University of California

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Tulane University

The Administration of the Tulane Educational Fund

Ford Cheer International Limited

Tulane University; Administrators of the Tulane Education Fund

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tianjin Nanuo Bio-technology Co., Ltd.

Yunfeng Lu

Mei Cai

Qiangfeng Xiao

Ming Yan

Jing Wen

Minjuan Zhang

Yang Liu

Hiesang Sohn

Zhen Gu

Yi Tang

Irvin S Y Chen

Zheng Chen

Anuradha Biswas

Guoping Fan

Min Liang

Fang Dai

Li Yang

Li Shen

Fang Liu

Qingyuan Hu

Masakazu Kamata

Jing Tang

Jie Li

Juanjuan Du

Irvin Sy Chen

Mark William Verbrugge

Frederick T Wagner

Jingmei Shen

Tatiana Segura

Martin S Ruthkosky

Cheng Ji

John T Johnson

Otto O Yang

Lee Lizhong Feng

Jimmy Wang

Junwei Wang

Zhiwang Wu

Donghai Wang

Chunsheng Kang

Xubo Yuan

Gan Liu

Duo Xu

Jie Ren

Suwei Zhu

Addis Fuhr

Irvin SY Chen

A method for intracellular delivery of single proteins or other cargo molecules by encapsulation within nanocapsules formed by interfacial polymerization of one or more types of monomers and selected protease cleavable cross-linkers is provided. The thin positively charged capsules are readily brought into the cytosol of target cells by endocytosis. The capsules are degraded by the action of endogenous proteases or co-delivered proteases on the cross-linkers releasing the functional cargo unaltered. The cross-linkers can be adapted to be cleavable by specific enzymes selected from available intracellular enzymes within the target cell or co-delivered or self-cleaving when the cargo itself is a protease. The nanocapsules produced by the methods have been shown to have long-term stability, high cell penetration capability, low toxicity and efficient protease-modulated specific degradability without affecting cargo protein function.

Protease assisted native-protein delivery approach (PANDA)

The invention relates to protein nanocapsules that exhibit material properties that change in different in vivo environments. A zwitterion moiety on the surface of the nanocapsule can protect the protein from opsonization in a first environment, yet uncouples from the protein nanocapsule in a second environment (e.g. at a pH of less than 6.5). In embodiments of the invention, the uncoupled protein nanocarrier is then internalized by mammalian cells (e.g. tumor cells).

Protein nanocapsules with detachable zwitterionic coating for protein delivery

An example electrolyte includes a solvent, a lithium salt, and an additive selected from the group consisting of a mercaptosilane, a mercaptosiloxane, and combinations thereof. The electrolyte may be used in a method for making a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer on a surface of an electrode. A negative electrode structure may be formed from the method.

Electrolyte and negative electrode structure

The invention relates to a method for fabricating a regenerative polysulfide-scavenging layer (RSL). The method includes embedding nanowires or nanocrystals of metal oxides with a membrane of carbon nanotubes (CNTs); and forming the RSL with the embedded nanowires or nanocrystals of the metal oxides and the membrane, so as to enable lithium-sulfur batteries with high energy density and prolonged cycling life. The invention also relates to a lithium-sulfur battery that contains the RSL.

Regenerative polysulfide-scavenging layers enabling lithium-sulfur batteries with high energy density and prolonged cycling life and methods of making same

The invention relates to methods and materials for extending a circulating half-life of a protein. The method comprises conjugating a protein with a polymerizable acryloyl group and encapsulating the protein with a layer of poly(2-methacryloxyloxyethyl phosphorycholine) (pMPC). The layer of pMPC comprises a plurality of 2-methacryloxyloxyethyl phosphorycholine monomers (MPC) polymerized with a N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) crosslinker.

Stealth nanocapsules for protein delivery

Methods for modifying therapeutic agents such as therapeutic biomolecules, such as proteins for improved oral, rectal or transmucosal delivery, as well as compositions made using such methods and methods of administering such compositions to a subject, are disclosed. Specifically, the therapeutic agents are conjugated to hyperbranched polymers (HBPs), such as hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG). When such conjugates are administered orally to a subject, the HBP protects the therapeutic agent from the acid environment of the stomach and protease attack in the gastro-intestinal tract, while facilitating the absorption of the therapeutic agent in the higher pH environment of the intestines. The methods and compositions are useful for the improved administration of a variety of therapeutic agents to a subject.

Therapeutic hyperbranched polyglycerol encapsulated biomolecules

A negative lithium-containing electrode for an electrochemical cell is provided, along with methods of making such a negative lithium-containing electrode. The method includes depositing a first precursor and a second precursor in a vapor deposition process onto one or more surface regions of a negative electrode material comprising lithium. The first precursor and the second precursor react to form an inorganic-organic composite surface coating on the one or more surface regions. The first precursor comprises an organic mercapto-containing silane and the second precursor comprises an inorganic silane.

Conformal coating of lithium anode via vapor deposition for rechargeable lithium ion batteries

Novel siRNA and shRNA nanocapsules and delivery methods are disclosed herein. These siRNA and shRNA nanocapsules and delivery methods are highly robust and effective. This invention provides a platform for RNAi delivery with low toxicity and long intracellular half-life for practical therapeutic applications.

RNAi molecule delivery platform based on single-siRNA and shRNA nanocapsules

The invention provides novel methods, materials and systems that can be used to generate viral vectors having altered tissue and cell targeting abilities. In illustrative embodiments of the invention, the specificity of lentiviral vectors was modulated by a thin polymer shell that synthesized and coupled to the viral envelope in situ. The polymer shell can confers such vectors with new targeting ability via agents such as cyclic RGD (cRGD) peptides that are coupled to the polymer shell. These polymer encapsulated viral vectors exhibit a number of highly desirable characteristics including a higher thermal stability, resistance to serum inactivation in vivo, and an ability to infect dividing and non-dividing cells with high efficiencies.

Viral vector nanocapsule for targeting gene therapy and its preparation

Provided are nanocomplexes having at least two different enzymes and a polymeric network anchored to at least one of the enzymes. In some embodiments, the activities of the enzymes catalyze a cascade reaction.

Multiple-enzyme nanocomplexes

The invention provides methods of making and using compositions comprising a polymer shell designed to deliver polypeptides to selected environments. In embodiments of the invention, different environmental conditions are harnessed to allow the selective degradation of the polymer shell and the consequential release of one or polypeptides encapsulated therein. In illustrative embodiments, polymer components of the shell are interconnected by peptide-containing crosslinker moieties, linkages which maintain the integrity of the polymer shell under certain environmental conditions, but can also be cleaved when combined with a selected protease.

Enzyme responsive nanocapsules for protein delivery

An electrolyte structure includes a metal organic framework (MOF) material defining a plurality of pores. Anions are bound to respective metal atoms of the MOF material. The bound anions are located within each of the plurality of pores of the MOF material. Solvated cations are present within each of the plurality of pores.

Electrolyte structure for metal batteries

A thermoelectric material includes a composite having a first electrically conducting component and second low thermal conductivity component. The first component may include a semiconductor and the second component may include an inorganic oxide. The thermoelectric composite includes a network of the first component having nanoparticles of the second component dispersed in the network.

Nanostructured bulk thermoelectric material

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Yunfeng Lu