• a 5mm square silicon chip will typically contain about 500 microtips of pyramidal shape with tip widths of 50mm - l ⁇ m and heights of 10 - lOO ⁇ m, depending upon the manufacturing parameters chosen. With hindsight, these would be suitable for porosification and then use as micropiercers for transferring a substance into cells.
• porous silicon pyramidal cathodes - e.g. Field emission from pyramidal cathodes covered in porous silicon.
• the invention comprises a method of producing a micropiercer device comprising manufacturing one or more micropiercer projections, and providing substance holding means at or near the tip of the projections.
• the method comprises making at least a part of the projections porous.
• the method comprises making the tip of the projections porous or substantially the entire extent of the tips porous, or providing a porous coating on the tip.
• the tip is made porous using an HF anodising technique.
• the invention comprises a method of transferring a material into a cell comprising associating the material with a tip portion of a micropiercer and piercing the cell with the micropiercer.
• the method comprises using porous silicon to locate the material at or near the tip portion.
• the invention comprises a method of genetic manipulation of a cell comprising associating genetic material with a tip portion of a micropiercer, piercing the cell with the micropiercer to allow the genetic material to enter the cell.
• the genetic material may then be stably incorporated in the cell.
• the invention comprises a microneedle array comprising a plurality of needles extending away from a support, the needles each having fluid transport means adapted to transport fluid from their bases to their tips, and fluid supply means communicating with the fluid transport means and adapted to supply fluid to be injected to the base of the needles.
• the array of microneedles are made of silicon. It may be micromachined, for example from a silicon wafer.
• the fluid transport means may comprise a reservoir, which may extend under the needles.
• the support may have a lower portion, an upper portion, and a channel or reservoir extending between the upper and lower portions, with the needles being provided in the upper portion and the fluid transport means extending to the reservoir or channel.
• the fluid transport means may comprise a lumen, or macropore in each needle which may extend generally centrally of the needle through its longitudinal extent.
• the fluid transport means may comprise a pore or capillary network, such as a plurality of mesopores.
• the array of needles may be provided on an integrated silicon chip, which may also have a sensor provided on it, the sensor preferably enabling one to monitor in situ the transfection process.
• a photo emitter/detector may be used in association with light emitting markers (e.g. fluorescent) associated with the DNA. It may also be desirable to have a power supply and/or processing circuitry, and/or control circuitry provided on the chip. Arrays of light emitting devises and photodetectors may enable the transfection process to be monitored under high spatial resolution.
• the invention comprises a method of manufacturing a microneedle, or a microneedle array , the method comprising taking a bulk silicon wafer and creating a needle or an array of needles; and creating fluid transfer means extending from the base of the or each needle to its tip.
• the or each needle may be created using photolithographic techniques such as anisotropic etching and photo-resist lithographic techniques.
• the silicon substrate may be an n-type substrate with a resistivity in the range of 0.1-10 ⁇ cm.
• the needle or needle array may be planarised, for example by use of a non-conducting mask.
• the planarised array may then be treated so as to expose just the tips, for example by using an oxygen plasma treatment and an HF dip to expose the tips alone.
• the planarised array may also be in-filled.
• the tips can then be anodised to create the pores from the tip to the wafer back surface.
• the wafer, provided with an array of tips may then be bonded to another backing member, which may be shaped so as to define a channel or reservoir between the tip-carrying wafer and the backing member.
• the invention comprises a vehicle for transferring material into a cell, the vehicle comprising at least in part resorbable material.
• the vehicle comprises resorbable silicon, such as porous silicon, or polycrystalline silicon.
• the whole of the vehicle may be made of the resorbable material, or only part of it.
• the vehicle may comprise bioactive silicon.
• resorbable it is meant that the material is corroded/absorbed/eroded/ or otherwise disappears when in situ in physiological fluids.
• bioactive it is meant that the material can induce the deposition of calcium phosphate precipitates on its surface under physiological conditions (when in body fluids)) .
• the vehicle If the vehicle is retained in the cell it will be adsorbed/corroded/eroded or resorbed, or partially resorbed, and be less of an irritation/foreign body to the cell in due course.
• the resorbable silicon/other material may be used in a biolistics technique.
• the vehicle for transferring material into a cell may be a biolistic bullet.
• the vehicle for transferring material into the cell may comprise a biolistic bullet comprising porous silicon.
• the bullet may have a substance to be introduced into a cell adhered to it.
• the bullet may be impregnated with material (e.g. DNA material) . It may be substantially saturated with material.
• the bullet may comprise a submicron silicon particle.
• the silicon particle may be rendered porous by stain etching techniques.
• the particle is preferably mesoporous.
• a resorbable biolistic bullet would not leave behind in the cell a particle, as do gold or tungsten biolistic bullets.
• the bullet need not be porous all of the way through - it may have a porous coating.
