PATHOGEN DESTRUCTION SYSTEM AND METHOD USING MAGNETIC MARKERS

Abstract

A cell destruction method includes providing an anionic biomarker that comprises a magnetic material such as an iron or an iron compound. The anionic biomarker is introduced into an organism having pathogen cells with a negative charge. The anionic biomarkers are attracted to the negative charges of the pathogen and couple thereto. The anionic biomarker may also have a coupler portion that further aids in the anionic biomarker coupling to and being bound to the pathogen cell and/or cell wall. An electric field may be produced to cause the anionic biomarkers and/or the negative charges of the pathogen cell to polarize on or along the pathogen cell. A magnetic field is directed to cause the anionic biomarker, or magnetic material thereof to move and damage the cell. The magnetic field may be an alternating magnetic field that causes the magnetic material to oscillate and damage the cell wall.

Claims

1. A pathogen cell destruction method comprising: a) providing an anionic biomarker; b) providing a magnetic material that is coupled with the biomarker; c) introducing the biomarker into an organism having said pathogen cell with a negative charge; d) allowing the anionic biomarker to couple to the pathogen cell; e) providing a magnetic field generator that produces a magnetic field; and f) directing the magnetic field to cause the magnetic material of the anionic biomarker to move and damage the pathogen cell and thereby destroy the pathogen cell.

2. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the anionic biomarker couples to a cell wall of the pathogen cell.

3. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the anionic biomarker further comprises a coupling portion that is configured to couple with a cell wall of the pathogen cell.

4. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generator generates an alternating magnetic field.

5. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic material of the anionic biomarker comprise iron.

6. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 5, wherein the magnetic material of the anionic biomarker comprises nanoparticles of said iron.

7. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the anionic biomarker comprises a ferromagnetic metal.

8. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 7, wherein the anionic biomarker comprises nanoparticles of said ferromagnetic metal.

9. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic material is chemically bound to the anionic biomarker.

10. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic material is physically bound to the anionic biomarker.

11. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 10, further providing an electric field generator; and wherein the method comprises producing an electric field to polarize the pathogen cell.

12. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 11, wherein the electric field is generated before the anionic biomarker is coupled to the pathogen cell.

13. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 11, wherein the electric field is generated before the magnetic field is produced.

14. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 11, wherein the electric field is generated simultaneously with the magnetic field.

15. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 11, wherein the pathogen cell is an oncological cell.

16. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 15, wherein the biomarker couples to a cell wall of the oncological cell.

17. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 1, wherein the pathogen cell is an oncological cell.

18. The pathogen cell destruction method of claim 17, wherein the biomarker couples to a cell wall of the oncological cell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a pathogen cell having a cell wall with negative charges.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows the pathogen cell shown in FIG. 1, with biomarkers coupled to the cell wall via positive charge attraction to the negative charges in the pathogen cell wall.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows the pathogen cell and coupled biomarkers exposed to an alternating magnetic field that causes the biomarkers to oscillate to damage the pathogen cell wall.

[0026] FIG. 4 shows the pathogen cell shown in FIG. 3 now destroyed due to the cell wall fractures caused by the oscillating biomarkers.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a pathogen cell being exposed to an electric field.

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a pathogen cell having anionic biomarkers coupled thereto and being exposed to an electric field.

[0029] FIG. 7 shows a malignant cell having a biomarker coupled thereto and being exposed to magnetic field to destroy the malignant cell via movement of the magnetic material associated with the biomarker.

[0030] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the figures. The figures represent an illustration of some of the embodiments of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. Some of the figures may not show all of the features and components of the invention for ease of illustration, but it is to understood that where possible, features and components from one figure may be an included in the other figures. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Also, use of “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

[0032] Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications, combinations and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, combinations, modifications, improvements are within the scope of the present invention.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, a pathogen cell 10, such as a bacterium cell 12, has a cell wall 14 with negative charges 16.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the pathogen cell shown in FIG. 1 has biomarkers 20, which are anionic biomarkers 22, coupled to the cell wall via a positive charge 26 of the anionic biomarker being attracted to the negative charges 16 in or on the pathogen cell wall 14. The anionic biomarker may also have a coupler portion 28, a portion that aids in coupling the biomarker to the pathogen cell. The anionic biomarker may have a magnetic material 24 associated therewith, such as being chemically or physical bound to the anionic biomarker. The magnetic material may be associated with the biomarker material prior to introduction into the body or may be introduced into the body subsequent to the biomarker being introduced.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the anionic biomarkers may have a magnetic material 24, that causes the biomarkers to move when exposed to a magnetic field 42. A magnetic field generator 40 may produce an alternating magnetic field that causes the biomarkers, or the magnetic material 24 thereof to oscillate when exposed to the alternating magnetic field and damage the pathogen cell wall 14. The frequency of the oscillation may be tuned to cause cell wall fractures 18 and destroy the pathogen cell.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the pathogen cell wall 14 has a plurality of cell wall fractures 18 that effectively destroys the pathogen cell.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, an electric field 82 may be produced by an electric field generator 80, which may include a charged plate or plates, that causes the pathogen cell to be polarized, wherein the charges are concentrated in alignment with the electric field. As shown, the negative charges of the pathogen cell 10 have concentrated on the side of the cell closest to the positive electrode.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6, the anionic biomarkers 20 have associated and coupled with the pathogen cell 10 and are also concentrated as a result of the pathogen cell being polarized. Note that the electric field 82 may be turned off or may be an alternating electric field to enable the anionic biomarkers to couple with the cell, or move and align with the electric field, as shown. Also, the electric field may be used in combination with the magnetic field 42 as shown in FIG. 3. The magnetic field and electric fields may be operated in conjunction with each other to move the anionic biomarker and/or the magnetic material coupled thereto and damage the pathogen cell well 14.

[0039] FIG. 7 shows a malignant cell 15 having a biomarker 20 coupled thereto and being exposed to magnetic field 42, via a magnetic field generator 40, such as a magnet, to destroy the malignant cell via movement of the magnetic material 24 associated with the biomarker.

[0040] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Specific embodiments, features and elements described herein may be modified, and/or combined in any suitable manner. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications, combinations and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.