US 12,295,883 B2
Apparatus and system for administering drugs onto ocular surface
Mika Salkola, Espoo (FI); and Juha Päällysaho, Vantaa (FI)
Assigned to ICARE FINLAND OY, Vantaa (FI)
Appl. No. 18/245,181
Filed by ICARE FINLAND OY, Vantaa (FI)
PCT Filed Sep. 13, 2021, PCT No. PCT/FI2021/050608
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 14, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/058652, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 24, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 20205905 (FI), filed on Sep. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0355435 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. A61F 9/00 (2006.01); A61F 9/007 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 9/0026 (2013.01) [A61F 9/00781 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for administering a drug onto an ocular surface of a subject, the apparatus comprising:
a probe;
a probe holding means for holding the probe within the apparatus,
the probe comprising:
a first part being made of a bio-compatible material, and
a second part being made of a magnetic material,
the first part having a proximal end connected to the second part and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, wherein the distal end of the first part is employed to carry the drug; and
an induction coil and its control circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the induction coil to produce a first magnetic force and a second magnetic force, in an alternating manner, to release the probe in a first direction and to retract the probe in a second direction, respectively, wherein, when released in the first direction, the probe is to administer the drug from the distal end of the first part upon touching the ocular surface of the subject;
a first sensor that is to be employed to sense a displacement and/or velocity of the probe; and
a controller configured to:
collect, from the first sensor, sensor data indicative of the displacement and/or velocity of the probe as a function of time;
analyse the sensor data to detect whether or not the probe touched the ocular surface during a given instance of release of the probe in the first direction, wherein the probe undergoes a characteristic change in displacement or velocity upon touching the ocular surface of the subject, and wherein a change in displacement or velocity of the probe that is not analogous to the characteristic change in displacement or velocity indicates that the probe did touch a surface that is not the ocular surface of the subject;
determine a number of times the probe is to be released in the first direction to administer a total amount of the drug, based on a total number of times the probe is to touch the ocular surface, a number of times the probe is detected to have touched a surface that is not the ocular surface.