Cyclopropenium polymer particles for improved gene delivery

This technology is a cyclopropenium polymer-based system that can be loaded with a biomolecule cargo for efficient delivery to cells.

Unmet Need: Cationic polymers that are pH stable, modular, and non-toxic

Current cell delivery systems rely on various methods to deliver the genetic material to the cell. One such method involves the use of viruses as delivery vehicles, which can be disadvantageous due to toxicity, the production of inflammatory responses, and their difficulty with delivering large DNA fragments. Polymers provide a potential virus-free alternative for encapsulating biomolecules to prevent their degradation before reaching the desired target. Unfortunately, currently available polymers are not stable at physiological pH levels, are limited in size, and are difficult to synthesize.

The Technology: Versatile cationic particles for effective non-viral gene delivery

This technology uses cyclopropenium-based polymer complexes for the delivery of biomolecules to cells. The synthesized cyclopropenium polymer nanoparticles have a positive charge that is maintained over a wide range of pH levels, including physiological pH, and covers a wide range of sizes. These polymers do not include a cytotoxic amine group and do not require additional emulsifiers. Additionally, cargo can be loaded into the interior of these particles prior to polymerization and targeting moieties can be added post polymerization for improved targeting and delivery of biomolecules. As a result, this technology is effective in a wide range of fields including, gene delivery, drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

This technology has been validated in vitro by measuring gene transfection efficiency.

Applications:

• Gene therapy
• Drug delivery
• Dye/ fluorescent dye delivery
• Imaging
• Biomolecule delivery
• Antimicrobial coatings
• Diagnostics
• Cosmetics
• Filtration/separation

Advantages:

• Non-viral
• Targetable
• Non-toxic
• Functions at a wide range of pH levels
• Allows for conjugation both on the periphery and interior
• Modular

Lead Inventor:

Luis Campos, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (WO/2018/035435)

Patent Pending (US 20170226246)

Related Publications:

• Brucks SD, Freyer JL, Lambert TH, Campos LM. “Influence of substituent chain branching on the transfection efficacy of cyclopropenium-based polymers” Polymers 2017 Feb. 21; 9(3): 79.

• Jiang Y, Freyer JL, Cotanda P, Brucks SD, Killops KL, Bandar JS, Torsitano C, Balsara NP, Lambert TH, Campos LM. “The evolution of cyclopenium ions into functional polyelectrolytes” Nat. Commun. 2015 Nov 24; 6(5950): 1-7.

• Killops KL, Brucks SD, Rutkowski KL, Freyer JL, Jiang Y, Valdes ER, Campos LM. “Synthesis of robust surface-charged nanoparticles based on cyclopropenium ions” Macromolecules. 2015 Apr. 17; 48(8): 2519-2525.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU15012, CU15294, CU16329, CU18061

• Licensing Contact: Cynthia Lang