Patents by Inventor Sosaku Ichikawa

Sosaku Ichikawa 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: 8501204
    Abstract: A vesicle is produced by: a step of producing a W/O emulsion from an aqueous solution containing a substance to be entrapped in a vesicle in a dissolved or suspended state and an organic solvent phase containing a lipid having emulsification capacity, which can constitute the vesicle; a step of producing a W/O/W emulsion from the W/O emulsion and an external water phase solution of a water-soluble emulsifier, which does not destroy a vesicle lipid membrane; and a step of removing the organic solvent phase from the W/O/W emulsion, so as to form a vesicle. This method simultaneously achieves a high entrapment yield of an active ingredient and the control of a particle diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Sosaku Ichikawa, Takashi Kuroiwa
  • Patent number: 8246868
    Abstract: A W/O emulsion is produced from an aqueous solution containing a substance to be entrapped in a vesicle in a dissolved or suspended state and an oil phase containing an emulsifier; subsequently, the W/O emulsion is cooled to a temperature at which the aqueous solution of the W/O emulsion becomes a frozen particle and the oil phase maintains a liquid state, and the oil phase is removed; thereafter, an oil phase containing a vesicle constituent lipid is added to the frozen particle, and the obtained mixture is then stirred, so as to substitute the emulsifier on the surface of the frozen particle with the vesicle constituent lipid; and thereafter, an external Water phase is added to the frozen particle coated with a lipid membrane, so as to hydrate the lipid membrane by the external water phase. This process achieves a high entrapment yield of a desired substance while controlling desired physical properties such as particle diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Sosaku Ichikawa, Takashi Kuroiwa
  • Publication number: 20110150953
    Abstract: A vesicle is produced by: a step of producing a W/O emulsion from an aqueous solution containing a substance to be entrapped in a vesicle in a dissolved or suspended state and an organic solvent phase containing a lipid having emulsification capacity, which can constitute the vesicle; a step of producing a W/O/W emulsion from the W/O emulsion and an external water phase solution of a water-soluble emulsifier, which does not destroy a vesicle lipid membrane; and a step of removing the organic solvent phase from the W/O/W emulsion, so as to form a vesicle. This method simultaneously achieves a high entrapment yield of an active ingredient and the control of a particle diameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA
    Inventors: Sosaku Ichikawa, Takashi Kuroiwa
  • Publication number: 20100029791
    Abstract: A W/O emulsion is produced from an aqueous solution containing a substance to be entrapped in a vesicle in a dissolved or suspended state and an oil phase containing an emulsifier; subsequently, the W/O emulsion is cooled to a temperature at which the aqueous solution of the W/O emulsion becomes a frozen particle and the oil phase maintains a liquid state, and the oil phase is removed; thereafter, an oil phase containing a vesicle constituent lipid is added to the frozen particle, and the obtained mixture is then stirred, so as to substitute the emulsifier on the surface of the frozen particle with the vesicle constituent lipid; and thereafter, an external water phase is added to the frozen particle coated with a lipid membrane, so as to hydrate the lipid membrane by the external water phase. This process achieves a high entrapment yield of a desired substance while controlling desired physical properties such as particle diameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Sosaku Ichikawa, Takashi Kuroiwa
  • Patent number: 6538019
    Abstract: According to the present invention, it is possible to produce emulsions containing a material that are insoluble or that have low solubility with respect to water and oil in a high concentration, so as to obtain emulsions which can be preserved for a long period of time. More specifically, ethanol, to which polyglycerol oleic acid ester (PG) is added, and vegetable oil, are stirred with a homogenizer or an emulsification method such as a membrane emulsification or a microchannel emulsification, thereby obtaining E/O type emulsions or E/O/W type emulsions wherein ethanol drops in which polyphenol is dissolved in a high concentration are dispersed into vegetable oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignees: Japan as represented by Director of National Food Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Bio-Oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Nakajima, Hiroshi Nabetani, Sosaku Ichikawa, Qing Yi Xu
  • Publication number: 20030044952
    Abstract: A fat reforming method using an enzyme which has been activated by adding the enzyme to a system containing water and fat phases, activating the enzyme by a function of a boundary surface/layer between the water and fat phases, and removing the water and fat phases through freeze drying. Tetradecane may be used as the fat phase. Just after adding tetradecane into a water phase in which lipase is dissolved, though existing in water phase as shown in FIG. 4(a), the lipase moves towards the boundary surface since it has a tendency to gather around the boundary surface between the water and fat phases. The lipase moved to the boundary surface has hydrophobic portion at the side of the fat phase and a hydrophilic portion of the lipase at the side of the water phase, as shown in FIG. 4(b), and at the same time the lid covering the activating portion is opened by the function of the boundary surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: Japan as Represented by Dir. of National Food Res. Inst., Ministry of Agri. , Forestry and Fisheries
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Nakajima, Hiroshi Nabetani, Sosaku Ichikawa, Minoru Seki, Tatsuo Maruyama
  • Patent number: 6528293
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for activating a lipase by adding a solution of lipase in an aqueous buffer at a pH near neutrality to an organic phase, e.g., tetradecane. Under these conditions lipase is activated as a function of an organic-and-water boundary surface between the organic and water phases. The lipase that is activated in this manner remains active even after lyophilization to remove the water and the organic phase. This activated lipase efficiently catalyzes a fat reforming reaction in non-aqueous and nano-aqueous conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignees: Japan as represented by Director of National Food Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Bio-Oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Nakajima, Hiroshi Nabetani, Sosaku Ichikawa, Minoru Seki, Tatsuo Maruyama