Google's "Nanoparticle Phoresis ": US 20150065821 and PCT/US2014/054321

The abstract of Google's Phoresis US application, published March 5, 2015:





Functionalized particles in the blood are able to selectively bind to targets in the blood that have adverse health effects. The binding of the particles to the targets allows the targets to be selectively modified or destroyed by energy from outside the body such that the adverse health effects are reduced or eliminated. The energy is generated by a wearable device which is able to direct the energy into the subsurface vasculature of the wearer of the wearable device. Further, one or more of the functionalized particles may be magnetic, allowing a magnetic field generated by the wearable device and directed into the subsurface vasculature to concentrate the bound targets in a lumen of the subsurface vasculature proximate to the wearable device



The first published claim of the US case:


A wearable device, comprising:

a mount configured to mount the wearable device to an external body surface proximate to a portion of subsurface vasculature;

a magnet configured to direct a magnetic field into the portion of subsurface vasculature, wherein the magnetic field is sufficient to cause functionalized magnetic particles to collect in a lumen of the portion of the subsurface vasculature, wherein the functionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with a target, and wherein the target has an ability to cause an adverse health effect;

a signal source configured to transmit a signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature sufficient to cause a physical or chemical change in the target complexed with the functionalized magnetic particles, wherein the physical or chemical change reduces or eliminates the target's ability to cause the adverse health effect.



The first claim of the PCT:


1. A wearable device, comprising:

a mount configured to mount the wearable device to an external body surface proximate to a portion of subsurface vasculature;

a magnet configured to direct a magnetic field into the portion of subsurface vasculature, wherein the magnetic field is sufficient to cause iunctionalized magnetic particles to collect in a lumen of the portion of the subsurface vasculature, wherein the iunctionalized magnetic particles are configured to complex with a target, and wherein the target has an ability to cause an adverse health effect;

a signal source configured to transmit a signal into the portion of subsurface vasculature sufficient to cause a physical or chemical change in the target complexed with the iunctionalized magnetic particles, wherein the physical or chemical change reduces or eliminates the target's ability to cause the adverse health effect.



There is an "international search report" for PCT/US2014/054321, which was unfavorable, with US 20130144134 being found an "X" reference for claims 1 to 8.

US 20130144134, assigned to T2 Biosystems, Inc. , is titled NMR SYSTEMS FOR IN VIVO DETECTION OF ANALYTES, with co-inventors David Lee and David Berry. The abstract states:


This invention relates generally to NMR systems for in vivo detection of analytes. More particularly, in certain embodiments, the invention relates to systems in which superparamagnetic nanoparticles are exposed to a magnetic field and radio frequency (RF) excitation at or near the Larmor frequency, such that the aggregation and/or disaggregation of the nanoparticles caused by the presence and/or concentration of a given analyte in a biological fluid is detected in vivo from a monitored RF echo response.



Whether or not this is a good X reference may be questioned.

Those in biofuels might recognize David Berry for his patents with Joule Unlimited, such as US 8,906,665 and 7,785,861.

[T2 Biosystems is a Flagship VentureLabs Company ]