Patents by Inventor Brad J. Monk

Brad J. Monk has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5458595
    Abstract: An improved vaginal speculum for photodynamic therapy of intraepithelial tissue and in particular vaginal, cervical and vulvar neoplasia utilizes a precisely and accurately positionable optic fiber through which a predetermined dose of light in the range of 620 to 700 nanometers is delivered over a controlled area which has been previously treated with photodynamic therapeutic substances. In particular, the neoplastic area has been treated with hematoporphyrin derivatives and other photosensitizers which are selectively taken into the cancerous tissue. Exposure to the appropriate wavelength laser light photoactivates the absorbed hematoporphyrins causing the release of singlet oxygen which internally oxidizes and ultimately causes cell death.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1995
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Yona Tadir, Michael W. Berns, Brad J. Monk, Glen Profeta, Bruce J. Tromberg