• the resorbable bullet need not necessarily be made of porous silicon, or of silicon at all, but porous silicon has been identified as an especially suitable material.
• the invention provides a method of transferring material into a cell comprising the steps of shooting a vehicle carrying said material into the cell.
• the vehicle is the vehicle as hereinabove defined.
• the bullet is shot into the cell be means of a pressurised gas, for example helium.
• Resorbable impregnated materials such as porous silicon offer biocompatible advantages over corrosion-resistant bulk metal materials.
• the present invention provides a method of making a vehicle for transferring material into a cell comprising the steps of rendering the vehicle at least partially porous and introducing to the vehicle the material to be transferred to the cell.
• the vehicle comprises a silicon bullet, most preferably a submicron silicon particle, which may be rendered porous, preferably mesoporous by stain etching techniques.
• the bullet may have the material to be introduced to the cell, adhered to it or alternatively it may be impregnated with the material.
• the vehicle may be a submicron particle and the material to be transferred to the cell may be co-precipitated (with a precipitate substance) using the vehicle as a nucleation site.
• the vehicle for transferring material into a cell may comprise bioactive silicon.
• the vehicle may have associated with it material to be transferred in a form adapted to co-precipitate with a substance which is taken up by cells.
• the co-precipitate may be a calcium phosphate precipitate.
• the invention comprises a method of introducing material into a cell comprising associating the material with a silicon particle, precipitating calcium phosphate onto the particle to form a calcium phosphate/silicon particle combined particle, and arranging for the cell to uptake the calcium phosphate/silicon particle combination.
• the cell membrane can be made permeable by exposing cells to a brief electric shock of very high voltage.
• Low porosity bioactive silicon is electrically conducting and is suitably developed as an intimate coupling matrix for adherent mammalian cells growing on microelectrode arrays.
• bioactive silicon e.g. porous silicon or polycrystalline silicon
• the invention comprises a method of electroporation comprising providing an electrically conducting bioactive silicon electrode.
• the method comprises growing cells on the electrode.
• the method may comprise providing an array of bioactive silicon electrodes, possibly with cells grown on them.
• the electrode, or electrodes may be coated with porous silicon or may be of porous silicon throughout their cross-section, at least at a region of their height.
• the invention comprises electroporosis apparatus comprising a bioactive electrode.
• the electrode is bioactive silicon, most preferably porous silicon.
• An array of electrodes, or microelectrodes, may be provided.
• the invention may also reside in the use of bioactive silicon, preferably porous silicon, in the preparation of apparatus for the introduction of materials into cells.
• bioactive materials are a class of materials which when in vivo elicit a specific biological response that results in the formation of a bond between living tissue and that material.
• Bioactive materials are also referred to as surface reactive biomaterials.
• Resorbable materials are materials which are designed to disappear or degrade gradually over time in vivo, and they may or may not be replaced with tissue.
• Bioerodable materials are materials which erode in vivo, with the material possibly being absorbed by cells, or possibly not being absorbed.
• a bioinert material is a material that elicits no local gross biological response in vivo.
• Figure 1 shows a partially porosified silicon microtip
• Figure 2 shows a silicon microneedle array
• Figure 3 shows the silicon microneedle array of Figure 2 having a macroporous network running from the tip to an underlying reservoir;
• Figure 4 shows a porous silicon bullet impregnated with DNA
• Figure 5 shows a porous silicon core impregnated with DNA and surrounded by calcium phosphate
• FIG. 6 illustrates the electroporation technique of the present invention.
• Figures 7 and 8 show SIMS plots demonstrating the affinity of DNA for porous silicon and that it can be released from a porous silicon surface.
• Figure 1 shows a micropiercer 10 in the form of a microtip 12 having a base width A of 50 ⁇ m and a height B of lOO ⁇ m and a tip width C of 0.5 ⁇ m.
• the surface of the microtip 12 is coated with porous silicon 14 having a depth D of O. l ⁇ m.
• the porous silicon coating 14 immobilises the substance to be delivered to the cell (e.g. DNA/RNA) on the tip itself, which increases the chances of the immobilised substance on the tip being introduced into the living cell.
• the pore size and porosity of the porous silicon coating can be controlled to tune the bioactivity of the microtip 12.
• Figure 2 shows an array 20 of silicon microneedles 22 extending away from a silicon support, or back, member 24.
• the microneedles 22 have porous silicon microtips 26 and a central lumen 28 communicating between the microtips 26 and a reservoir 30 defined between an upper member 32, provided with the microneedles 22 and the back, support, member 24.
• the back member 24 is of bulk silicon.
• Figure 3 shows an array 33 of silicon microneedles 34 that is similar to that of Figure 2.
• the principal difference between the arrays shown in Figures 2 and 3 is that the microneedles 34 shown in Figure 3 are not provided with a central lumen 28. Instead the array 33 of silicon microneedles 34 in Figure 3 is provided with a mesoporous network 36 which extends from the microtips of the microneedles to the reservoir 30' , allowing fluid communication between the reservoir 30' and the microtips.
