Transdermal GnRH Delivery System to Treat Infertility

描述（由申请人提供）：怀孕和维持怀孕的能力是大多数夫妇期望在一生中实现的愿望。然而，不孕症影响了美国人口的8%到15%。女性不孕症最常见的原因之一是无排卵，或者无法刺激和释放卵巢中的卵子。尽管有多种治疗方法可以纠正这种情况，但所有治疗方法都有副作用，使其应用不太理想。然而，促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）已被证明是有效的，没有副作用，但其目前的给药方法是侵入性的，昂贵的，并导致不适。为了向广泛的患者提供GnRH治疗的益处，Advanced Sensor Technologies（AST）提出开发一种可穿戴的经皮脉冲贴片，其结合了使用CMOS电路技术构造的微离子电渗系统，以及聚合物基质电解质贮库，其含有足够的合成GnRH，以在24小时内递送其精确的方波脉冲，用于诱导妇女排卵，患有不孕症。聚合物基质电解质已被证明是理想的分子，如锂和利多卡因，使用离子电渗输送的存储和输送，因为聚合物捕获分子，只有当施加离子电渗电流时才释放它们。该设备将由一个薄膜电池供电，内置在围绕该单元的保护外壳中，产生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.