I.d.m. Immuno-Designed Molecules

Patrick Midoux

Michel Monsigny

Annie-Claude Roche-Degremont

Patrick Erbacher

Polymeric complexes for the transfection of nucleic acids, with residues causing the destabilisation of cell membranes

A compound consisting essentially of polylysine conjugated to non-charged residues and recognition signals wherein the free amino functions of said polylysine are substituted with non-charged residues and said recognition signals, which non-charged residues consist of gluconalactone and which recognition signals are at least one member of the group consisting of galactoside, mannoside, fucoside, Lewis.sup.x, Lewis.sup.b, oligomannoside, oligolactosamine saccharides and peptide ANP and said conjugated polylysine contains at least 30% unsubstituted free amino functions and a method of transfecting cultured cells.

Complexes of nucleic acid and polymer, their process of preparation and

The invention concerns a complex between at least one negatively charged nucleic acid and at least one positively charged polymeric conjugate, the link between the nucleic acid and the polymeric conjugate being electrostatic in nature, the polymeric conjugate containing a polymer formed from monomer components having free NH.sub.3.sup.+ functions of the aforementioned components and being as follows: --the free NH.sub.3.sup.+ functions from the aforementioned components are substituted in a ratio of at least 10%, advantageously from 45% to 70%, particularly 60%, by noncharged residues leading to a reduction of positive charges in comparison to the same nonsubstituted polymeric conjugate, facilitating the release of nucleic acid by the dissociation of the complex, --the aforementioned residues possess in addition the following properties:

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Orleans, France

Patrick Midoux