Transdermal GnRH Delivery System to Treat Infertility

描述（由申请人提供）：能够怀孕并维持妊娠是大多数夫妇期望在其一生中实现的愿望。然而，不孕症影响了8%到15%的美国人口。女性不孕症最常见的原因之一是无排卵，或无法从卵巢刺激和释放卵子。虽然有许多治疗方法可以纠正这种情况，但所有的治疗方法都有副作用，这使得它们的应用不太可取。然而，促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）已被证明既有效又无副作用，但其目前的给药方法是侵入性的，昂贵的，并且会引起不适。为了给广大患者提供GnRH治疗的益处，Advanced Sensor Technologies （AST）提出开发一种可穿戴的透皮脉冲贴片，该贴片采用CMOS电路技术构建的微离子导入系统，以及含有足够合成GnRH的聚合物基质电解质存储库，以在24小时内提供精确的方波脉冲，以诱导不孕妇女排卵。聚合物基质电解质已被证明是理想的分子储存和输送，如锂和利多卡因，这些分子通过离子电泳输送，因为聚合物捕获分子，只有在施加离子电泳电流时才释放它们。该设备将由薄膜电池供电，内置在环绕设备的保护外壳中，形成一个创可贴大小的独立设备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ability to conceive and maintain a pregnancy is a desire most couples expect to fulfill in their lifetime. However, infertility affects between eight and fifteen percent of the American population. One of the most common causes of female infertility is anovulation, or the inability to stimulate and release an egg from the ovary. Although there are a number of treatments to correct this condition, all have side-effects that make their application less than desirable. Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), however, has been shown to be both effective and free of side-effects, but its current method of administration is invasive, expensive and causes discomfort. To provide the benefits of GnRH treatments to a broad range of patients, Advanced Sensor Technologies (AST) proposes to develop a wearable transdermal Pulse Patch that incorporates a micro-iontophoresis system, constructed using CMOS circuitry technology, and a polymer matrix electrolyte reservoir containing enough synthetic GnRH to deliver exact square wave pulses of it over a 24 hour period for the purpose of inducing ovulation in women who suffer from infertility. Polymer matrix electrolytes have been shown to be ideal for storage and delivery of molecules, such as lithium and lidocaine, that are delivered using iontophoresis, since the polymers trap the molecules and only release them when the iontophoresis current is applied. The device will be powered by a thin film battery, built into the protective casing that surrounds the unit, yielding a self-contained device the size of a band-aid.