Abstract: Methods for transporting a biologically active agent across a cellular membrane or a lipid bilayer. A first method includes the steps of:
(a) providing a biologically active agent which can exist in a native conformational state, a denatured conformational state, and an intermediate conformational state which is reversible to the native state and which is conformationally between the native and denatured states;
(b) exposing the biologically active agent to a complexing perturbant to reversibly transform the biologically active agent to the intermediate state and to form a transportable supramolecular complex; and
(c) exposing the membrane or bilayer to the supramolecular complex, to transport the biologically active agent across the membrane or bilayer. The perturbant has a molecular weight between about 150 and about 600 daltons, and contains at least one hydrophilic moiety and at least one hydrophobic moiety.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 30, 1997
Date of Patent:
February 19, 2002
Assignee:
Emisiphere Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Sam J. Milstein, Evgueni Barantsevitch, Andrea Leone-Bay, Nai Fang Wang, Donald J. Sarubbi, Noemi B Santiago