US 11,900,025 B2
Theoretical modeling and mechanism of drug release from controlled release implants by microstructural image characterization
Roberto Irizarry, Wayne, PA (US); Antong Chen, Blue Bell, PA (US); and Daniel Skomski, Yardley, PA (US)
Assigned to Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ (US)
Filed by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ (US)
Filed on Mar. 4, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/291,553.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/679,255, filed on Jun. 1, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0371436 A1, Dec. 5, 2019
Int. Cl. G06F 30/20 (2020.01)
CPC G06F 30/20 (2020.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for estimating a release profile of a device for releasing a compound, the method comprising:
receiving an x-ray computed tomography (XRCT) image of the device, the device comprising particles of the compound embedded in a plurality of pores in a matrix;
generating an unlabeled mask from the XRCT image, the unlabeled mask identifying pores and necks connecting a set of the pores;
performing an erosion process on the unlabeled mask to generate an eroded mask, the erosion process eroding the pores and removing the necks connecting the set of the pores resulting in disconnected pores;
labeling the disconnected pores in the eroded mask;
performing a dilation process on the eroded mask to generate a dilated mask, the dilation process enlarging the labeled pores that were previously eroded and unlabeled;
extracting, from the dilated mask, a set of features including pore volumes and connectivities for the labeled pores;
retrieving a minimalistic model for estimating the release profile of the device based on the pore volume and connectivity, wherein the minimalistic model determines a correlation between a release coefficient for a Higuchi-type release and an XRCT parameter, wherein the XRCT parameter is based on the pore volumes and connectivities;
and estimating the release profile of the device based on the correlation determined using the retrieved minimalistic model and the pore volumes and connectivities.