Japan Science and Technology Agency

Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd.

Fukuoka Prefectural Government

Taro Kimura

Seiji Shinkai

Kazuo Sakurai

Kazuya Koumoto

Masami Mizu

Kengo Tabata

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 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

Dazaifu, Japan

Taro Kimura