Implantable electroporation method and apparatus for drug and gene delivery

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method of electroporation mediated, in vivo, intracellular drug and gene delivery for a living patient.
It is another principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for electroporation mediated, in vivo, intracellular drug and gene delivery.
The invention provides a useful method and apparatus for introducing molecules such as genes and pharmacological compounds into living blood cells of a patient for therapeutic purposes.
A device is implanted into the body of the patient for generating an electric field at a preselected location within a selected blood vessel.
Preselected molecules are infused into the selected blood vessel.
Simultaneously an electric signal is applied to the implanted device to repeatedly subject a quantity of blood flowing within the selected blood vessel past the preselected location to electric fields of a predetermined amplitude and duration.
The parmeters of the electric fields are precisely controlled in order to make the walls of preselected cells in the blood transiently permeable to permit the molecules to enter said preselected cells without killing said cells.
The device can include either a pair of electrodes implanted in the blood vessel, or alternatively, an induction coil that surrounds the blood vessel.
The electric signal is supplied by a power pack and the preselected molecules are infused with a supply pump.