• the substance to be delivered to cells is provided to the porous silicon microtips 22,34 from the reservoir 30,30' through the central lumens 28 or the mesoporous network 36.
• the substance is then held by the porous silicon microtips ready for introduction into a cell.
• the material to be introduced into the cells may be pumped into the reservoir 30, 30' , and out through the lumens 28 or porous network by a pump, not shown (but arrow 39 indicates the pump delivering liquid to the reservoir) .
• All or part of the silicon surfaces within the final structure may be treated in such a way as to modify their interaction with biological systems. This might be achieved by forming a layer of porous silicon on the surface. Such a layer could be formed by either an electrochemical anodisation process or possibly by immersing the structure into a stain etching solution such as a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid.
• a stain etching solution such as a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid.
• Figure 4 shows a biolistic bullet 40 comprising a submicron silicon particle rendered mesoporous by stain etching.
• the bullet 40 is impregnated with the substance to be introduced into a cell and is shot into the cell using pressurised helium.
• the porous silicon is a resorbable material, it will be preferably fully resorbed, and at least partially resorbed, by the cell that it entered, and thus comprises less of a foreign body than known biolistic bullets such as gold or tungsten which leave particles of metal in the cell.
• FIG. 5 shows a porous silicon core 50 impregnated with a substance to be introduced into a cell (e.g. DNA/RNA) and calcium phosphate precipitate 52 formed around the core 50.
• the calcium phosphate 52 is co-precipitated with DNA/RNA, so that a genetic material/calcium phosphate layer surrounds the bioactive silicon core 50.
• the bioactive silicon core locally induces calcium phosphate supersaturisation. It may be possible to place a bioactive silicon core next to a cell/against the wall of a cell, and co-precipitate DNA/Ca(PO 4 ) 2 against the core and against the wall of the cell. If the core is phagocytosed it can be resorbed.
• the core 50 need not have DNA/RNA/any active substance on it - it may simply serve as a good nucleation site for co-precipitation of DNA/Ca(PO 4 ) 2 .
• micropores are pores with a diameter of 2 nm or less; mesopores have a diameter of 2nm - 50 nm; and macropores have a diameter of 50 nm or more.
• porous silicon preferably mesoporous silicon (but macroporous and microporous silicon are also useful) .
• porous silicon or porous other bioactive material, or bioactive polycrystalline silicon
• bioactive polycrystalline silicon or bioactive polycrystalline silicon
• the electrode is bioactive, instead of being bioinert. cells (typically animal cells) have an affinity to it and are localised on its surface.
• Low porosity 50% or less, or 30% or less, or 10% or less
• bioactive silicon is electrically conducting and is a suitable intimate complex matrix for adherent mammalian cells 62, which may grow on a microelectrode array 60,61.
• porous silicon is resorbable/erodable in vivo in mammals has been proved by the inventors, and this underpins some aspects of the invention.
• silicon can be made bioactive underpins other aspects of the invention.
• Figure 7 shows a SIMS plot (Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) showing the concentration of nitrogen with depth in a sheet of porous silicon.
• DNA is rich in nitrogen, and detecting high nitrogen levels in the porous silicon is a measure of how much DNA is present.
• Plot 70 shows the "aged" porous silicon sheet analysed for nitrogen, with no DNA added to the surface of the sheet. The background level of nitrogen depends on the type of porous silicon film and its "age" - the duration of storage in ambient air.
• Plot 72 shows the analysis of the porous silicon sheet after a single drop of water has been applied to the surface of the porous silicon sheet. There was lng per ⁇ litre of DNA in the drop of water. The DNA solution drop was dried at 50°C before the sheet was analysed.
• Plot 74 shows the amount of nitrogen in the porous silicon when the same lng per ⁇ litre of DNA in water drop is applied to the sheet and dried, and then the sheet is washed in deionised water at 50°C. As will be seen, there is far more nitrogen shown in plot 72 than in plot 70, showing that the DNA is being detected by the test. Plot 74 shows that the washing step removed some, but not all, of the DNA - that some of the DNA was probably partially immobilised on the porous silicon, to be released later (during washing) .
• Figure 8 shows equivalent SIMS plots for the same layer after pure water treatment. "Aged" porous silicon has been stored in ambient air and has acquired a background level of nitrogen due to adsorption of nitrous oxides and ammonia - common trace pollutant gases.
• Plot 80 shows aged porous silicon with no DNA
• plot 84 shows again for comparison the analysis of aged porous silicon with lng/ ⁇ litre of DNA in solution added and dried at 50° C.
• the invention can perhaps be thought of as using porous silicon (or perhaps polycrystalline silicon) as an inorganic vector for transporting/transferring material into a living cell.

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• 1998
  • 1998-07-22 GB GBGB9815819.9A patent/GB9815819D0/en not_active Ceased
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