Spire Corp. has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,514,725 B2, titled ‘Nanophotovoltaic Devices.’ This patent is for nanophotovoltaic devices formed from silicon or gallium arsenide having sizes in a range of about 50 nanometers to about 5 microns, and method of their fabrication.
Although there are a number of applications, the patent describes one application in which nanophotovoltaic devices are inserted into diseased tissue, such as cancerous tissue, and these cells are activated by the use of suitable radiation. These cells will generate electric fields in the tissue, causing a disruption of the cancerous cells.
‘This is an extension of our solar energy technology into biotherapeutics,’ says Roger G. Little, chairman and CEO of Spire Corp. and co-inventor. ‘Functionalized nanophotovoltaic devices can go to cancerous cells in the body and, when exposed to tissue penetrating light, may provide sufficient electrical energy to destroy the cells.’
SOURCE: Spire Corp.
