Date: Mar 06, 2012 Source: (
click here to go to the source)
GeneSegues, Inc., a leader in drug delivery at the sub-50 nanometer scale, announced today that the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued a notification of intent to grant for a patent covering the company's proprietary drug delivery technology (EP Application No. 01920161.5). This patent stems from pioneering work by the company in delivering therapeutic molecules such as oligonucleotides and plasmid DNA to target cells using nanocapsules of less than 50 nanometers in diameter. Compositions of this size impart significant advantages including entering the target cell without triggering defense mechanisms that can degrade the capsule and drug.
"We are gratified that the EPO has recognized the importance and patentability of our discoveries in nonviral technologies that can take advantage of efficient lipid raft pathways into the target cell," said Gretchen Unger, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and founder of GeneSegues. "This patent covers a broad and significant technology platform which we are continuing to develop with collaborators across a range of applications including cancer, liver, and infectious diseases."
The new patent includes claims covering compositions of sub-50 nanometer capsules and methods of formulation. The composition claims cover sub-50 nanometer capsules that consist of a substitutable biopolymer ligand shell which can actively target the composition to any desired cell type, and can encapsulate large or small molecule drug cargo. The method claims cover the processes for formulating the nanocapsules with a novel design that is both versatile and scalable.
