University of Sheffield

Biocompatibles UK Limited

Irene Canton

Giuseppe Battaglia

Andrew Lennard Lewis

Peter William Stratford

Steven Peter Armes

Nicholas John Warren

Harry Moore

Denis Cecchin

The present invention relates to a medium for storing, preserving, culturing, and/or differentiating stem cells. The medium employs a synthetic thermo-responsive copolymer, dispersed in an aqueous vehicle, which allows the medium to be readily 'switched' between a non-gelatinous (fluid) form and a gelatinous form by simply adjusting temperature across the gelling temperature of the medium. As such, stem cells can be easily captured within a 3D gel matrix by simply mixing the stem cells with the non-gelatinous/fluid form of the medium and then gelling the medium by adjusting the temperature across the gelling temperature of the medium. The stem cells encapsulated within the gelatinous form of the medium may then be preserved for a significant time period before either using the stem cells directly within the medium (e.g. in therapy, or in culturing, differentiation, and such like), or after their extraction from the medium.

Media for stem cells

The present invention provides a composition comprising vesicles and encapsulated within the vesicles, nucleic acid comprising less than 1000 nucleotides, wherein the vesicles comprise an amphiphilic block copolymer having a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic block. Methods of forming vesicles and methods of delivering nucleic acid, in particular, iRNA into cells, are also provided.

Amphiphilic block copolymers for nucleic acid delivery

Growing community of inventors

Sheffield, United Kingdom

Irene Canton