Japan Science and Technology Agency

Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd.

Fukuoka Prefectural Government

Kazuya Koumoto

Seiji Shinkai

Kazuo Sakurai

Masami Mizu

Taro Kimura

Takahiro Matsumoto

Kengo Tabata

Munenori Numata

Oliver Gronwald

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 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

Growing community of inventors

Kurume, Japan

Kazuya Koumoto