The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 27, 1996
Filed:
Mar. 18, 1994
Smadar Cohen, Petach-Tickya, IL;
Carmen Bano, Valencia, ES;
Karyn B Visscher, State College, PA (US);
Marie Chow, Brookline, MA (US);
Harry R Allcock, State College, PA (US);
Robert S Langer, Newton, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
The Penn State Research Foundation, University Park, PA (US);
Abstract
A method for encapsulating biologically-labile materials such as proteins, liposomes, bacteria and eucaryotic cells within a synthetic polymeric capsule, and the product thereof, are disclosed. The method is based on the use of a water-soluble polymer with charged side chains that are crosslinked with multivalent ions of the opposite charge to form a gel encapsulating biological material, that is optionally further stabilized by interactions with multivalent polyions of the same charge as those used to form the gel. In the preferred embodiment, hydrolytically stable polyphosphazenes are formed of monomers having carboxylic acid side groups that are crosslinked by divalent or trivalent cations such as Ca.sup.2+ or Al.sup.3+, then stabilized with a polycation such as poly-L-lysine. A variety of different compositions can be formed from the crosslinked polymer. In a preferred embodiment, microcapsules are made by spraying an aqueous solution of polyphosphazene and material to be encapsulated into a calcium chloride solution.