Japan Science and Technology Agency

Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd.

Kanebo, Limited

Napajen Pharma, Inc.

Fukuoka Prefectural Government

Napa Jenomics Co., Ltd.

Kazuo Sakurai

Seiji Shinkai

Masami Mizu

Kazuya Koumoto

Sadaharu Higuchi

Hironori Ando

Kenji Yao

Ko Rii

Masakazu Kobayashi

Munenori Numata

Shiro Takahara

Taro Kimura

Shizukuni Yata

Hideki Ohba

Yukinori Hato

Takanori Kubo

Kouei Igarashi

Michiaki Fuji

Atsushi Uno

Takahiro Matsumoto

Takuji Osaki

Kengo Tabata

Jusaku Minari

Oliver Gronwald

Teruaki Hasegawa

Tomohisa Fujisawa

Shin-ichi Mochizuki

Takashi Indo

Yasuko Suzuki

Masahiro Koike

Hiromi Morishita

Makoto Hanazawa

Shin-Ichi Mochizuki

An object of the present invention is to provide novel double-stranded RNA having an RNA interference effect, in which the cellular uptake and the resistance to enzymatic degradation are improved, without reducing the RNA interference effect. The cellular uptake and the resistance to enzymatic degradation of a complex of a polysaccharide having a &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan skeleton and double-stranded RNA can be significantly improved while maintaining the RNA interference effect, by fulfilling the following conditions (i) to (iii): (i) the double-stranded RNA has a sense strand consisting of a base sequence complementary to a target sequence in a target gene and an antisense strand containing a base sequence complementary to the sense strand, and the double-stranded RNA can inhibit expression of the target gene; (ii) the double-stranded RNA has a single-stranded polydeoxyadenine bound directly or via a linker to the end of at least one of the sense strand and the antisense strand; and (iii) the polysaccharide and the single-stranded polydeoxyadenine form a complex.

Complex of polysaccharide and double-stranded RNA

This peptide/&#x3b2;-1,3-glucan complex includes &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan and a peptide/polynucleotide conjugate in which an antigenic peptide is bonded covalently to a polynucleotide or a derivative thereof. The polynucleotide or derivative thereof of the peptide/polynucleotide conjugate bonds via a hydrogen bond with &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan, forming a complex having a triple helix structure including a single molecular chain of the polynucleotide or derivative thereof and two molecular chains of the &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan. Alternatively, the side chain of the &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan and the antigenic peptide are bonded covalently formed by either a cycloaddition reaction between an alkyne and an azide derivative, or a reaction between a maleimide group or a vinyl sulfone group and a thiol group.

Peptide/&#x3b2;-1,3-glucan complex and production method thereof and pharmaceutical composition containing peptide/&#x3b2;-1,3-glucan complex

An object of the present invention is to provide a drug and a method for effectively inducing donor-specific immune tolerance in a recipient in transplantation therapy. A complex of an siRNA for a costimulatory factor and schizophyllan is delivered to a Dectin-1 expressing cell which specifically recognizes schizophyllan to regulate the function of the Dectin-1 expressing cell, and therefore can induce immunosuppression effect as well as induce immune tolerance effectively.

Immune tolerance inducer

A highly stable nucleic acid-polysaccharide complex of an siRNA and schizophyllan is formed by adding polydeoxyadenine in which at least part of the phosphodiester link portion is phosphorothioated to an siRNA and allowing the siRNA and schizophyllan to form a complex.

Nucleic acid/polysaccharide complex

Disclosed is a gene carrier composed of a hydrogen-bonding polymer having a polymer chain with hydrogen-bonding sites formed on the polymer chain, in which the polymer chain has a conformation similar to the conformation of a nucleic acid, and particularly, the polymer chain has helix parameters similar to the helix parameters of a nucleic acid of a helix structure. In a preferred embodiment, the hydrogen-bonding polymer is composed of &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan such as schizophyllan. The carrier can be expected to be applied as a vector and a separator for nucleic acids because it is capable of interacting with a nucleic acid to form a complex with the nucleic acid and thus carrying the nucleic acid.

Gene carrier

Disclosed is a complex which comprises a carbon nanotube and a modified polysaccharide having a backbone chain with the side thereof being introduced with monosaccharide or oligosaccharide residues. The polysaccharide is preferably &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan. The complex is prepared by admixing a solution of the modified polysaccharide dissolved in an aprotic polar solvent or a strong alkali solution with an aqueous dispersion of the carbon nanotube, and incubating the mixture.

Polysaccharide-carbon nanotube complex

Disclosed is a new type of immunostimulating agent including an immunostimulating oligonucleotide complexed with a carrier which is safe and has a high transfection effect. The carrier complexed with the immunostimulating oligonucleotide to form the immunostimulating agent is a polysaccharide having &#x3b2;-1,3-bonds (preferably &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan such as schizophyllan). A preferred example of the immunostimulating oligonucleotide is one containing an unmethylated CpG motif. The polysaccharide for use is preferably modified with nucleic acid-binding functional group and/or cell membrane-affinitive functional group.

Immunostimulating agents

Disclosed are gene carriers utilizing &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan and methods of preparing the same. The &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan has at least one 1,6-glucopyranoside branch and is chemically modified through periodate oxidation and reductive amination so as to impart nucleic acid-binding functional groups (for example, cationic functional groups) to at least some of the 1,6-glucopyranoside branches thereof. Triple helix &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan is dissolved in a polar organic solvent to form single-stranded &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan. By replacing, in the presence of a nucleic acid, the polar organic solvent for the solution containing the chemically modified single-stranded &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan by water, a complex (gene carrier) is formed in which the nucleic acid is bound to double-stranded &#x3b2;-1,3-glucan.

Gene carriers with the use of polysaccharide and process for producing the same

In a film or panel having excellent near-infrared absorbability and excellent near-infrared shieldability, and having a high degree of visible ray transmittance and good color tone, in order to produce the near-infrared-absorbing film or panel having good color tone while the near-infrared-absorbing dye disposed therein is kept stable, the dye and the binder resin for the dye are specifically selected, and the production method is also specifically selected. In addition, for the purpose of producing the film or panel while the dye disposed therein is kept stable and for the purpose of making the film or panel have additional functions such as electromagnetic radiation absorbability, the film or panel is made to have a multi-layered structure.

Near infrared absorbing film, and multi-layered panel comprising the film

A polyester polymer includes a dicarboxylic acid or its ester-forming derivative and a dihydroxy compound, in which the dicarboxylic acid contains an alicyclic dicarboxylic acid and optionally an aromatic dicarboxylic acid, and the dihydroxy compound contains a compound of formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a C.sub.1-4 alkylene group; and R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 each represents a hydrogen atom, a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group, an aryl group or an aralkyl group which may be the same or different. Also, polyester moldings of disc substrates, lenses, sheets, films, tubes or fibers are produced by molding the polyester polymer. The polyester polymer has excellent transparency, excellent heat resistance, extremely low optical anisotropy and excellent moldability.

Polyester polymer and its moldings

An insoluble and infusible substrate with a polyacene-type skelatal structure having a hydrogen/carbon atomic ratio of from 0.05 to 0.60 and containing open pores having an average diameter of not more than 10 micrometers, said substrate being a heat-treated product of an aromatic condensation polymer consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The substrate, when doped with a dopant, gives an electrically conductive material. When having a specific surface area of at least 600 m.sup.2 /g, the substrate is especially useful as an electrode of an organic cell.

Porous article having open pores prepared from aromatic condensation

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Himeji, Japan

Kazuo Sakurai