Multisomes: encapsulated droplet networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548852-B2
Application number	US-201214354706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2012
Priority date	Nov 3, 2011
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

The invention provides a droplet encapsulate comprising: a drop of a hydrophobic medium; a peripheral layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the drop; and an aqueous droplet within the peripheral layer, the aqueous droplet comprising: (a) an aqueous medium and (b) an outer layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium. The invention also provides processes for preparing the droplet encapsulates. Various uses of the droplet encapsulates are also described, including their use as drug delivery vehicles, in synthetic biology, and in the study of membrane proteins.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A droplet encapsulate comprising:
a drop of a hydrophobic medium which is an oil;
a peripheral layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the drop, wherein the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules comprise glycerophospholipid molecules; and
an aqueous droplet, or a plurality of aqueous droplets, within the peripheral layer, wherein the or each aqueous droplet comprises: (a) an aqueous medium and (b) an outer layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium, wherein the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules comprise glycerophospholipid molecules,
wherein the droplet encapsulate comprises a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules, wherein said bilayer further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction, and wherein:
(i) an aqueous droplet is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet contacts said peripheral layer, thereby forming said bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer; or
(ii) part of the outer layer of a first of said aqueous droplets contacts part of the outer layer of a second of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming said bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said first and second droplets.

2. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 1 wherein:
said peripheral layer comprises a monolayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules; and/or
said outer layer comprises a monolayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules.

3. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 1 wherein the aqueous droplet is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet contacts said peripheral layer, thereby forming a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer, wherein said bilayer further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

4. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 1 wherein said membrane protein is a pore, channel or pump.

5. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of said aqueous droplets within the peripheral layer, each aqueous droplet comprising: (a) a said aqueous medium, and (b) a said outer layer of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules around the surface of the aqueous medium.

6. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 5 wherein the number of said aqueous droplets is n, wherein n is an integer equal to or greater than 3.

7. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 5 , wherein part of the outer layer of a first of said aqueous droplets contacts part of the outer layer of a second of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming said bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said first and second droplets wherein said bilayer further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

8. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 7 wherein said membrane protein is a pore, channel or pump.

9. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 5 wherein at least one of said aqueous droplets is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet contacts the peripheral layer, thereby forming a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer.

10. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 9 wherein said bilayer at the interface between said aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

11. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 7 wherein both of said first and second droplets are situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the first aqueous droplet contacts the peripheral layer, thereby forming a first bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the first aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer, and part of the outer layer of the second aqueous droplet contacts the peripheral layer, thereby forming a second bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between the second aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer.

12. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 11 wherein the first or second bilayer further comprises a membrane protein, or wherein the first and second bilayers both further comprise a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

13. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 6 , wherein part of the outer layer of a first of said aqueous droplets contacts part of the outer layer of a second of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming a bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said first and second droplets, and wherein part of the outer layer of the second droplet contacts part of the outer layer of a third of said aqueous droplets, thereby forming a bilayer of the non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said second and third droplets.

14. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 13 wherein the bilayer at the interface between the first and second droplets further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction, and/or the bilayer at the interface between said second and third droplets further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

15. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 13 wherein at least one of said first, second and third droplets is situated at the edge of the drop, wherein part of the outer layer of the aqueous droplet situated at the edge of the drop contacts the peripheral layer, thereby forming a bilayer of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at an interface between said aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer.

16. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 15 wherein the bilayer at the interface between the aqueous droplet and the peripheral layer further comprises a membrane protein which is a pump, channel or a pore, a receptor protein, a transporter protein, or a protein which effects cell recognition or a cell-to-cell interaction.

17. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 15 wherein said first, second and third droplets are all situated at the edge of the drop, wherein a part of the outer layer of each of said first, second and third aqueous droplets contacts the peripheral layer, thereby forming bilayers of said non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at interfaces between said first, second and third aqueous droplets and the peripheral layer.

18. A droplet encapsulate according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the bilayers of non-polymeric amphipathic molecules at the interfaces between said fi

Assignees

• Univ Oxford Innovation Ltd

Inventors

• Bayley John Hagan Pryce
• Heron Andrew
• Villar Gabriel

Classifications

• A61K49/0002

  General or multifunctional contrast agents, e.g. chelated agents · CPC title

• B01J13/02

  Making microcapsules or microballoons {(for medical preparations A61K9/50)} · CPC title

• B01J13/025

  Applications of microcapsules not provided for in other subclasses · CPC title

• Y10T428/2984

  Microcapsule with fluid core [includes liposome] · CPC title

• A61K31/085

  having an ether linkage to aromatic ring nuclear carbon · CPC title